|
|
Post by deyiengs on Feb 29, 2008 1:29:13 GMT 3
PManiac, Adongo et al, I'm getting confused, Ok there is this part that suggests that the seats will be shared equally according to party’s' strengths, then I also run across a 50:50 thing. I'm I missing something? I know we are so eager to move forward, but this should not blind us. Remember how blind we were during the Narc take-over? I still DONT trust kibaki. I feel they have some cards beneath the table that plan to unleash as soon as they think they are ready. What is it that can convince me that this thing will surely stand PANU guerilla tactics? I will wait for the final draft though. Then comes the trickiest part; what about the Elections? Are we going to have one say after 2 years? sample this: www.eastandard.net/news/?id=1143982556&cid=159Kathuri and Gitau, however, said they would wait for a briefing from the President. Kathuri said it was time for Kibaki to give the Government side direction before the State opening of Parliament next Thursday. “ The President must give us direction on the way forward in passing the necessary laws to bind the agreement. But the deal reflects that Kibaki and Raila are statesmen,” said Kathuri. >>>>>>what is it that they have to wait kibaki for directions? |
|
|
|
Post by politicalmaniac on Feb 29, 2008 1:50:38 GMT 3
deyeings
My understanding.
ODM has close to half the MPs = 50%
The other MPs are in a coalition with PNU, ODM-K, FORD-P, FORD-K, etc functioning under one umbrella, convieniently reffered to as PNU. They get to take 50%.
So Judas isacriot KM seems will be VP without portfolio?
|
|
|
|
Post by wakwitu on Feb 29, 2008 2:05:58 GMT 3
Let us not get ahead of ourselves by worrying about details which have not been made public. The details will come through as the days progress - for now all I know is that Raila walked in there and put pen to paper and I know whatever he signed is in the interest of wananchi or else he would be literally lynched.
|
|
|
|
Post by adongo23456 on Feb 29, 2008 3:38:46 GMT 3
PManiac, Adongo et al, I'm getting confused, Ok there is this part that suggests that the seats will be shared equally according to party’s' strengths, then I also run across a 50:50 thing. I'm I missing something? I know we are so eager to move forward, but this should not blind us. Remember how blind we were during the Narc take-over? I still DONT trust kibaki. I feel they have some cards beneath the table that plan to unleash as soon as they think they are ready. What is it that can convince me that this thing will surely stand PANU guerilla tactics? I will wait for the final draft though. Then comes the trickiest part; what about the Elections? Are we going to have one say after 2 years? sample this: www.eastandard.net/news/?id=1143982556&cid=159Kathuri and Gitau, however, said they would wait for a briefing from the President. Kathuri said it was time for Kibaki to give the Government side direction before the State opening of Parliament next Thursday. “ The President must give us direction on the way forward in passing the necessary laws to bind the agreement. But the deal reflects that Kibaki and Raila are statesmen,” said Kathuri. >>>>>>what is it that they have to wait kibaki for directions? Nothing is ever cast in stone, particularly in politics but all indications are the deal is great for the country and will be adhered to. The engine that will drive this deal is the support of the Kenyan masses and from all indications they are in love with it. KTN did a random interview of Kenyans in the streets and they were all laughing from ear to ear and making it very clear that they will hold Raila and Kibaki accountable for the implementation of deal. In terms of the Narc treachery, all I can say is that it is one thing to trash a semi secret deal made in pursuit of an electoral victory and a completely different story to try and trash a deal made in broad daylight with the AU chair as a witness and non other than Kofi Annan as the chief negotiator on the background of a national catastrophe. I would contend that even treachery has limits. There is nothing Kibaki can pull from under the table. It is empty. The military option is out of the question and so is the Mungiki/police "solution". I have a feeling this deal is for real. Kenyans are going to make this deal stand and the way it is structured nobody is going to try to kill it. Remember the death of the deal means new General Elections. Trust me, no single M.P, PNU or ODM wants to have General Elections which most of them know they could lose. That is the insurance plan for the deal. The biggest weakness of the deal is that it does not provide for an interim government, but we sure have a transitional government that will transform the politics of the country, most likely in a positive way.. There are no timetables for a re-run. They have killed that move. For all practical purposes this coalition government is going to run the full circle till 2012, barring some major hiccups. I think that aspect should be open to discussion by Kenyans. Otherwise I am pretty happy with the deal and so are millions of Kenyans. adongo |
|
kelly
Junior Member
Posts: 99 
|
Post by kelly on Feb 29, 2008 5:14:22 GMT 3
Ok,
I will wait for one of you to summarise to us sometime in ides of March as it gets clearer or else I still believe federation or somplete secession should still be on teh table and no disarming of militias at this time. Item #1 is supposed to be complete in 6 months if I understood correctly, so I expect Kivuiti in Jail from October 1 2008 for life, and all the comminssioners that were in cahoots with him. It should also lead to a date for fresh elections in 24 months time.
