Post by miguna on Jan 8, 2006 22:29:42 GMT 3
DANGEROUS ARACHNIDAN POLITICAL LIAISONS
By MIGUNA MIGUNA* - © 8 January 2006
Watching president Kibaki’s recent intricate high stake political dance with Raila Odinga and other members of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) reminds me of the brutal mating ritual of the Australian redback spiders.
According to recent zoological research findings by Professor Maydianne Andrade of the University of Toronto’s Zoology Department, the redback spider engages in very extensive and elaborate courtship that ultimately ends in the kamikaze suicide of the male spider.
Professor Andrade recently witnessed (in her laboratory) the climax of one such romantic liaison, which ended in a dramatic suicidal engagement by the male spider who deliberately – in an obvious act of both courage and self interest – positioned itself over the fangs of its lover, while still copulating, and ended up being literally consumed in that state of physical and emotional ecstasy.
Although zoologists at the University of Toronto had only heard of this bizarre cannibalistic act anecdotically, it was Professor Andrade who first witnessed this spectacular encounter, recoded it and her findings will soon be appearing in the Popular Science magazine in the Fall of 2006.
Previously other scientists had hypothesized that the male redback spiders sacrificed themselves to literally feed their future offspring. Professor Andrade, however, discovered that the suicidal behaviour, is in fact an act of self-interest, which allows the spiders to copulate for longer and fertilize more eggs. This theory holds that because the male redbacks greatly outnumber females and only 10 to 20 per cent live long enough to find a willing mate, they “consider” any opportunity to spread their genes as something “worth dying for.”
One of Professor Andrade’s most recent discoveries is that male redbacks actually break off their copulatory organs in females to prevent other suitors from usurping their paternity. According to Professor Andrade, “this is about the power and elegance of natural selection to create these amazing behavioural strategies that you would just never predict.”
One thing which is unclear from Professor Andrade’s findings is whether the redback spiders can complete their copulation without the sacrifice. If in fact the redback’s decision at self-sacrifice is only to increase its chances of begetting more offspring and selfishly ensuring that other suitors are kept at bay, then one could very well decline to call such an act courageous.
It would be more appropriate to say that these male redbacks are recklessly selfish. Notwithstanding Professor Andrade’s categorical assertion that the redbacks sacrifice themselves and crush their copulatory organs in the females as an exercise of power, we are going to call for caution and say that since this area of science is evolving, we are better off withholding judgment on the actual motives of the redbacks. Alternatively, we should perhaps not limit the “motives” to those already delineated by the good professor.
What are the political lessons we can draw from the redback’s dramatic romance for the unraveling situation in Kenya?
The political romantic liaison between president Kibaki and Raila Odinga begun in 2002. When Raila made the “Kibaki Tosha” declaration at Uhuru Park, this relationship was smoothly cruising along. The relationship climaxed with the election of Narc in December of that same year. However, as the two sides prepared for the ultimate political orgasm following the electoral victory of Narc, Kibaki, like the redback spider, begun to prepare for his kamikaze act.
First, he abrogated the Memorandum of Understanding between the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the National Alliance Party of Kenya (NAK). Second, Kibaki disbanded the Narc Summit and unilaterally went about appointing his cabinet and other government officials without any regard to the LDP as a coalition partner.
And like with the dramatic mating between the redback spiders, the Kenyan political liaison seems to have ended with the ODM’s win over the Kibaki government of the constitutional referendum on 21 November 2005 and Kibaki’s subsequent firing of the entire mainstream LDP members from his government.
Symbolically, the excising of the mainstream (as opposed to those who had crossed over like Chirau Makwere, Raphael Tuju and others) LDP leaders from president Kibaki’s government was an act of suicidal courage and self interest. It may also have been a reckless act. It definitely sealed the fate of Kibaki’s government. For without the LDP support – and with the mainstream Kanu party now romantically dancing in the LDP orbit – the Kibaki presidency is cascading to that dramatic end of the redback spider.
President Kibaki may seem to have committed a deliberate political suicide selfishly in order to shield his government from other suitors like Raila Odinga and his crew at the LDP. Like the male redback, Kibaki’s political sacrifice is to ensure that his genes are guaranteed survival, after death. To him, the inclusion of the LDP in his government as equal partners would have entailed sharing his bride. I now understand why Koigi has been ranting about the particular point.
If president Kibaki’s government falls due to the aforementioned acts, he would have deliberately brought this on his administration. Presumably, he would have done this courageous or reckless or selfish act (depending on one’s position) in order to preserve himself. In line with this reasoning, his presidency or government must die before it can preserve itself.
This should explain why Kibaki dramatically and suddenly cancelled a meeting between the ODM and his government the other day. Even though - on the face of it - the meeting and subsequent negotiations would most likely have presented a coveted life-line to president Kibaki’s government, the die has been cast. The male redback spider had to commit suicide to survive and so as to show “power and elegance.”
If president Kibaki’s kitchen cabinet have been engaged in this political dance for the reasons above, then one can very well find “rational” explanations for their behaviours.
The problem is – issues of governance should never be treated as dangerous arachnidan liaisons. Kenyans are not redback spiders.
