Office of the Press Secretary
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Internal Transcript June 1, 2010
INTERVIEW OF THE PRESIDENT
BY KENYAN BROADCASTING SYSTEM
Diplomatic Reception Room
2:03 P.M. EDTQ It is indeed a pleasure to speak with you, Mr. President. Kenyans take exceptional pride in your achievements. And we just wanted to know from you, as we mark 47 years of independence in Kenya, what does it mean or what significance is it to you in person?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, as I think everybody knows, my father was from Kenya and was part of that generation that first benefited from the movement towards independence. My father, in 1960, got a scholarship to travel to the United States, so there was a movementtowards independence that hadn’t yet been achieved, but when he returned Kenya was a country full of promise. And I think so many people had great hopes for the possibilities of Kenyan prosperity.
It’s been a bumpy road over these last 47 years, but I’m very encouraged by the actions of Parliament in April to issue a draft constitution. And the most important message I have for the Kenyan people today is that they have to participate in this referendum process; that they have to get educated, they have to get involved, they have to look at all the issues involved, because this is a singular opportunity to put Kenyan governance on a more solid footing that can move beyond ethnic violence, can move beyond corruption, can move the country towards a path of economic prosperity. And so I hope that everybody participates, everybody takes advantage of this moment.
Q Some of the people opposing the constitution, the review, have claimed, have raised a red flag, that the United States, Britain, German, among other countries, are interfering with the process because they think you are openly supporting the process. What is your view on this?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I’m openly supporting the process. I’m not openly supporting the result. I think it’s up to the Kenyan people to make a decision about the direction of their country, but as a great friend of Kenya and as President of the United States, I am hoping that the Kenyan people, through a process of self-determination, are able to take advantage of this moment. I don’t think it’s any secret for most of your viewers and most people I talk to from Kenya, including my family members, that there’s been frustration over the years of the constant corruption that is preventing full economic development in a country that is blessed by incredible potential wealth. I think people are frustrated by the continuing ethnic rivalries that exist in Kenya when I think we all know that a country only succeeds when it pulls together.
I think people are frustrated, in terms of the continuing areas when it comes to rule of law or how the police operate or what have you, that things are not as transparent and as accountable to the people as it should be.
And so this is an opportunity to fix many of those things. It’s not going to be a silver bullet, but it’s going to move us in the right direction. And we saw what happened in the last election, the dangers that exist if these problems are allowed to continually fester, and I give both Odinga and Kibaki credit for having seen the process through up until this point. They’re saying the right things and I hope that the Kenyan people will take it to heart, and those who would try to undermine this process I think are making a big mistake.
Q Ambassador Ranneberger has reiterated over and over again your interest in ensuring that the process in Kenya is democratic. And now we know that Vice President Joe Biden will be visiting Kenya next week. One of the politicians actually said this is a direct message from you; you’re saying, “You enact the constitution and I will come in person to share the celebrations with you.” I don’t know what your thoughts are on this, whether you plan to visit Kenya anytime?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I’m positive that before my service as President is completed I will visit Kenya again, as President of the United States.
Right now I’ve got so many issues that we’re dealing with, including the global economy that’s still very much weakened -- we have an oil spill here in the United States that has to be attended to -- that it’s going to be difficult for me to travel. Even though I’d love to go to the World Cup, Joe Biden is the guy who is lucky enough to get to go to South Africa, and so he’s going to stop in Kenya along the way.
But Joe Biden, his presence, as my top emissary, is the same one that I’m expressing today: We want Kenya to succeed. And the only way Kenya is going to succeed is if the country comes together; there’s an end to the ethnic strife that has plagued so much of Africa and Kenya; that there’s an end to the corruption that is making it more difficult for the country to develop. And then I think the possibilities are endless.
You think about the agricultural strength of Kenya, if it’s properly cultivated -- I always brag to my friends that Kenyans are as smart as any people in the world, but the economy is not always organized to take advantage of all that brainpower that’s in Kenya.
