Post by miguna on Nov 27, 2005 3:04:39 GMT 3
Sunday November 27, 2005
Three realities Kibaki must face
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Ababu namwamba
By dissolving his government and proroguing Parliament, President Kibaki just acted clever, with a double-edged Machiavellian agenda: Divert attention from his crushing referendum defeat, and snatch the initiative from the Orange Democratic Movement.
While some think this move is "bold", I am not impressed an inch! By firing the Cabinet, Kibaki is simply acting the victim: he shifts blame from his ineffective stewardship to his ministers, hopping to win some public sympathy and to stem the rising Orange wave.
Sending Parliament into indefinite limbo is a desperate survival tactic, for he dreads the prospect of a vote of no confidence in the wake of the unequivocal public indictment of his ill-fated reign. Kibaki must not be let off that easily.
The buck squarely stops at him, and he must pay the price for stalling the Kenyan dream entrusted to him in 2002. I ask the President to pick up the buck, and confront three stark realities.
One, he must have the courage to admit that the referendum loss is a vote of no confidence and a recall of the mandate granted to him on 29 December 2002.
It is a verdict on his stewardship of Kenya.
Before the public jury delivered this stinging verdict, Kibaki and his retinue of banana court jesters made some telling submissions.
They argued that the verdict would be a vote on the soul of the Kibaki regime. Vice-President Moody Awori affirmed that a ‘No’ vote would be a loss for Kibaki. Kibaki’s close associates — Chris Murungaru, John Michuki, Kiraitu Murungi, Njeru Ndwiga, Amos Kimunya, Martha Karua and Njenga Karume — urged GEMA tribes to "protect their presidency", declaring that a negative verdict was unthinkable as it would waste the President.
Regime sidekicks who unwittingly orbit in the outer circuit like Musikari Kombo, Charity Ngilu and Simon Nyachae lied to their communities that a ‘Yes’ vote would open a floodgate of favours.
But the President bested them all.
He did not camouflage the fact that he was putting his mandate on the line. Having declared fidelity to that botched attempt at constitution making long before Wako even checked out of Leisure Lodge, he quickly retrieved lessons in unorthodox play well imparted by his erstwhile tutors.
National resources became toys in his bottomless bag of goodies to bribe support for "the best constitution in the world"! He threatened those opposed to the Draft, and baptised Kenyans "pumbavu".
It is therefore curious for the President to say that Kenyans merely "rejected the Draft constitution". No, Sir. You staked the mandate given to you in 2002. And the people gleefully took it back!
Two, the President must honourably forgo a second term. The Kibaki Presidency is damaged goods. It may be patched-up. But it will never be whole. Not even a new Cabinet will take away the indelible stain, the permanent limp in this regime. Kibaki rode to power on the crest of overflowing public goodwill. He has squandered this through ineffective leadership worsened by his habit to insult Kenyans and arrogant posturing. He has resurrected the demons of tribalism and nepotism we buried in 2002, and allowed the impression to pervade that corruption thrives as he watches.
He has stalled the reform train, whose momentum propelled him to State House after two failed bids. He has demonstrated inability to honour agreements bearing his very signature.
Kibaki has given us plethora reasons not to trust him ever again. No amount of Cabinet tinkering can change this.
His best bet is to free himself from the 2007 poll, and concentrate on crafting some semblance of a legacy for purposes of our history pages. Three, Kibaki should stop acting like he owns Kenya. He heads a coalition government, and must respect all partners in that coalition. LDP holds 50 per cent shares in this government, granted by popular mandate and not at Kibaki’s benevolence.
The President can neither recall nor wish this away. To dissolve the Cabinet without consulting this senior partner is the height of arrogance, and exposes the president’s despotic underbelly.
In the reconstitution of government, LDP must be consulted, not as a favour but as an entitlement. Parliament is a seat of several political parties, with the official opposition party Kanu boasting of the single largest compliment of MPs. To prorogue the House at this critical moment without consulting the Leader of Official Opposition is an assault on democracy.
If the President desires to free himself from the inconvenience of consultation, he should have the spine to dissolve parliament and seek a fresh mandate from the people.
Of course he won’t do this because he knows what the outcome would be.