______________________________________________________________________
*The writer is a Barrister & Solicitor in Toronto, Canada
By MIGUNA MIGUNA* - © 8 January 2006
Watching president Kibaki’s recent intricate high stake political dance with Raila Odinga and other members of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) reminds me of the brutal mating ritual of the Australian redback spiders.
According to recent zoological research findings by Professor Maydianne Andrade of the University of Toronto’s Zoology Department, the redback spider engages in very extensive and elaborate courtship that ultimately ends in the kamikaze suicide of the male spider.
Professor Andrade recently witnessed (in her laboratory) the climax of one such romantic liaison, which ended in a dramatic suicidal engagement by the male spider who deliberately – in an obvious act of both courage and self interest – positioned itself over the fangs of its lover, while still copulating, and ended up being literally consumed in that state of physical and emotional ecstasy.
Although zoologists at the University of Toronto had only heard of this bizarre cannibalistic act anecdotically, it was Professor Andrade who first witnessed this spectacular encounter, recoded it and her findings will soon be appearing in the Popular Science magazine in the Fall of 2006.
Previously other scientists had hypothesized that the male redback spiders sacrificed themselves to literally feed their future offspring. Professor Andrade, however, discovered that the suicidal behaviour, is in fact an act of self-interest, which allows the spiders to copulate for longer and fertilize more eggs. This theory holds that because the male redbacks greatly outnumber females and only 10 to 20 per cent live long enough to find a willing mate, they “consider” any opportunity to spread their genes as something “worth dying for.”
One of Professor Andrade’s most recent discoveries is that male redbacks actually break off their copulatory organs in females to prevent other suitors from usurping their paternity. According to Professor Andrade, “this is about the power and elegance of natural selection to create these amazing behavioural strategies that you would just never predict.”
One thing which is unclear from Professor Andrade’s findings is whether the redback spiders can complete their copulation without the sacrifice. If in fact the redback’s decision at self-sacrifice is only to increase its chances of begetting more offspring and selfishly ensuring that other suitors are kept at bay, then one could very well decline to call such an act courageous.
It would be more appropriate to say that these male redbacks are recklessly selfish. Notwithstanding Professor Andrade’s categorical assertion that the redbacks sacrifice themselves and crush their copulatory organs in the females as an exercise of power, we are going to call for caution and say that since this area of science is evolving, we are better off withholding judgment on the actual motives of the redbacks. Alternatively, we should perhaps not limit the “motives” to those already delineated by the good professor.
What are the political lessons we can draw from the redback’s dramatic romance for the unraveling situation in Kenya?
The political romantic liaison between president Kibaki and Raila Odinga begun in 2002. When Raila made the “Kibaki Tosha” declaration at Uhuru Park, this relationship was smoothly cruising along. The relationship climaxed with the election of Narc in December of that same year. However, as the two sides prepared for the ultimate political orgasm following the electoral victory of Narc, Kibaki, like the redback spider, begun to prepare for his kamikaze act.
First, he abrogated the Memorandum of Understanding between the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the National Alliance Party of Kenya (NAK). Second, Kibaki disbanded the Narc Summit and unilaterally went about appointing his cabinet and other government officials without any regard to the LDP as a coalition partner.
And like with the dramatic mating between the redback spiders, the Kenyan political liaison seems to have ended with the ODM’s win over the Kibaki government of the constitutional referendum on 21 November 2005 and Kibaki’s subsequent firing of the entire mainstream LDP members from his government.
Symbolically, the excising of the mainstream (as opposed to those who had crossed over like Chirau Makwere, Raphael Tuju and others) LDP leaders from president Kibaki’s government was an act of suicidal courage and self interest. It may also have been a reckless act. It definitely sealed the fate of Kibaki’s government. For without the LDP support – and with the mainstream Kanu party now romantically dancing in the LDP orbit – the Kibaki presidency is cascading to that dramatic end of the redback spider.
President Kibaki may seem to have committed a deliberate political suicide selfishly in order to shield his government from other suitors like Raila Odinga and his crew at the LDP. Like the male redback, Kibaki’s political sacrifice is to ensure that his genes are guaranteed survival, after death. To him, the inclusion of the LDP in his government as equal partners would have entailed sharing his bride. I now understand why Koigi has been ranting about the particular point.
If president Kibaki’s government falls due to the aforementioned acts, he would have deliberately brought this on his administration. Presumably, he would have done this courageous or reckless or selfish act (depending on one’s position) in order to preserve himself. In line with this reasoning, his presidency or government must die before it can preserve itself.
This should explain why Kibaki dramatically and suddenly cancelled a meeting between the ODM and his government the other day. Even though - on the face of it - the meeting and subsequent negotiations would most likely have presented a coveted life-line to president Kibaki’s government, the die has been cast. The male redback spider had to commit suicide to survive and so as to show “power and elegance.”
If president Kibaki’s kitchen cabinet have been engaged in this political dance for the reasons above, then one can very well find “rational” explanations for their behaviours.
The problem is – issues of governance should never be treated as dangerous arachnidan liaisons. Kenyans are not redback spiders.
______________________________________________________________________
*The writer is a Barrister & Solicitor in Toronto, Canada