I think making sure that human rights are observed, that women’s rights are observed, that freedom of the press continues to be fostered in Kenya -- all those things are critical to the future of young Kenyan children. Development in rural areas, making sure that money is not just in government bureaucracies but is getting out actually to reach people, all those things are possible, but you have to have a government that’s accountable, and you have to have a constitution that underwrites these basic principles. And this is a singular opportunity for Kenyans to achieve that. But regardless of whether people -- what people think about this draft, whether they vote yes or vote no, I just want to make sure that they participate in it. And that will be Joe Biden’s message as well.
Q Talking about the youth, a lot of the youth from Kenya and many other parts of the world come to the United States to look for greener pastures, especially for university education. Education in the universities in the United States has become very expensive, and so forcing some of the students who come here to drop out and then engage in other activities. Are you thinking about reforming the immigration laws?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think that comprehensive immigration reform is very important for this country. Part of what makes America unique is we’ve always been a magnet for people from all around the world. And so that’s how you can end up with somebody who looks like me, named Barack Obama, as the President because we have a tradition of embracing immigration and people from different cultures.
But it has to be legal. It has to be done properly. And when you look at whether it’s African immigrants or immigrants from Asia, from Mexico, I think that people just, as you say, are in search of a better life, but it’s not fair for a young African to come here saying they’re going to study, and then they end up overstaying their visa when you’ve got a lot of Africans back home who are patiently waiting in line and going through the process -- and perhaps waiting years -- to apply for a green card.
And so we want to make sure that people aren’t rewarded for breaking the law. We want a system that is more efficient, more effective, more rapid that can bring the talents of people around the world, but we want to do it in a legal way.
Now, the one other thing we want is to make sure that young people in Kenya have the opportunity to succeed in Kenya also. And obviously a huge problem for the continent of Africa is some of its best and brightest end up emigrating to the West because they can make more money there, or it’s easier to get a decent education.
We want to create a situation where people who want to succeed can stay in Kenya. Nairobi is as beautiful a spot as there is on Earth, but if young people don’t feel like they can move forward if they’re ambitious and they work hard, then they’re going to end up leaving, and that makes everybody poor.
Q America is a leading democracy, and yet it has not ratified CEDAW the Convention of the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women. And it’s a big surprise to most women as they come to attend the Commission on the Status of Women meeting every year in New York at the U.N. And are you planning on ratifying CEDAW?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, keep in mind that if it was simply up to me, it would have already been ratified. I’m a strong supporter of it. It is currently pending in the Senate. We want the Senate to pass it. The Senate has had a busy agenda and it moves slowly as it is. But my hope is, is that we get it done.
Q What are you doing about the oil spill? It looks like it’s domestic, but I’m sure it will spiral and get to Africa and the rest of the world.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, it’s not clear that this actual oil spill will get to Africa. But it does raise broader international questions because there have been terrible oil spills, particularly off the West Coast of Africa, where there’s been a lot of obviously oil exploration and production for many years -- off the coast of Nigeria, off the coast of Angola. And so what this has become I think is a symbol of why it’s so important for us, first of all, to have stronger standards in terms of how oil production proceeds offshore; holding oil companies accountable so that there’s the technologies to stop these leaks when they occur; making sure that government is able to provide effective oversight over these oil companies that are so powerful and large; but also the need for us to move towards a cleaner energy agenda over the long term.
We’ll continue to depend on oil in the short run, but over the long run, we have to develop the power of the sun, the wind, biodiesel, geothermal power. There are all sorts of sources of power. And, frankly, those of us in the West have to use power much more efficiently because the amount of energy that the average African uses is probably 50 times less than the average American, maybe more. And so we’re consuming a lot of energy to maintain these high standards of living. As other countries begin to develop, they’re going to want to have the same cars and the same air conditioning and all these amenities which require huge power generation, and we’re going to have to make sure that we are looking at new energy sources that don’t pollute the planet.
Q We really appreciate your time, Mr. President. Maybe just a final word to Kenyans as they mark 47 years of independence on Madaraka Day today.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, congratulations on 47 years of independence. Let’s make sure that the Kenyan people take advantage of this moment, seize the moment, participate in this constitutional process. And 47 years later, hopefully both you and I and our children and our grandchildren can look back and say that Kenya really turned a corner and started on a path of even greater prosperity and development.
Q Thank you very much. We really appreciate your time.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.
END 2:18 P.M. EDT
Good job KBC
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