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Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Vote Yes or No But No Toxic Politics Please

Caveat: Let the YES and NO camps sell their wares/ideas but leave Kenyans to vote with their conscience. No need to force any to buy into take.

The present political heat generated by both supporters and opponents of the draft constitution is unnecessary to say the least. First we must appreciate that the there would be no need of a referendum if all were in agreement. So we must learn to disagree without being disagreeable. That is what civilization is all about, learning to listen to opposing viewpoint without raising your voice nor rising in arms.

Even the church has all the constitutional right to oppose the draft. Sitting on their hands as YES campaigners traverse the country would be akin to supplying nails for their own spiritual coffin. Granted, dogma is the singular thread that sews the church together. Remove it and men of the collar are permanently rendered irrelevant. Forget the paradox that it’s the male clergy complaining loudest about reproductive health and abortion despite the fact that they have no clue what it means to host and nourish the unborn for nine good months.

Kenyans are a very resilient lot and we must not allow ourselves to be hyped and poisoned by our selfish politicians. Just look at their frequent change of stand on the same issues they claim to fight for. To them the only constant thing in their political lives is INCONSISTENCY.

Collectively we have survived numerous calamities as a nation and we must not allow the forth coming referendum to sow seeds of discord among us again. Not after the near-Armageddon that followed the bungled 2007 polls. Respect for ourselves and to one another is KEY. From there we must start learning as Kenyans to demand respect of our so-called leaders otherwise nobody will take us seriously.

And the consequences are dire. Even Museveni will expand his ego past Migingo and the Al Shabaab lay claim to annex North Eastern. What is more, US and UK will continue treating us like dirt by letting us scramble to sleep in the cold streets in search of their visas in our own country. Salt that grievous injury with our own politicians refusing to pay taxes and we have our backs against the wall.

So please vote YES or NO but remember to keep it civil for Kenya is bigger than anyone of us. To paraphrase someone's succinct summary from a previous let us avoid trying so hard to herd everyone Kenyan into the "YES/NO" grazing paddocks where there may not be enough political foliage as well as economic green pastures to sustain the 'voters' in the long run once the odious task of chewing regurgitated constitutional cud is no longer palatable.

Update

Kibaki's riot act to the cabinet must be seen in its right perspective as a CEO whipping his subordinates to order. Doing otherwise would be akin to lack of leadership and courting chaos. Now that he has made the draft a government project, those opposing have the option of quitting and pissing from out rather that from within. True, they can shout democracy and right to disagree. But order and harmony is irreplaceable in any organization. There are no two ways about it: you cannot have you cake and eat it.

19 comments:

  1. Taabu,

    This is a great piece and a pleasant surprise coming from you. After reading those hate-filled pieces you wrote after 2007 elections, I never thought a day would come when I would read a peace sermon from you. Thank you for giving me hope that one day we can all live together without our usual malignant tribal suspicions.

    I agree that this time we should go into this referendum divided into "yes" and "no" but peacefully united as a nation. For me I am voting "yes" guided by my political ideology and my spouse is voting "no" because her christian sensibilities have allegedly been offended. But as a couple we can not afford to be antagonistic because we have a life to live and a famiy to raise after the referendum.

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  2. So what if you and your bitch/wife votes differently? You don't need to come to KK blog for sermons, just look for Njue/Karanja and their like-minded tribal clergy.

    Oh, and while at it STOP LIVING THE NATIONAL LIE of DENIAL. Your attempt at preaching peace is misplaced, POLE na ole wako.

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  3. Teacher T
    Oh woe!If only the hands of time could be turned back and this wise piece of advice given in Nov '07

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  4. Taabu has suddenly found that peace is important after watching helplessly RV (his ancestral land) sliced and diced into counties. Some of these counties (Trans Nzoia, Nakuru and Laikipia) will be dominated by so the called foreigners from Western and Central Kenya. Bring the ballot box and we vote and see whether armageddon will come as he has always predicted. Bw. Taabu, wewe leta ndebe tupige kura!!!!!!

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  5. I guess this referendum is the conversion road to Damascus. The tears of those who have cried for ages for a parliamentary system and some ethnic majimbos have ran out. Now they are busy saying yes to presidential system without majimbos. And that silly term, "ancestral lands," is nowhere to be found in the proposed constitution. May the soil be owned and tilled by those who can make the best use of it regardless of tribe or class.

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  6. Poor Taabu,

    Why do people have to revisit your dirty past and expose your tribal hatred when you are trying to repackage your dirty self in some brand new gikomba outfits?
    surely, you were just echoing the 'haki yetu' anthem and since your deity is in YES, you have to beat drums for the yes team.
    Oooh, and while at it i see you support the Kibaki action of forcing all ministers to say yes to this govt project. As long as Raila is for yes, Kibaki can even fire the naysayers.

    What an old moron has Taaabu turned out to be??

    kipng'eny

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  7. How many baskets of ugali, bowls of mboga, trays of biriani, kilos of nyama, plates of utumbu, and crates of local beer will the NEW CONSTITUTION add to the 2012 Christmas wish list of Kenyans in general?

    LOL! Less than six million voters will be able to vote "YES" or "NO" in a country of 39,002,772 people.

    Kenya is bigger than six million voters. Grant IDs to the rest of the population above the age of eighteen ASAP.

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  8. Now that he has made the draft a government project, those opposing have the option of quitting and pissing from out rather that from within. True, they can shout democracy and right to disagree. But order and harmony is irreplaceable in any organization. There are no two ways about it: you cannot have you cake and eat it.

