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Post by Onyango Oloo on May 20, 2007 16:41:06 GMT 3
It is precisely 1528 in the pm here maps.google.com/maps?um=1&tab=wl&hl=en&q=firenzein the capital of the Toscana region as I start pounding out this short essay.    Firenze ("Florence" to English ears) is a beautiful city soaked in Renaissance history. This is the home of the Medicis and the Niccolo whose last name is a byword for scheming political pundit. I have been attending the soon to be concluded  Terra Futura summit at the Fortrezza. Wonderful experience. Unfortunately, not the subject matter today. Just glanced through the online versions of the Kenyan dailies. Quick comments on the ODM and NARC Kenya internal wrangles. ODM should go ahead and split immediately. Perhaps it will then be easier for it pummel Kibaki at the polls. More than half of the aspirants are excess baggage without a vision, a clue or an independent base. Kibaki and his cronies may pull a Nigerian electoral fraud if Kenyans start napping. Magarini, just like the Marsabit by elections of 2006 has proved that the Kenyan neo colonial state has the resources to manipulate election results. Those who see themselves as a left of centre "third force" should and must, within the next two and a half months, find a way of affiliating themselves with the progressive forces within ODM (as opposed to the opportunistic free loaders) to help build a broad based democratic bloc that will thwart any attempts to steal the 2007 elections. The Kombos and Ngilus of this world should decide where they stand very soon. Raila Odinga should continue isolating those forces in the ODM who seem hell bent on transforming the 2007 elections into some kind of anti Gikuyu tribal referendum. More later... Onyango Oloo
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Post by Onyango Oloo on May 20, 2007 16:56:52 GMT 3
Political Outlook in Election Year - A Personal Reflection
By Abdulqadir Nassir
We are in an election year once again, and politics is dominated by electioneering. The main political forces remain GNU/NARC-Kibaki and ODM-K.
GNU/NARC-Kibaki seems to be enjoying the approval and support of a large part of the bourgeoisie, both national and foreign. This makes them better endowed in addition to possessing the power of incumbency and fairly good marks on performance in key areas like economic recovery, education, health and easing of dictatorship. They have also sought to rope in national support by playing the regional balancing game learnt from Moi so well. According to opinion polls, they therefore enjoy formidable support from at least half of the population and may give ODM-K a run for their money. Their record on job creation, constitution review, combatting corruption, class inequality and tribalism/nepotism has been unsatisfactory, splitting the country almost into two and exposing them to attacks from other parties.
There may have been an economic revival in the country under Kibaki's leadership. However this has been a job-poor growth that further concentrates the wealth created in a few hands, and the common mwananchi, especially the workers, have not seen any improvement in their livelihood and are very disgruntled. Unfortunately, due to little political knowledge, they will not be demanding fundamental changes in the politico-economic system. They will take out their frustrations on their MPs and councillors whom they see as untruthful, uncaring and selfish in hard times. Consequently so many MPs and councillors will be voted out. However this will be far short of fundamental change called for in the circumstance.
The right-of-centre ODM-K has sought to exploit weaknesses in GNU-NARC-Kibaki's performance and popular grievances but their own efforts have not managed to garner the absolute majority support that NARC garnered against KANU in the 2002 election. This is partly due to the divisions and precarious unity within ODM-K and the unimpressive credentials of many of its top-guns, many of them notorious servants of the Moi/KANU dictatorship. On policy level, ODM-K has not been able to distinguish themselves from and are not presenting any fundamentally different policies from those of the GNU-NARC-Kibaki policies. So the best ODM-K has managed to do so far is to win not more than half the national vote, mainly depending on tribal loyalties and playing populist politics.
Most other parties are right of centre and allied to these big two, including a large petty bourgeois reserve force serving in imperialist-funded NGO's .
Bottomline: It is going to be a tight race, pitting the working class against each other, but promising no fundamental changes. In this period, progressive forces, still small and weak after years of crackdown and desertion by erstwhile cadres turned liberals, will have to struggle to get a hearing but must continue working patiently undistracted. They have to marshal all progressive Kenyans and reorganize to effectively overcome these challenges.
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Post by aeichener on May 20, 2007 20:19:53 GMT 3
How many Kenyans have at all understood what Raila's Bismarck invocation REALLY meant?