Item#2 should send half of PNU to jail topmost being Michuki.
Item #3 should be used to entrench federalism and parliamentary system with a clause for secession. I just don't trust MKM to think Kenya first, if they can't even think Kikuyu first. They olnly think about Kibaki, Michuki first.
Item #4 should lead to the 4th republic with a federal parliamentary system
|
|
|
|
Post by adongo23456 on Feb 29, 2008 5:52:57 GMT 3
Ok, I will wait for one of you to summarise to us sometime in ides of March as it gets clearer or else I still believe federation or somplete secession should still be on teh table and no disarming of militias at this time. Item #1 is supposed to be complete in 6 months if I understood correctly, so I expect Kivuiti in Jail from October 1 2008 for life, and all the comminssioners that were in cahoots with him. It should also lead to a date for fresh elections in 24 months time. Item#2 should send half of PNU to jail topmost being Michuki. Item #3 should be used to entrench federalism and parliamentary system with a clause for secession. I just don't trust MKM to think Kenya first, if they can't even think Kikuyu first. They olnly think about Kibaki, Michuki first. Item #4 should lead to the 4th republic with a federal parliamentary system I think you should pay closer attention to item # 5 which the last time I checked had two words "chill out" adongo |
|
|
|
Post by kamalet on Feb 29, 2008 6:56:06 GMT 3
Whilst Raila signed a deal he is almost is assuerd to deliver, the question is whether Kibaki can deliver on his commitments. Kibaki in essence has little control of any MP in the PNU camp as well as other fringe parties, so how does anyone expect that he wil be able to get his MPs to pass the resolutions agreed into if they do not agree with them in the first place?
I am not sure I entirely trust the deal however much I would like it to succeed to let Kenyans go one with their lives.
|
|
|
|
Post by wakwitu on Feb 29, 2008 7:32:51 GMT 3
|
|
|
|
Post by politicalmaniac on Feb 29, 2008 7:34:03 GMT 3
How I wish PNU MPs would keep digging the hole. I implore them to rubbish this deal.
Dig dig dig........
|
|
|
|
Post by mank on Feb 29, 2008 16:14:13 GMT 3
What we must realize is that bureacrats play a great role in shaping the final outcome of a political decision - watch out how this agreement will be put into book! For that fellow Kenyans, is what will rule. Politicians are aslo known for not reading in between the the lines of bureacrats' draft once they pass a policy (for these things tend to be inconvenient reads), only to be told years later that what they claim to have passed is not ideally what citizens see in the book. Whether Karua or Kiraitu, I can assure you, someone is waiting out there to mess with the deal. Its up to Kenyans to demand what they believe they are settling for.