    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

    Surely, how can a Constitution making become a government project?

    This is a tragedy. However, Kenyans will not see it that way. Anyway, since it seems we are making a constitution to punish Moi and others, good luck.

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  9. I find christians (70% of kenyans?)an amusing lot. From what I gather they dont trust their pastors/priests/bishops to decide anything for them. But their holy book was decided on by bishops. The council of Nicea (325 CE) and others thereafter established christianity as a religion with all its books and dogmas. This was the work of bishops under the superitendence of the roman emperor. A lot of politics and bribery took place. However to most christians, the bishops who met at these councils were inspired! Yet the record shows they were more corrupt than present day bishops. Does antiquity mean correct? It appears that way and that is why christans can say they dont trust their current bishops but they trust those of 325 CE. Any christian who can respond without quoting a book put together by corrupt bishops?

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  10. Christianity just like any other bad philosophy will vanish with time also in Kenya. Go to any of the big gigantic churches in europe and marvell at the emptiness on sundays. They are only full when there is a ndoa or open to tourists. They are turning to be relics of the past like the bishops themselves.

    This will no doubt be true after the colonial generation let by our current leaders and our parents are gone. Who would have imagined DOMBOLO beamed right into you living room if your grandparos would decide.

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  11. Yes, religion is dead in europe. However in kenya and most of the rest of the third world, religion is needed. Can you imagine what would happen to the rich and middle class if the poor were to lose the fear of hell and the hope of heaven. When the conditions in europe were similar to ours, i believe someone there said religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich. Very true, until we have a situation where the vast majority are "haves". As advised by Machiavelli our leaders have to feign piety to ensure the holloi polloi take religion seriously. Of course I know we will have our french revolution. But it will be long in coming. Africans are still too supertitious (religious).

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  12. 4/28/10 1:13 AM

    I beg to respecfully disagree ... we underestimate Information Technology at our own peril. It used to take half generation to follow the rebel in society, it now only takes a WIFI connection to do the same today. The speed in which perceptions and attitudes are changing is quite mindboggling and the rate is not even fully blown. You will be surprised how fast this will come true.

    In 10 years you will be scratching your head that we had this conversation. Yes, Christianity will be there but very ceremonial like we celebrate a life during birthdays and then procced to abuse LIFE for the rest of the year

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  13. 4/28/10 1:13 AM

    Ayiiiiiiiiiiiiih! We mondo una mambo mengi. Why are you trying to awaken the "sleeping peasants" of modern Kenya? Wacha wakome hivyo hivyo until Mutula wa Noo comes to their rescue in 2021.
    Ayiiiiiiiiiiiiiih!

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  14. Taabu,

    The thing is; cabinet has made a decision. There is something called collective responsibility.

    Kibaki has read the riot act.What the hell is Ruto waiting for? Uhuru and Kalonzo have been quick to declare they are YES men.

    One upon a time, right here on Kumekucha, I predicted Ruto's resignation. As far as I can see, his position as minister is no longer tenable, given his (democratic) position on the constitutional draft.

    I remember Ruto 'threw down the gauntlet' to the Prime Minister. He is quoted to have said that if the Prime Minister is 'man enough' he should face his political opponents squarely. Now the PM is right in supporting the YES side, after Ruto thought he fixed ODM in Naivasha.

    ODM, like any other smart political group, had a PLAN A, PLAN B and even PLAN C with regard to the constitutional reform. As it is now, no one knows if the presidential system was actually ODM's PLAN A - C? What we know is that the ODM NEC was very quick to approve the PSC resolutions.

    Therefore, William Ruto needs to stop defrauding tax payers. Let him resign his cabinet docket, which by the way was not just a big demotion, but also a soft landing in preparation to being led to the slaughter house.

    William Ruto is simply NO MATCH for the ODM Captain. That is the bottom line.

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  15. Collective responsibility?What utter bullshit.!So why didnt the same collective responsibility apply during the 2005 referendum when Raila led the way in declaring No to the proposed constitution?Then,as it is now,Kibaki had declared the referendum a government project.If it is anything to do with principle,why didnt Raila resign then and lead his No troops from outside government?He stuck right there like a tick on a dead cows skin till he was given the sack.Trust these ODM jerks to twist around any situa
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  16. GAME, SET and MATCH

    Like I said before it is a game of SIX LOVE , we are now in the second set

    First set... Demotion
    Second Set ...Off side
    Third set ... Jijaziye

    What you see is the beginning of the end and it will accelerate
    as we approach the vote for katiba, na tuwache matusi tafadhalini

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  17. Taabu did not write "hate-filled pieces."

    Taabu was simply aghast at the robbery Kenya had suffered like most of us.

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  18. kalya kiprono4/29/10, 3:13 AM

    here's my totally skewed and irrelevant contribution, and i like it:
    The New Constitution gives us a powerful president. God knows we need one who'll undo all the garbage the three former presidents have fed us with...and just guess who's the best bet? Raila! That's why he's pushing for this document.And anyone who doubnts Raila will make President in 2012 should go jump off a cliff!! Ruto and co just realized latye in teh day that thery practically gave Raila teh best whip he'd ever ask for.And i'm voting YES for that.

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  19. Kalya,
    Kwani umekula lunch na Raila huko Ranalo ama vipi? Yours scares and reassures at the same time.

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