Post by Onyango Oloo on Oct 12, 2005 12:08:12 GMT 3
15 Biggest Banana Blunders & 5 Gravest Orange Pitfalls
Onyango Oloo Draws Up 2 Lists...
1. The announcement by President Kibaki that he was going to lead the Yes Campaign- before Wako had finished siring his mongrel! That definitely takes the cake as the blooper numero uno. Mwai Kibaki should have played the avuncular elder statesman standing above the fray. Instead he quickly degenerated into a garden variety heckler calling the millions of Kenyans who voted for him "wapumbavu". He will rue the day that slur escaped from his Presidential lips.
2. The Declaration by Vice-President Moody Awori that the Referendum would be a vote of confidence on the NAK clique. Obviously Awori was telegraphing to the electorate that if the Yes Camp lost the referendum vote, the government should be dissolved. Some wondered whether as a member of the LDP he is actually an Orange fifth columnist maggot eating the rotting banana from within.
3. The labeling by the andu aitu clique of Raila Odinga as the "enemy". This was really silly and empty headed to be forthright and blunt. By so declaring, the Yes men and the Yes women were tacitly admitting that the destiny of Kenya was controlled by an individual politician called Raila Amollo Odinga. Instead of inducing the bogeyman effect it elevated the Langata MP on to a superhuman pedestal.
4. The resort to ethnic chauvinism targeting the Luo community as the "one rebellious tribe". This led to a severe backlash as the overwhelming majority of Kenyans who opposed the Wako Draft because of immediate and concrete local concerns- the Maasai, the Muslims, the northern Kenyan people etc- saw this as an imputation that THEY were considered TOO STUPID to oppose the Wako Draft on their own. Simeon Nyachae lost a lot of credibility accorded traditionally to grey haired Wazee when he started talking of "real men"who were "not prostitutes waiting in bed for men to copulate with".
5. The retreat by sections of the Yes Camp into a Gikuyu tribal laager stinking of arrogant triumphalism as one assistant minister vapidly declared that the Agikuyu could win the referendum basically on their own because they had the numbers (Kenya Times, October 12, 2005) and earlier threatening reprisals against Uhuru Kenyatta for having broken the promise of tribal solidarity. That was a particularly low point.
6.Kiraitu Murungi’s twin declaration that the referendum was a "government project" and that the Yes side "must win".
7.FORD Kenya leaders pandering to parochial tribal fear mongering with fake promises of ascending to power if the Wako Mongrel grew up to be a real ugly dog.
8. Lack of a strategy of how to win over, co-opt or neutralize the donor community. By declaring war on the foreign envoys, the Yes Camp lost a valuable potential ally.
9. Ministers intimidating other ministers. This bordered on the bizarre and stupid since legally it is only the President who can hire or fire ministers. If Kirwa follows Kilimo into the Yes Camp, Murungaru, Kituyi, Beth Mugo and all those Bananiacs yodeling for gunias should take responsibility.
10. Abusing the state apparatus to intimidate journalists, politicians and Orange supporters. This only invited unsavoury comparisons to the dark days of the one party dictatorship.
11. Alienating their own core base- the far right Christians could have been transformed into Yes supporters if the so called strategists had done their homework.
12. Choosing Tribalists Abroad to coordinate the Yes Propaganda. Hand picking known Luophobes, notorious trash talkers, sexists and arrogant technocrats to push the Banana campaign in the online forums was not one of the most inspired decisions of the Yes Camp. These propagandists rarely rose above the millipede sized hecklers who prowl the virtual avenues of cyberspace.
13. Allowing themselves to be associated with bananas. Unfortunately that fruit is too closely associated with monkeys, chumps and
Clowns.
Time will tell whether or not Kivuitu is a devious Orange conspirator ama?
14. Falling back on threadbare pork barrel politics-like giving away game parks, forest lands, pay hikes, vehicles and what have you.
15. Fear mongering. Trying to scare the potential Yes supporters with wild scenarios just fell flat on its face.
That is the end of my two lists.
Onyango Oloo
Toronto
Onyango Oloo Draws Up 2 Lists...
1. The announcement by President Kibaki that he was going to lead the Yes Campaign- before Wako had finished siring his mongrel! That definitely takes the cake as the blooper numero uno. Mwai Kibaki should have played the avuncular elder statesman standing above the fray. Instead he quickly degenerated into a garden variety heckler calling the millions of Kenyans who voted for him "wapumbavu". He will rue the day that slur escaped from his Presidential lips.