|
|
|
|
Post by adongo23456 on Mar 1, 2008 0:10:50 GMT 3
This caught my attention. 216.180.252.4/archives/index.php?mnu=details&id=1143982589&catid=16The future depends on Kibaki and Raila -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Published on March 1, 2008, 12:00 am Kenyans are still in celebrating and the joy over the power sharing deal signed by President Kibaki and Orange Democratic Movement leader Mr Raila Odinga is palpable. After the gale of deaths, displacements and destruction, it is the moment to bring back the tectonic plates that were drifting away from the motherland. It is the time to reinvigorate the sense of oneness and togetherness, as well as sewing up the fissures opened up by ethnic passions. Even for a government the world shunned by withholding congratulatory messages over disputed and discredited victory, welcome of the political settlement must be surprising. Many times we pushed our leaders to rise above personal pride, bent the knee and reach out to their opponents. We called for a political settlement, arguing that the only way out of the maze was power sharing. Many argued, and rightly so, that we did not need external pressure to see the writing on the wall; that we were on the precipice. If there were any doubt the much a Kibaki-Raila deal would achieve, then one just needs to look around and listen to the sigh of relief sweeping through the nation. There can be no doubt, and the politicians too agree, that we have on the table the right prescription and the first doze has shown the magic it can work.In Kisumu and Kakamega thrilled residents marched to police stations where some of the displaced have been camping. Though they had first caused a scare, particularly because of the images of the killer mobs that drove them their in the first place, it turned out they had a good message. They wanted the displaced to go back to the homes from which they were ejected, and resume normal life. That is not to say we are out of the woods yet. There are more challenges to overcome, especially the delicate job of operationalising the political settlement through appropriate constitutional amendments. There is also the resettlement of the about 500,000 displaced now living in the squalor of refugee holding grounds. Truth, justice and restitution are also mandatory but again guided and nurtured by political will. There is no doubt we are on the right path, but even as we reconcile with the fact that though a travesty took place we must embrace each other and heal the nation, political will shall determine the speed at which the Annan Deal moves. The point is that Parliament, which begins the process of constitutional review next Thursday, holds the sway. Party leaders must pursue the process of give and take, knowing as we have seen; some situations that demand sacrifice produce winners on both sides. Kibaki and Raila must sustain the tempo, nurture trust between themselves and their supporters, and work for one nation. The divisive party politics must take the backseat and negotiations in the next phase demand a greater degree of honesty, good faith and sacrifice. The true gauge for statesmanship lies in how leaders rebuild their scarred nation, with the help of opponents whose hands they would hitherto not shake. It is found in the hearts of leaders who in crisis exhibit the truest sense of the fact there surely must be more to politics and power. It is manifest in recognising the ominous clouds and steering the ship of the nation towards a different, but more importantly safer course. The nation’s fate again remains in the hands of President Kibaki and Raila. |
|
|
|
Post by politicalmaniac on Mar 1, 2008 0:24:59 GMT 3
Wow, "nurturing trust" with the PNU thieves requires herculean mental strength, that only a few, like R, or Mandela have. The multiple times these guys have stabbed folks like me in the back, openly, visciously and with dereliction of humaness, precludes a rapid detente. They deserve to make exit. I hope we are seeing the end of the likes of me-chuki kimeendero and martha, saitoti and pugnacious kiratu. But more importantly I hope we are seeing the end of macho tribal jingoism, the likes of which were hirtherto unimaginable, as pushed by the PNU. Seems like kegs will get his 5yrs unless lucifer summons him soon. The agreement as far as I can determine, leaves 2012 as the next election cycle date, once the constitution has been amended and we are done with the 07 election audit, TJRC activities as far as that will go, and ressettlement of IDPs. |
|
|
|
Post by mank on Mar 1, 2008 0:32:43 GMT 3
Ok, I will wait for one of you to summarise to us sometime in ides of March as it gets clearer or else I still believe federation or somplete secession should still be on teh table and no disarming of militias at this time. Item #1 is supposed to be complete in 6 months if I understood correctly, so I expect Kivuiti in Jail from October 1 2008 for life, and all the comminssioners that were in cahoots with him. It should also lead to a date for fresh elections in 24 months time. Item#2 should send half of PNU to jail topmost being Michuki. Item #3 should be used to entrench federalism and parliamentary system with a clause for secession. I just don't trust MKM to think Kenya first, if they can't even think Kikuyu first. They olnly think about Kibaki, Michuki first. Item #4 should lead to the 4th republic with a federal parliamentary system Hi Kelly, Sorry dear, but I hope you are the only one on that bandwagon. Its the one Kenyans were forced to ride on, and they kept hoping for a soft-landing; now they have gotten a soft-landing. What you advocate for does not seem to promise Kenya any goodness different from the one the Mungikis and what-nots promise. Please afford me some attention, even if you get irritated by what I have said:- in your proposal, who would be seceeding from who? |
|
|
|
Post by dola121945 on Mar 1, 2008 1:30:57 GMT 3
PM, Today when Prime Minister ( Frost kept on calling him that throughout the interview) Raila was interviewed by Frost(Aljazeera - Frost over the world), he mentioned that reforms need to be made first, i.e constitutional changes and once those are done ideally within a year, 2 years being the maximum then elections should be done, atleast that is the hope. And I actually prefer that. Read also the following interview/report from Reuters! africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL29313753.htmlOdinga: Kenya could fall apart if agreement failsLONDON, Feb 29 (Reuters) - If Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki does not meet the terms of a power-sharing agreement it could lead to the disintegration of the country, opposition leader Raila Odinga said on Friday.
