[afro-nets] RFI: Fight against malaria - Media Effectiveness (8)

["Peter Burgess" <profitinafrica@gmail.com>]

RFI: Fight against malaria - Media Effectiveness (8)
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Dear Colleagues

A couple of weeks back Kris Dev put in a plug for transparency and accountability and got a somewhat negative response ...

George Kent
"Kris, since you asked, I will tell you what I think, but you won't like it. I have noticed on this list that you keep proposing the same remedy, no matter what problem is raised. You sound like a doctor that has only one therapy to offer, regardless of the diagnosis of the problem. SNIP"

Craig Audiss
"I agree also with George Kent, in that Kris seems like a broken record with accountability and transparency.  These are noble things to strive for but in reality very difficult to bring into play.  The reality is as the old adage says "He who has the gold makes the rules."  It is unfortunate but very much true, and always has been that way. SNIP"

George Kent and Craig Audiss have a point. Kris uses a "boilerplate" message to make a point about transparency and accountability and one possible way he advocates to impact the problem. But please do not dismiss Kris's contributions out of hand. Kris has probably made more practical contribution to the field of socio-economic progress than many.

He had a significant career in the Indian civil service ... in the state owned steel industry, and some years ago was appointed to run the organization's steel tube making factory in Mexico which was operating at big losses. Kris helped get the Mexico unit up to world-class ISO standards, and then marketed the products into the oil industry around the Gulf of Mexico ... to Texas and to Venezuela. In short order a failing factory became very successful. 

Kris returned to India in around 2000, and has worked on a software application to make government offices paperless ... and about three years ago a pilot was successfully deployed in one of the local government departments in India. I love the idea that an Indian government office could go paperless ... successfully.

Kris is still pushing the envelope ... and I would not be surprised at all to see Kris doing a lot more that is both practical and valuable. Kris is not by any means "stuck in a rut" but is pushing forward into some areas that most of us would not dream of trying. Not all his ideas make sense, but stay tuned because Kris will probably implement something of huge value when the rest of us are just talking about it.

Sincerely

Peter Burgess
Transparency and Accountability Network
Tr-Ac-Net Inc.
212 772 7918
mailto:peterbnyc@gmail.com