2. The Declaration by Vice-President Moody Awori that the Referendum would be a vote of confidence on the NAK clique. Obviously Awori was telegraphing to the electorate that if the Yes Camp lost the referendum vote, the government should be dissolved. Some wondered whether as a member of the LDP he is actually an Orange fifth columnist maggot eating the rotting banana from within.
3. The labeling by the andu aitu clique of Raila Odinga as the "enemy". This was really silly and empty headed to be forthright and blunt. By so declaring, the Yes men and the Yes women were tacitly admitting that the destiny of Kenya was controlled by an individual politician called Raila Amollo Odinga. Instead of inducing the bogeyman effect it elevated the Langata MP on to a superhuman pedestal.
4. The resort to ethnic chauvinism targeting the Luo community as the "one rebellious tribe". This led to a severe backlash as the overwhelming majority of Kenyans who opposed the Wako Draft because of immediate and concrete local concerns- the Maasai, the Muslims, the northern Kenyan people etc- saw this as an imputation that THEY were considered TOO STUPID to oppose the Wako Draft on their own. Simeon Nyachae lost a lot of credibility accorded traditionally to grey haired Wazee when he started talking of "real men"who were "not prostitutes waiting in bed for men to copulate with".
5. The retreat by sections of the Yes Camp into a Gikuyu tribal laager stinking of arrogant triumphalism as one assistant minister vapidly declared that the Agikuyu could win the referendum basically on their own because they had the numbers (Kenya Times, October 12, 2005) and earlier threatening reprisals against Uhuru Kenyatta for having broken the promise of tribal solidarity. That was a particularly low point.
6.Kiraitu Murungi’s twin declaration that the referendum was a "government project" and that the Yes side "must win".
7.FORD Kenya leaders pandering to parochial tribal fear mongering with fake promises of ascending to power if the Wako Mongrel grew up to be a real ugly dog.
8. Lack of a strategy of how to win over, co-opt or neutralize the donor community. By declaring war on the foreign envoys, the Yes Camp lost a valuable potential ally.
9. Ministers intimidating other ministers. This bordered on the bizarre and stupid since legally it is only the President who can hire or fire ministers. If Kirwa follows Kilimo into the Yes Camp, Murungaru, Kituyi, Beth Mugo and all those Bananiacs yodeling for gunias should take responsibility.
10. Abusing the state apparatus to intimidate journalists, politicians and Orange supporters. This only invited unsavoury comparisons to the dark days of the one party dictatorship.
11. Alienating their own core base- the far right Christians could have been transformed into Yes supporters if the so called strategists had done their homework.
12. Choosing Tribalists Abroad to coordinate the Yes Propaganda. Hand picking known Luophobes, notorious trash talkers, sexists and arrogant technocrats to push the Banana campaign in the online forums was not one of the most inspired decisions of the Yes Camp. These propagandists rarely rose above the millipede sized hecklers who prowl the virtual avenues of cyberspace.
13. Allowing themselves to be associated with bananas. Unfortunately that fruit is too closely associated with monkeys, chumps and
Clowns.
Time will tell whether or not Kivuitu is a devious Orange conspirator ama?
14. Falling back on threadbare pork barrel politics-like giving away game parks, forest lands, pay hikes, vehicles and what have you.
15. Fear mongering. Trying to scare the potential Yes supporters with wild scenarios just fell flat on its face.
| 5 Potential Pitfalls for the Orange Team to Avoid: A. Overconfidence. To recycle Yogi Berra’s cliché, "it ain’t over till it’s over." B. Dreaming of Ikulu. The No Camp should concentrate of doing First Things First. Now is the time to win the referendum on the Wako Draft. Nothing Else should be on the immediate agenda. C. Losing the Initiative. The No Camp should stay on message, not allow itself to be baited and not react to obvious destabilization campaigns. D. Failing to Get the NO supporters to the polling booths. Already we read reports of Yes politicians going to dirt poor No supporting areas to buy up and destroy voter cards. E. Violent Counter attacks. The No Camp should be RUTHLESS with any of their supporters who participate, advocate or endorse violent reprisals or raids against the Yes Camp. |
That is the end of my two lists.
Onyango Oloo
Toronto
