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In our ongoing campaign to rid the august house of the entire 9th parliament team that has brought the nation on the brink of a major crisis, some have suggested that we spare some of the MPs while others have talked about the need for a smooth handover.
I appreciate this input from my brothers and sisters and value and respect your rights to your views and opinions. However I feel it is necessary to highlight a few reasons why both these two suggestions may not be in the best interests of Kenya and Kenyans just now.
Firstly there is no issue of a smooth handover, since this arises where some good work was being done, hence the need for some continuity. We all know that very little was being done. Whatever the achievements of the 9th parliament (and I find it extremely difficult to find them) they were too little too late. We must raise performance standards to a new level and to do that we cannot afford to praise the mediocrity and filth of the 9th parliament.
Secondly this fear of handing over parliament to some inexperienced Kenyans is a myth and was the same fear that many had when Kenya got her independence in the 1960s. Very inexperienced people then like Mwai Kibaki, Daniel Moi and Tom Mboya and others took over...
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I am a Kenyan of goodwill who differs with your radical surgery recommendation, hence your reference to me as ‘some’ and ‘others’.
ReplyDeleteI’m sure this will be followed by some attacks from you-know-akina-who, but I find it interesting that you say this……..“there is no issue of a smooth handover, since this arises where some good work was being done, hence the need for some continuity. We all know that very little was being done. Whatever the achievements of the 9th parliament (and I find it extremely difficult to find them) they were too little too late…” and in the same breath go on to this……”very inexperienced people then like Mwai Kibaki, Daniel Moi and Tom Mboya and others took over things in parliament and proved that the fears of inexperience were totally unfounded” ……
In effect you are saying that Kibaki, Moi, and Mboya have done superb jobs. Well, then Kibaki abaki. For the record, I personally don’t think of them-Moi even- as total failures as you would have the world believe. I’m Kenyan, and know what’s going on in our neighbouring countries. There is a lot more our leaders were in a position to do, but at the risk of making this a cliché, give credit where credit is due. I’m tired of running the numbers at this point.
Another assumption that stems from this is that education is important in politricks. I know I rubbed Taabu the wrong way when I said the good professor needs to be a nationalist and not a tribal-alliance-party-ist. I am of the opinion that the best minds are best put to use rolling out their sleeves and getting dirty at work, not our-time-to-eat-ing. There are politicians who probably never saw the inside of a classroom and were way better at listening to their constituents than our professors. Mulu Mutisya, who inspired political/trickal heavey weigh Kalonzo Musyoka comes to mind. Make no mistake about it, I believe in education for development.
I still maintain that some experience as a leader is important for anyone with their eyes on the House. And, yes, I still want a smooth transition by retaining some great parliamentarians. I’ve never been one to generalize.
Chris you are introducing dictorship through the backdoor and you must be stopped. True, the 9th parlimanet was a FAILURE. But using that as the peg to hang your story is scented mischief.
ReplyDeleteBy the way we reason best by contrast and the failure by the 9th bunge maybe the blessing in disguise we needed to inpire the 10 one. But in all honesty stop advocating textbook solutions. We need soe of these people and tehy need not stink by association.
PKW may be right on continuity. Who what neophytes who will take 1-2 years learning te ropes on how to debate. The poor business in present bunge has nothing to do with that. Your radical prescription smacks off Kiraitu Murungi and I am sure you don't envy the eggs and tomatoes on his face following that goof. Remember baying for blood begets more blood including the innocent.
PS: PKW I am madeof STEEL and mere rubs don't even warm the container leave alone the contents. You are right albeit to a level. We must have the Mulu Mutisyas and Chotaras to make the world complete. But comparing present position with then is to invert the premise ama sivyo dada?
Clearly, you are calling for a revolution. I�m on your side Chris. You must first come up with a criterion that defines a better leader, identify these in all constituencies and most importantly educate the voters.
ReplyDeleteAs a matter of fact, if such a takeover was to ever materialize, it would be as result of voter awareness. My shtick is this, not every citizen should have a right to vote. In fact a voter�s card should be a privilege that is obtained only after a citizen has gone through a short course on civil rights/government etc. Don�t call me names yet. This is not exactly slavery day�s propaganda. Let me yield to you an interesting observation: If for instance, only people with degrees in political science were allowed to vote, wouldn�t Kenya be a better country? Of course the answer is yes. Further, why must the less informed chaps in cities and villages be allowed to vote? Si wanatuharibia tuu. You see, it�s the uninformed voters that the politicians bribe and use to get to parliament. Chris, think about it for a minute, the �one man one vote creed� is the breaking point of your revolution.
