Post by OtishOtish on Feb 5, 2013 21:14:16 GMT 3
Given that most of the debate seems to have settled on who will win, what the polls show, .... as opposed to what the parties and coalitions stand for, are capable of, ... let me get first that "problem" out of the way: I have conducted my own very thorough polls and also talked to numerous credible and impeccable sources. A summary of the results? (a) Every party and coalition will win. Landslides for all. (b) Anybody who voted for the winning party/coalition in will get to eat like there's no tomorrow. Manna, honey, and milk forever. (Extra milk for school-children, as per Presidential Directive.)
Having put that out of the way, here's what concerns me:
1. The IEBC has turned out to be a bit of a joke. Their operating principle seems to be "if we can screw it up, let's do so". Will they be able to hack in on the Big Day?
2. The chaotic mess, threats, violence, destruction of property, shameless rigging, etc. that occurred during the primaries do not bode well, considering that the stakes then were much smaller than they will be in a month. And all this by people who not only claim that they can lead the country but are actually in a position to get elected by the lemmings!
3. As in the run-up to the 2007 elections, things have now boiled down to tribal hatreds (petty and otherwise), "historical injustices", etc. A glance at Kenyan cyberforums and other media outlets show that we have, surprisingly, learned little from the 2007-2008.
4. For the masses, since 2007-2008, there has been no serious civic education. Not even an attempt at the same. We still have the same ignorant and narrow-minded base. (Let's skip the usual cries of "Kenyan voters are an intelligent and thinking lot!". There is little evidence to support that.)
5. The government has not prosecuted anybody for the horrific happenings of 2007-2008---over a thousand murdered (some in the most gruesome ways imaginable); many more injured and mutilated for life, raped, etc.; hundreds of thousands displaced from the homes, with many still living brutish lives in nasty tent-camps. The message seems to be that people can get away with it.
6. There should have been serious things done for healing, peace, reconciliation, truth, etc. We set up a commission for all that. Apart from eating, as all Kenyan "commissions" do, they expended a lot of energy and time fighting amongst themselves. Yes, the peace and reconciliation folks!
7. Two of the leading P/VP candidates are wanted, by the International Criminal Court, to answer for crimes against humanity. (As to why they are among the leading candidates, see (4).) The strongest motivation for this pair is to be in a position to defy the International Criminal Court. That means that, as they see it, they must win. No matter what. The question here is what the "what" in "no matter what" might entail for Kenyans.
Kenya could be in for some very, very ugly times. Are we ready?
Having put that out of the way, here's what concerns me:
1. The IEBC has turned out to be a bit of a joke. Their operating principle seems to be "if we can screw it up, let's do so". Will they be able to hack in on the Big Day?
2. The chaotic mess, threats, violence, destruction of property, shameless rigging, etc. that occurred during the primaries do not bode well, considering that the stakes then were much smaller than they will be in a month. And all this by people who not only claim that they can lead the country but are actually in a position to get elected by the lemmings!
3. As in the run-up to the 2007 elections, things have now boiled down to tribal hatreds (petty and otherwise), "historical injustices", etc. A glance at Kenyan cyberforums and other media outlets show that we have, surprisingly, learned little from the 2007-2008.
4. For the masses, since 2007-2008, there has been no serious civic education. Not even an attempt at the same. We still have the same ignorant and narrow-minded base. (Let's skip the usual cries of "Kenyan voters are an intelligent and thinking lot!". There is little evidence to support that.)
5. The government has not prosecuted anybody for the horrific happenings of 2007-2008---over a thousand murdered (some in the most gruesome ways imaginable); many more injured and mutilated for life, raped, etc.; hundreds of thousands displaced from the homes, with many still living brutish lives in nasty tent-camps. The message seems to be that people can get away with it.
6. There should have been serious things done for healing, peace, reconciliation, truth, etc. We set up a commission for all that. Apart from eating, as all Kenyan "commissions" do, they expended a lot of energy and time fighting amongst themselves. Yes, the peace and reconciliation folks!
7. Two of the leading P/VP candidates are wanted, by the International Criminal Court, to answer for crimes against humanity. (As to why they are among the leading candidates, see (4).) The strongest motivation for this pair is to be in a position to defy the International Criminal Court. That means that, as they see it, they must win. No matter what. The question here is what the "what" in "no matter what" might entail for Kenyans.
Kenya could be in for some very, very ugly times. Are we ready?