Fortunately, 2007 is a certainty.
Three realities Kibaki must face
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ababu namwamba
By dissolving his government and proroguing Parliament, President Kibaki just acted clever, with a double-edged Machiavellian agenda: Divert attention from his crushing referendum defeat, and snatch the initiative from the Orange Democratic Movement.
While some think this move is "bold", I am not impressed an inch! By firing the Cabinet, Kibaki is simply acting the victim: he shifts blame from his ineffective stewardship to his ministers, hopping to win some public sympathy and to stem the rising Orange wave.
Sending Parliament into indefinite limbo is a desperate survival tactic, for he dreads the prospect of a vote of no confidence in the wake of the unequivocal public indictment of his ill-fated reign. Kibaki must not be let off that easily.
The buck squarely stops at him, and he must pay the price for stalling the Kenyan dream entrusted to him in 2002. I ask the President to pick up the buck, and confront three stark realities.
One, he must have the courage to admit that the referendum loss is a vote of no confidence and a recall of the mandate granted to him on 29 December 2002.
It is a verdict on his stewardship of Kenya.
Before the public jury delivered this stinging verdict, Kibaki and his retinue of banana court jesters made some telling submissions.
They argued that the verdict would be a vote on the soul of the Kibaki regime. Vice-President Moody Awori affirmed that a ‘No’ vote would be a loss for Kibaki. Kibaki’s close associates — Chris Murungaru, John Michuki, Kiraitu Murungi, Njeru Ndwiga, Amos Kimunya, Martha Karua and Njenga Karume — urged GEMA tribes to "protect their presidency", declaring that a negative verdict was unthinkable as it would waste the President.
Regime sidekicks who unwittingly orbit in the outer circuit like Musikari Kombo, Charity Ngilu and Simon Nyachae lied to their communities that a ‘Yes’ vote would open a floodgate of favours.
But the President bested them all.
He did not camouflage the fact that he was putting his mandate on the line. Having declared fidelity to that botched attempt at constitution making long before Wako even checked out of Leisure Lodge, he quickly retrieved lessons in unorthodox play well imparted by his erstwhile tutors.
National resources became toys in his bottomless bag of goodies to bribe support for "the best constitution in the world"! He threatened those opposed to the Draft, and baptised Kenyans "pumbavu".
It is therefore curious for the President to say that Kenyans merely "rejected the Draft constitution". No, Sir. You staked the mandate given to you in 2002. And the people gleefully took it back!
Two, the President must honourably forgo a second term. The Kibaki Presidency is damaged goods. It may be patched-up. But it will never be whole. Not even a new Cabinet will take away the indelible stain, the permanent limp in this regime. Kibaki rode to power on the crest of overflowing public goodwill. He has squandered this through ineffective leadership worsened by his habit to insult Kenyans and arrogant posturing. He has resurrected the demons of tribalism and nepotism we buried in 2002, and allowed the impression to pervade that corruption thrives as he watches.
He has stalled the reform train, whose momentum propelled him to State House after two failed bids. He has demonstrated inability to honour agreements bearing his very signature.
Kibaki has given us plethora reasons not to trust him ever again. No amount of Cabinet tinkering can change this.
His best bet is to free himself from the 2007 poll, and concentrate on crafting some semblance of a legacy for purposes of our history pages. Three, Kibaki should stop acting like he owns Kenya. He heads a coalition government, and must respect all partners in that coalition. LDP holds 50 per cent shares in this government, granted by popular mandate and not at Kibaki’s benevolence.
The President can neither recall nor wish this away. To dissolve the Cabinet without consulting this senior partner is the height of arrogance, and exposes the president’s despotic underbelly.
In the reconstitution of government, LDP must be consulted, not as a favour but as an entitlement. Parliament is a seat of several political parties, with the official opposition party Kanu boasting of the single largest compliment of MPs. To prorogue the House at this critical moment without consulting the Leader of Official Opposition is an assault on democracy.
If the President desires to free himself from the inconvenience of consultation, he should have the spine to dissolve parliament and seek a fresh mandate from the people.
Of course he won’t do this because he knows what the outcome would be.
Fortunately, 2007 is a certainty.