None probably, otherwise they would now shiver and rattle their teeth. It should be frightening for everybody keeping the concept of "nation state" and not "tribe" in mouth and mind.
Alexander
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Post by adongo12345 on May 21, 2007 0:31:58 GMT 3
OO,How is Ferenze. I have very special relationships with Italy as you know. If the gods of Africa were kinder I would probably have been a student at Milan, after I left my beloved UoN. By the way how is the old horse doing? I mean chuo kikuu. Recently the US States Ambassador graced Taifa Hall with this speech about democracy and elections. www.timesnews.co.ke/17may07/nwsstory/opinion3.htmlI am not going to spoil his fun. As we know history has other lessons for us. At any rate, the long awaited ODM K fallout is supposed to be underway. If this is the big deal, I would be worried if I was one of those who have invested their political hopes and ambitions on the ODM being unable to rally the nation to confront the status quo. And to Alex:Mercifully many Kenyans, including myself, knew Raila long before we got concerned about Bismarck. Why all this worry about Bismarck? Is that a big issue for Kenyans? It is amazing how many people think they have become experts in telling Kenyans who Raila is. Raila is a Kenyan, he has been involved in many stages of the Kenyan struggle for democracy and social justice. Kenyans know Raila. They will judge his quest for the leadership of the nation on the basis of what they know about him. I doubt Otto Van Bismarck will have much to do with that judgement. Adongo
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Post by aeichener on May 21, 2007 10:36:51 GMT 3
And to Alex:Mercifully many Kenyans, including myself, knew Raila long before we got concerned about Bismarck. Why all this worry about Bismarck? Is that a big issue for Kenyans? (...) They will judge his quest for the leadership of the nation on the basis of what they know about him. I doubt Otto von Bismarck will have much to do with that judgement. Well, if one were to take Raila not serious, to dismiss his political statements as mere volatile rhetorics of the day (in "Fluctuat nec mergitur" style, right?  ), and to think that he just once more indulged in a lakesidish (?) habit of showing off with colourful quotations and invocations of big names, then would one indeed not worry about Bismarck, and conclude that this be not a big issue for Kenyans. I one however took into account that since Raila had studied in Magdeburg (Prussian since 1680) and since his disciples usually exalt him as a learned and widely-read man, one might be inclined to take seriously what he says about this Prussian statesman being one of his ideals. You might not do so in this instance, Adongo. But I do. Lastly, let me diabuse you of a delusion under which you still seem to suffer so badly, in spite of all my magnanimous ministrations. The quest is not about liidaah-sheep; it is about who shall have the great honour and greater duty to serve Kenya and Kenyans. A very important, indeed crucial juxtaposition. Especially when seen in the context that the aforepraised messiah had proclaimed his indebtedness of a statesman whose noble motto since 1852 was "Aliis inserviendo consumor". Right? Right. Alexander |
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Post by adongo12345 on May 21, 2007 16:29:08 GMT 3
Alex
I don't know about you trying to explaining yourself by saying Raila:
"just once more indulged in a lakesidish (?) habit of showing off with colourful quotations"
I usually urge people to refrain from tribal stereotypes. It is a dangerous habit, probably much worse than your so-called "lakesidish habit".
My other advice to you which you have ignored is to stay away from online psychiatric diagnosis of what you suppose people are suffering from. If you insist on being a quack doctor that is okay but you might want to expand your practice a little and may be look for greener pastures. The "messiah; lidah-sheep" slogan loaded with the usual tribal trash talk lingo, which seems to be your forte, is not going to take you very far.