I'm sure my friend Derek will back me in this; Kenyans aren't revolutionaries-that's not not a bad thing though or is it Derek?(read docile)
ReplyDeleteChris' approach may work but maybe its not for all people. Then again if what Chris says is an idea whose time has come then its unstoppable...question one-is this the time for this idea?question two-are Kenyans ready?
A long-drawn out and sustained campaign to kick out all MPs might not be the answer either (e.g.KACC and so called corruption campaigns....well what have you done lately to rid the country of corruption?getting musicians to sing all over the country is good for their employment but its not fighting corruption)
Performance contracts were enacted to bring all public servants to account if they didn't meet set-out Govt targets. but they are inherently flawed in that they don't have a consequences clause-what happens to someone who fails to achieve? a slap on the fingers is so not the right punishment.
This is where the President as leader of the country is required to step-if someone is not performing, FIRE THEM. after-all you are the one on whom it will reflect badly if even one single ministry(or even the whole entire Assembly) and your inaction to punish a poor or non-performer will make you look implicit in their nincompoopery
Insensitivity, as this Govt has been accused of, is when a ministry/ministries-or in this case an entire parliament-fails to perform or performs poorly and the head of state does not respond when hue and cry is raised-indeed it seems he doesn't even want such protest to be raised as in the first failed peaceful Mwalimu Mati&co protest. Was the second one granted because they wanted to save face or because the police were now informed on time?
Either way, the President-in as much as he is obligated to let autonomy reign in his Govt-also has to crack the whip when it is necessary to do so. otherwise performance contracts, wealth declaration laws etc are of no use if they can't be used to enforce their point
Luke, I would like to support a few facts here and at the same time challenge Chris and this crusade. I have to weigh what various MPs have done, what others have not done and what the others were suppose to have done.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to describe the MPs apart from being scoundrels, I feel that the best way is to simply call for a whitewash of the august house and start all afresh, but politics being what it is, managed and run by tribal chieftains, comedians, and happy-go-lucky individuals, customers of the oldest trade (read Koinange) et al, it is futile.
People who use every opportunity to make sure that their existence in the next five years is sorted within the first year of being in parliament.
They unwontedly raise their salaries, spend 15 minutes in parliament, spend four years campaigning, and above all, spread animosity and tribal rivalry.
First, I will look at the positive, and that is where I belong, the negative that I oppose, that includes Mungiki, Anglo Leasing, Artur Margaryan, The Standard Newspapers Raid, the Lucy Kibaki sit-in at Nation Centre, the Elgon clashes, simmering problems in Kariobangi and the Media Bill. Only in a few of those, did MPs raise fingers to urge the multitudes to demonstrate.
Most of what has been heard in terms of the MPs shouting the voices hoarse has been the Media Bill, simply because the Press highlighted it in a manner that touched all and in turn, the public was sensitised.
Why should you revolt? Kenya has been peaceful for a long time and the past five years that has seen a different set of administration should be a wake up call. The environment that has seen the country accept criticism is a little bit different, though I feel for the Mwalimu Matis and William Rutos who had a taste of teargas as an MP after being on the other side for a very long time.
Luke as you say, cowards can’t fight and they have never anyway and the Kenyan in me and you believe that we should not fight. Otherwise, the clashes in 1992 should have brought the Moi regime to its knees.
Luke did you ever hear what Yoweri Museveni once told Makerere University students championing for multiparty politics “You people are clamouring for multiparty. Do you want to see dead bodies in the streets of Kampala again? Then go and hold demonstrations”. Nobody dared do that. In our case, it only needs Brigadier Ali to make that statement to proscribe a move by the people, you and me included.
Docile, did I say? Yes. What happened to one Nation TV announcer when he decided to support the Vijana Tugutuke Campaign? Sacked. What happened to Stephen Muiruri when he ran into trouble with the police? None of the Mwalimu Matis ran to his side, despite the open show of power and influence that was displayed over the whole thing.
Who among the MPs has called for an inquiry into the shooting of some defenceless children in Muranga? Whether Mungiki or not, killing more than five people is gruesome and spraying them with bullets draws it closer to Slobodan Milosevic or the Wagalla Massacre in pre-independent Kenya. Did I also read that ‘we were told that there should be no ceremonies? We were told to take the bodies and bury them immediately’. All parents complied with the orders and that is what I call DOCILE. No church leader even went to the altar to question that.
If there are things we should revolt against, then our MPs should not be scapegoats.