When the Anglo-Leasing
scandal broke out, in the din that was raised from out of the bowels of Kenya one thing was conspicuous. The silence from its
centre.
Similarly, if you were to
point out the anti-democratic credentials of the President and his inner circle,
or his role in the creation and establishment of the KANU tyranny, the people
of Central Kenya would likely rise up in protest. Most people in this part of
the country even believe that the misrule of Kenya started in 1978 when Moi became President and not
in 1963. Any comment or criticism of the
Kibaki or Kenyatta governments, even here on this site is met by sheer
hostility from these same quarters. Also, any suggestions of nepotism in public
appointments, or of shielding such cousins' from the full effect of the law
are met with equal disapproval no matter how factual they may be.
But these attitudes are
not limited to grassy knolls and steep slopes of the Central Highlands. Down by
the lake, or in the streets of Nairobi is found an equally uncompromising stance towards rebuke
of Raila Odinga or ODM-K party pronouncements. Here is taught the myth that
Raila was a brave knight who rode into KANU to destroy it from within, a
champion of the common people and their self-less defender to the last.
Such mythologies are not
in themselves harmful, and neither is the passionate support of a political
group. The danger for Kenya comes in the fact that our national destiny is
held in the hands of a few men who rule by fiat. These men do not mean well for
us, they hurt all of us but they enjoy the impunity which our culture of ukabila and narrow-minded patriotism confers
on them. They bask in the knowledge that their every action, even such actions
as endanger the whole nation will always be staunchly defended by hordes of
ignoramuses ruled by a faith to blood and filial ties.
If these men held up a
goat tomorrow, and declared in concert that it should be not our next President,
but our next king and their little nations rose in chorus to shout God Save the
King, we would all the rest of us be shackled to their whims, hurtling into the
great future with our goat king leading the charge. This is true tyranny and
the only way we could ever get out of it is by ensuring that no strong leader
ever gets to State House. I am not of course speaking of strong in the sense of
intelligent, or forceful, or effective; but strong in the sense of a leader who
can and will ride unshod over the barbed obstacles of our constitution and courts, one who
can thumb his nose at the plurality of public opinion because unthinking lemming hordes
will follow him to the very precipice.
Kenya does not need such men, and it is for this reason
that the likes of Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga are dangerous for our country.
This is the reason why we have as a nation grown more polarized during these last four years than at any
time since the 1970's. It is why there can be no unity or harmony inside ODM-K,
because sadly, so sadly some of us think they are more Kenyan than the rest of
us.
Saddest of all, they can make it true.
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Not to make too fine a point of it, but to realise just how terrible the two party system is, look at the American Presidential election and especially at the recent debate among the Republican canidates.
While Rudy Giuliani and the rest of them kept bleating on and on about hate, and fantasies such as 'Muslims hate us because they hate our freedom', Ron Paul was conspicuously ignored by America. So cartoons like O'Reilly and Hannity and Limbaugh are much more revered than actual thinkers.
There is no debate in America on almost all issues, and where there is debate one of the sides is often so very wrong but at the same time so very supported, even by the majority of the country. When only two views are halal, the truth is bound to get lost in the translation.
Your example about duopolies shows this point exactly. The consumer only benefits when the market is filled with many competing players.
To add to the arguments from above. True democracy is achieved when the voter enjoys choice. Thus even when there are two large parties (like in Germany or Japan for example), the other parties in the system (the small ones ) that is control the system by deciding coalitions. So whilst the system retains the balance inherent in the conservative stances of the traditionally large parties, these parties can only form governments by moderating their positions and including smaller players. In a two-party system on the other hand, the two party positions are so rigid and far apart that there is little competition for core voter groups. This is why elections in some countries (where we are heading) are decided purely on the opinion of a select faction. This culture enforces a need in the parties to either swerve to the extremes and therefore leave an unrepresented centre, or else to steal to the centre, or in the other direction and effectively disenfranchise one's core voters (Tony Blair).
Sorry to re-post this here.