But Odinga said Kenyans had learned the lesson of their violent post-election crisis and would do all they can to make Thursday's peace deal work.
Asked by BBC radio what would happen if Kibaki's side didn't fulfil the deal, Odinga said: "That would be most unfortunate.... The coalition would break up and in my view that would lead to disintegration of the country."
But he added: "I feel confident that this period that we've gone through has been a teacher and that everyone is going to try and ensure that this coalition will work and succeed."
Kibaki and Odinga signed the agreement on Thursday, under heavy international pressure, to end the crisis that killed more than 1,000 people and deepened ethnic divisions after the disputed Dec. 27 election.
"The agreement is just a piece of paper that's been signed the most important thing is the will," Odinga said. "Very many wounds have opened in this conflict. We've seen the ugly face of ethnic confrontation in our country."
Under the deal, hammered out with the mediation of former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, Odinga has agreed to serve in a new powerful post of prime minister, with Kibaki remaining president and cabinet posts split between rival parties.
Odinga, who had been calling for the election to be rerun after disputed official results named Kibaki the winner, said he would still like to see a new election held within two years.
"We say we want to get a new constitution within one year. Kofi Annan has given it a maximum of two years life," he said.
"After the two years we will review. After the two years, if we have completed everything else, we would want to go for an election then ... We don't want to go beyond two years."
(Reporting by Peter Graff; editing by Matthew Tostevin) |
|
|
|
Post by politicalmaniac on Mar 1, 2008 3:03:46 GMT 3
I dont see that happening, a fresh elections in two yrs.
There are huge stumbling blocks key amongst them, the overhaul of the constitution and the other attendant issues in the Kofi agenda items 1,2 and 3
|
|
|
|
Post by mank on Mar 1, 2008 7:02:05 GMT 3
And what exactly is the thinking behind in that can of worms called "land reform"? Is it taking away land from one Kenyan to given to another, or is it reforming the means by which future land transactions will be made? If its the former, then Zimbabwe is where where we are headed. If the latter, then great!
To pre-empt those 'payukarers' who like labelling posters and tossing out the discussion, I have no piece of land that I would expect to be subject to land reform actions.
|
|
kelly
Junior Member
Posts: 99
|
Post by kelly on Mar 1, 2008 7:56:54 GMT 3
adongo23456,
I appreciate your jubilation with the breakthrough. You like any other person under normal circumstance would be happy and would not want to dwell on the "what ifs". I'm a realist and PNU frm history must not be trusted. Martha Karua is bitter, if reports from our dailies are to go by. SHe skipped Fridays very important meeting to "attend to other functions'. What could be more important with 500K of her people displaced and Kenya bearing on MKM! So I will not take the chill pill until Mid March.
Sir Mank,
If there is something PNU would least want is a federation or secession. Remember, GEMA's biggest customers are actually the other 40 or so tribes. Having all of them wanting nothing to do wth GEMA is a sure reciepe for a GEMA disintegration. Pray tell me, why would the Merus stick to some Kikuyu lords when they can identify themsleves as a distinct group? It is hard for them to stay in GEMA when even the Ogieks are having a party and enjoying their new independence within the bigger DRK federation.
That is why I insist that though we push forward with the deal, we should always show them this other hand that Kenya risks disintegrating and central can remain with their Kibaki and kibakistan. They can have the statehouse and Windsor and all their riches, but we do not want them near us, now that is a very strong messgae for a community that knows instinctively that once the others go their own separate ways and the way they have a bad reputation (personally I believe it is srongly attributed to them) of thieveing, no one will want to touch them with a 10 ft pole.