Adongo
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Post by software on May 21, 2007 17:18:39 GMT 3
How many Kenyans have at all understood what Raila's Bismarck invocation REALLY meant? None probably, otherwise they would now shiver and rattle their teeth. It should be frightening for everybody keeping the concept of "nation state" and not "tribe" in mouth and mind. Alexander You are not the only one after reading his vision was left with very big question marks. Bismarck was one and another is Kenya being elevated to a SECOND WORLD COUNTry. After checking the defination of a second world country I was left with no doubt that Kenya under Raila will be transformed to a Planned Economy. So its certain a great nationaliszation process will be under way with Raila. Defination of Second world country as of Wikpedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_World |
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Post by aeichener on May 21, 2007 19:31:45 GMT 3
I don't know about you trying to explaining yourself by saying Raila: No. If anybody, you have explained yourself in this way, implying such to Raila indirectly. I do not share such stereotypes. I see their founding in reality, and acknowledge them where appropriate, but try to avoid brushing entire communities with clichés. Of which virtue of mine you are quite aware, when your vision is not once again clouded by religious allegiance and illusionary bigmanism. Me, am no escapist. Sorry. But if you make your affliction visible and parade it online, people will comment on it online. Fair deal. And now allow me to suggest that you think deeper about Raila's self-asserted affection for Bismarck. Your political insight could benefit from it. Alexander |
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Post by job on May 21, 2007 20:17:51 GMT 3
This communism bullsh.it propaganda of the cold war era- 1960s and 70s does not work anymore fellas, especially when refering to a practising capitalist called Raila in the year 2007. Find some other basis for anti-Raila propaganda, other than this tired cold war era nonsense.
Software,
I wonder which hardware you run on (on a light note). Certain fellas have taken up the Bismark analogy with profound phobia ever since Macharia wrote his first skewed opinion on it(DN).
It appears as if the Bismark analogy was the only thing - from the vision. While choosing not to critique the weighty substance of the vision, opting instead to pick on one trivial historic reference (Bismark), ...which is in fact deliberately driven out of context .......is outrightly suspect.
Of several historic references by Raila on his vision, only this one (Bismark) is selected,.... the question of motivation becomes important therefore,.....To introduce the element of "ironman" or dictator into the usual anti-Raila phobic propaganda, ....new fodder appears to have been found,....slated to be repeated over and over again,...with the aim of peddling fear about Raila-will-be-a-dictator-like-Bismark.
The real element being deliberately ignored here, is infact the positive attribute of Bismark, who was able to unify a previously divided empire (just as Kenya is tribally divided today) into one strong economic giant. Placing this out of context is simply disingenous.
Then Software attempts to escalate the faded communist insinuation to another level - ati when Raila talked of elevating Kenya to a SECOND WORLD COUNTRY,..he meant a communist country. C'mon, give us a break. With your wikipedia link, you only help to expose the extent by which you take the Vision out of context.
The Vision clearly, in simple terms explains Raila's desire and plans for transforming Kenya from a Third World Country (developing world) into a Second World Country (a position in between developing and developed world). There is absolutely nothing communist about developing Kenya, is there?
THEN, you introduce a LIE. Raila never mentions (quoting your words)..."great nationalization process",......In fact he talks of harmonization and injecting transparency and accountability into the process of PRIVATIZATION of public corporations- which is currently irregular, opaque, corrupt and hapharzardously disorganized.
If in fact what you falsely dub or equate as "nationalization" is Raila's plan of promoting equity and fairness in distributing national wealth and resources, then that's bad politics -the kind espoused by the incumbent Presidency - one that many Kenyans WILL INFACT join Raila in kicking out. Nationalization must not be confused with sharing the nation's wealth resources. The later WILL HAPPEN. Time has come for all corners of the country to share & fully participate in the nation's economic development.
LASTLY- If Bismark, Second world and a distorted version of nationalization are the only three issues you got out of the vision, then I can safely assume that either you did not read it at all, instead benefitting from Railaphobic fear mongering,..or you actually read it and trying hard to put Raila's words out of context to justify certain perceived (but false) anti-communism propaganda. The news for you however, is that this sh!t never works today. Voters have their eyes focused on their goals.
unedited.
Job
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Post by politicalmaniac on May 22, 2007 0:36:01 GMT 3
Only certified idiots would claim R will nationalize private industry.
An old tired recycled argument that tries to imbue R with passe cliches and ideology.
R is the ONLY CANDIDATE who has started an industry from scratch using KIE loans and employs thousands and feeds thousands more while bringing in millions of hard foriegn currency.
But of course tribal blinders clouding their lenses wont allow them to see and appreciate this fact.
Kazi yao ni kuimba R ni mu-communisti blah blah blah
Siasa ya ghasia!
Nonsense tupu.
When did KM or the sleeper in chief start a business from scratch without ready GOVT contracts to buy their products?
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), and to think that he just once more indulged in a lakesidish (?) habit of showing off with colourful quotations and invocations of big names, then would one indeed not worry about Bismarck, and conclude that this be not a big issue for Kenyans.