I am right and vindicated by Raila himslef when he said Kenya risks disintegrating if the deal is stalled. Raila knows what I know. odongo and mank just want to get a life. There is no easy way out. Everything has to be fought for.
|
|
|
|
Post by mank on Mar 1, 2008 19:23:35 GMT 3
Kelly, PNU is a temporary political body; just as is ODM. Tomorrow there will be other parties, and I do not know how their stregth will be distributed across Kenya. We have seen FORD, splinters of FORD, NARK, etc. If we did not take these to be permanent definitions of the ethnicities that embraced them the most, where is the wisdom of judging Central province to be so PNU damu, that you would suggest seclusion of Central just because it is so PNU? By the way, Kibaki has only this term to go, yet you seem to rationalize your secession proposal with his tenure ... you seem to be thinking tribal so much that you forget that national fact. We should be thinking National rehabilitation, not decapitation. while your logic may sound reasonable to you, Kikuyus could find different options of dealing with the secession scare, if they take it to be credible.
|
|
|
|
Post by adongo23456 on Mar 1, 2008 21:13:17 GMT 3
Kelly
I actually share your concerns about the implementation. It is going to be very tough. Just because Kibaki saw sense one day does not mean he is not going to resort to his old tactics. So the battle is just beginning and I am glad you and me will be fighting one one side.
The first problem is going to come when Kibaki will refuse to dissolve the cabinet but instead prefer to keep his key ministers and give the ODM some of of those vacant ones. I suspect Kibaki will only be willing to do a little reshuffle. That of course would be a bad start. If Kibaki were a genuine and honest person he would first get together with whoever the PM is sort things define some kind of joint vision for their coalition, set up some grounds rules of dos and don'ts, dissolve the cabinet set something new and get to work. That would be a genuinely good beginning. I doubt that is going to happen.
Let us also not forget that a lot of diehard Kibaki supporters have been in mourning since the deal was announced. You wouldn't imagine the number of people urging and praying that Kibaki plays tricks, undermines the coalition, continue partisan political brinkmanship. Some of these backward thinking is of course motivated by rabid tribalism and their hatred for someone like Raila and lately William Ruto.
I also suspect that State House is not a happy place right now. The Michukis and Saitotis and Karuas are steaming mad. These characters are going to put a million road blocks on the way. I am sure they must be saying they left Kibaki alone for a few minutes and bingo a deal was signed. They must be swearing not to let him out of their sight any time soon. While Kibaki is fully responsible and accountabe for everything that has happened under his watch, let us not forget that there is a vicious cabal of chauvinst "Kibaki protectors" out there. They will not give up.
Raila is going to be in a bind. He is a key member of the government. It would be in bad taste for him to be organizing demonstrations and rallies to fight when things are not working. That job is going to go to others specifically our comrades in human rights movement and civil society and of course to M.P's. Personally I am hoping these folks get things going so we can spend our time doing more productive things.
If we get over that hurdle then we face the mother of all battles namely katiba mpya. Luckily for the country the new PM deal will reduce the tensions on the discussions around powers of the presidency. The formula they have now is modeled around the Naivasha Accord except it gives more powers to the PM because the PM nominates half the cabinet. In the Naivasha Accord I think all cabinet positions were to be nominated by the president. The big battle over that item would still remain if the PM would be the head of government. The situation is not going to be helped by the fact that the debate will still revolve around the two individuals Kibaki and Raila and not the institutions themselves. The Kibaki people will simply see it as Raila trying to get even more power from Kibaki. So we are going to have trouble there.
My bottom line is we need to bring the Bomas Draft on the table. We also need to limit the participation of politicians in the constitutional making process. Lets have a team representative of the diverse interests and communities in our country to comb through the Bomas Draft and recommend changes. Those who want to bring in the Wako Draft should be free to do so. This team or committee should build a consensus on the Draft and lets take it to a referendum. If we let the politicians be in control of the process we will not have a new constitution even by 2012. I think that is where Kenyans have to put pressure and insist that folks like Raila and Kibaki have a conflict of interest when it comes to the new constitution. Let others handle the katiba and this thing will done in 12 months.
The big bomb in the constitutional debate is going to be the majimbo issue. The enemies of devolution now have new arsenal with the events of ethnic cleansing in Rift Valley. Some people are already screaming that majimbo has to be abandoned and never even mentioned again. To me the events in the Rift Valley are even more reason why we have to deal with devolution of powers, resources and providing opportunities for every community to maximize their productivity and wealth creation.
Then we have the land issue. What kind of land reforms are we going to come up with? There is already a body of data and information on land and agrarian reform possibilities. I am hoping the leaders are going to tap into some of that info and expert assessments to take the debate away from emotive whose land is going to be repossessed kind of thing. There is no land in Kenya that is not owned by somebody. Inevitably there can be no land reform unless some land will be taken from others. It could be unutilized land. It could be excess land, remember Koigi's theory of putting a ceiling on land holdings! It is very hard to implement. Whatever we do it is obscene that some "royal" families and politically connected individuals own hundreds of thousands of acres of land in a country where landlessness is an epidemic. The land issue is the next frontier of the real battle in Kenya.
In each of these issues there are going to be fundamental differences between the ODM and PNU and yet they are supposed to be one happy family.
So, yeah we have just started climbing the mountain. The only reason I am happy about it is that it is better than going round and round at the foot of the mountain as we have been doing for the last five years actually 45 years to be precise. For once Kenyans are going to try and build a nation they can all be proud of. At least now we can start climbing this great mountain and once we are half way up there we are going to need everybody's cooperation otherwise troublemakers will come tumbling down with great speed.
adongo
|
|
|
|
Post by adongo23456 on Mar 1, 2008 21:58:10 GMT 3
|
|
|
|
Post by mank on Mar 1, 2008 22:29:39 GMT 3
Adongo & Kelly,
We all share the concerns about implementation. However, while we should be watchful, we should not be perpetually debilatated by worries that PNU may not corporate; they should understand the cost of such a choice. At least Kibaki understands it, as he knows how the gun that was on his head when he accepted to sign the agreement felt. He knows this time it would not be just about the symbolic gun. Raila told us this much, when he said that Kenya has learnt its lesson, and he does not expect anyone to take us back to the times when we were naive.
I am surprised at how much kelly still sees this issues through the prism of "For Raila/ODM vs For Kibaki/PNU". Political games change very quickly, and we are in a new one! I think the game is about the coalation vs Kenya. The more the coalation is under pressure to perform, the more it is likely to stay together working for the nation - the more likely it will expose any spoillers. If people do not ask for output, those who would rather take us back to "pale pale tulipotoka" will think they can mechanize such a regression with little public agitation.
I agree with Adongo, that statehouse, and all the circles that felt like they contained Kibaki, are no happy places. When the international community forced Kibaki to sign the coalation agreement, many crony loyalties were shaken. It would be utterly stupid of Kibaki to try to reconstract those loyalties at this point, as he should realize that they were no blessing to him at his most challenging moments ... or why did things work so first when Annan sidestepped the intermediaries and talked directly to Kibaki and Raila? Kibaki did not serve his cronies when he signed the agreement, and if he is smart, and I believe he still is, he will realize that delivering on the agreement is critical, and that the cronies would not save him if things went wrong. i think it was difficult for him to make the decision to disappoint his cronies, but now that he already did, there should be no dilemma as to whether he should deliver on the agreement or serve the interests of his cronies. Some little distance from those cronies will be inevitable. In fact, politics is a dirty game of shifting loyalties. Expect to see a different structure of cronyism, which will be adpated to the new political environment. I doubt it will be trabally based! There again, the fallacy of ethnic secession. When a man uses his tribe to define his leadership, it is his (and cronies) strategy. It is not the strategy of hi tribe.
ON CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM:
I wish we would have a forum for reconciling the WAKO and BOMAS drafts, and shuffling parts to come out with the best product out of them. it would be uneconomical to go to a referendum with one of the constitutions instead of taking the best out of each.
On Land reform: Adongo, this is a difficult and explosive topic. I cannot pretend to know what is best. I know what is best for future transactions, but not the past ones. It is socially unfair, of course for a few to control the most land, with the most people not having enough land to support their livelihood. Following, however, are my concerns:
1) If someone legitimately bought ranges and ranges of land, is it justifiable for the public to lay claim on any of that land?
2) If the public decides to lay claim on such land, on what bases should beneficiaries be sought?
Adongo, is a dose of socialism invetible on this issue, or is it possible (and efficient) to think of other ways, such as taxation, for the land to benefit the public?
|
|
|
|
Post by JAHAATWACH on Mar 1, 2008 22:51:21 GMT 3
Odinga, whose fractious relationship with Kibaki will be put to the test when he starts work as prime minister, said he would be responsible for carrying out reforms and making sure the government runs efficiently.
This would mean attacking bureaucracy and corruption with a view to winning back confidence locally and among international aid donors and investors, Odinga said.africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL01733510.htmlWhat I am gleaning from Giles Elgood's piece in the link above is that for ODM, it is all system go and that the ongoing Annan talks and the pending relevant legislation next week are just mere formalities. I get the impression that it will be business unusual especially for the ODM dominated local authorities.I doubt if the government side will erect more barricade on Annan path. It seems to me that the proposed transitional grand coalition government is a blessing in disguise for the Government especially the PNU side. ODM side is coming into this new arrangement as a well oiled machine with clearly defined hierarchical structure.The government has plenty of house keeping to do.
|
|
|
|
Post by politicalmaniac on Mar 1, 2008 22:57:00 GMT 3
AO
Great incisive piece as usual.
I think we should not underestimate the new found clout of the masses. They have had a diagnosis of the political pathology and they have a prescription which calls for radical surgical intervention, not of the sham Kiraitu type, but a serious excision of the tumor of tribalism, jingoism and corruption.
As for the Bomas draft, I would think that it should serve as template for talks on the constitution. It can be amended as needed, and if no consensus emerges what precludes PNU from offering a competing draft with ODMs and let folks choose? Offer a real choice! Let the people decide!. Am I right when I say that the civic society seems to be less tribally driven thansay NCCK or the Catholic church etc? There is hope there, within the civic society i believe and they can help withthe draft.
As for the immeadiate future, the functioning of the Govt, will be a nite-mare simply because of the disharmonius relationship between the mortal enemies in both camps and I predict they will try to pull stunt after stunt to 'frustrate' ODM into just raising its hands in frustration and leaving. Thank goodness R is resolute and wont be shaken but will be frustrated to no end.
Land is still THE ISSUE!
PNU never seemed to have learnt that short cuts arent the permernent long term solution. Ferrying IDPs to Ukambani is the most bone headed move yet, since the Dec debacle, but rest assured there will sure be onother stupid illegal move by these dunderheads. They want to keep all the illegaly aquired land and redistribute the IDPs to other places, after they formented civil strife that led to their eviction from wherever they were. What nonesense!
As for Majimbo, even the Gema people want some measure of it now. Its gonna pass. Once again the argument that Majimbo can lead to the mass evictions and ethnic harrasment is false because the centralized system infact was the catalyst for those evictions and NOT Majimbo per se. I roll my eyes in wondrous bewildement when these PNU guys blame a non existent system Majimbo for the clashes that occured in 92,97, and now in 07. NO, its the illegal land aquisitions by enabled by patronage, favoritism, and Govt backed tribal land mafia companies, that folks resent.
So the work is cut out for R
But knowing R, he has the stamina and mental fortitude to perservere and start delivering. As soon as this weird cohabitation ODM-PNU system is done with, and R is in full charge of the Govt machinery after the mext election, the sky will be the limit.
|
|
|
|
Post by politicalmaniac on Mar 1, 2008 23:51:37 GMT 3
|
|
|
|
Post by adongo23456 on Mar 2, 2008 3:55:35 GMT 3
And then this. Martha must be feeling pretty pissed. She did all they asked her to do. But you know what, it is time to take individual politicians and their ambitions good or bad out of the national equation. In that spirit I welcome Kiraitu's sentiments expressed below. www.eastandard.net/news/?id=1143982646&cid=159 |
|
