One of the consequences of the gullibility of the Kenyan people, is that even the most widely available evidence, the most glaring contradictions and the grandest lies are overlooked, even ignored by what should properly be enlightened citizens.
So it is that Raila Odinga and the ODM, all of them bearing rich histories that are widely available, are now presented to us as champions of the common man, as democrats, wielders of the shield of defence of the greater good. His media associates and his propaganda body would wants us to believe that he, together with
his rowdy band of supporters are such strict adherents to the ideals of democracy
and justice that "they cannot sit and watch as the democratic gains they sacrificed
so much for go down the drain.
It is not an office that I think superfluous, this Defender
of Fundamental Freedoms and Democracy, but it would surely make more sense to put in it an occupant with
a modicum of credibility and a hint of consistency. You cannot say one thing today and then the complete
opposite tomorrow. In that exalted office, you have to make your views clear, what exactly is it you believe
in.
Let us, for the sake of argument, assume that the election was
rigged in favour of President Mwai Kibaki. Is getting idle hooligans into the
streets and setting the country aflame the best way of contesting the election results? Why do we have courts
in Kenya if we
are never going to make use of them? When Raila Odinga says he does not have
faith in Kenya's
judicial system and yet 13 ODM parliamentary losers are contesting the results in
their constituencies with the same courts, one is left wondering where this
doublespeak will end. Why are they not mobilizing the goons in their
constituencies since that is the new way of seeking justice? Why did Raila
Odinga or Najib Balala not go to Kibera and Kisumu and call on the youth there
to grab their simis, stones and lighters and go causing mayhem and burning
everything at sight when they did not agree with Safaricom's proposed
privatization? They went to court then did they not? They trusted the court with that right?
Let us be honest here. The 2007 election was not the first
to be stolen in Kenya.
The 1992 one was stolen from FORD-Asili's Kenneth Matiba and we did not see the impoverished, marginalised youth in Murang'a
and Kiambu stoning motorists or burning churches. The election of 1997 was
stolen from the DP's Mwai Kibaki and yet we did not see people in Nyeri and Meru burning
government vehicles or slaughtering Kalenjins. Why is this stupidity happening
now? What was so special with this last election or the aggrieved candidate?
Don't look for answers to these questions elsewhere. The answer lies in the
mind of the main protagonist in the unrest---Raila Amolo Odinga, the man who
has flatly refused to live within the laws of mature responsibility and who
believes that there are no laws governing the universe other than satisfaction of
his demands.
At the very minimum,the ODM leader must understand that his demands will not be met as promptly and as effectively as he would expect, more than that however, violent means no matter how righteously justified have effects far beyond the mere political and are likely turning more and more of Kenya's people away from him. The ODM and its MPs must now force this truth on their leader, and redeem him from the unreal world whose laws are dominated by magical
expectations that things will play out the way they do in movies. Would it be at all a victory were Kenya to be delivered to the ODM burned to the ground, an economic pariah at the mercy of the international community?
But Raila's hypocrisy ends not at his penchant for violent protest and blackmail, it extends into insults and name-calling. Everyone that does not take up his myopic worldview, every soul that sees a different way than that he promotes is deemed perfidious, a traitor. This is why Kalonzo Musyoka's
acceptance of the Vice Presidency has been so cruelly demonized. It is
as though Kalonzo's political career path is determined by Raila's fancy. It is clear that
Kalonzo's career was already startlingly successful even before Raila joined
the arena of elective politics. The Vice President had, without any family patronage -
unlike most of those who claim political astuteness, contested and won a
Parliamentary seat (at the age of 32), become an assistant minister and even been voted by his peers the
deputy speaker of the Kenya National Assembly. When he was appointed Foreign
Affairs minister in 1993, Kalonzo was the country's chief diplomat at a time when the ODM leader Raila
Odinga was only just setting foot in the August house.
Still, the most glaring evidence of the ODM leader's chicanery, and the gullibility of both the media and the enlightened class is represented in light of his reaction to rigged elections in
the past.
Returning to the 1992 elections, it is clear that those were rigged in
favour of President Daniel arap Moi. The entire opposition was unanimous on that. Then Kiharu MP Kenneth Matiba,
Othaya MP Mwai Kibaki and Bondo MP Jaramogi Oginga Odinga agreed that the elections were a sham. George Nthenge
and Kimani Wanyoike petitioned the results with the high court. Jaramogi Odinga
(Chairman) and his son Raila Odinga (Deputy Director of elections) and most other
members of Ford Kenya even went ahead and refused to acknowledge the presence
of the President during the swearing-in of Members of Parliament and election
of the Speaker (much like Ababu Nyamwamba, Anyang' Nyong'o and Raila Odinga did this time around).
Bearing already the indecorous, ill-disciplined mien that persists to date, they
remained glued to their seats even when far stronger candidates like
Kibaki rose up in honour of the President. It was a valiant protest, right? No such luck, only one year down the line, FORD-Kenya
was already in cooperation with KANU. Had it not been for people like Michael
Wamalwa and Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, and had the Jaramogi not died in the beginning
of 1994, the party
would have likely joined Moi's cabinet. They were reading from the same script with
Moi and they will unashamedly tell you that that then was not betrayal, it was strategy.
Fast forward five years. The initial reaction across the entire opposition after the
announcement of the 1997 election results was that Moi had yet again rigged
himself back to power. The twice beaten Mwai Kibaki was livid, so what did he do? He took Moi to court for rigging him out. That case
was thrown out for ‘lack of evidence' in 2001 by which time Raila Odinga -who had shocked the public by abandoning the anti-rigging protest- was
not only a cabinet minister, but had also dissolved his political party and joined KANU.
Was that not "legitimizing" Moi's victory? Was that not a betrayal of
Kibaki, Wamalwa, Ngilu and the entire opposition fraternity?
It reminds me of
this story that is told of a Kenyan lady who went to Germany
and didn't communicate back home for a couple years. When she finally comes
home, her father started yelling at her; ‘You bastard, don't you know how much
suffering you have caused your mother? Why did you not call and let us know how
you were doing? We were worried sick! Now tell me what you have been up to.' The girl says; "I
became a prostitute".
‘You became a what? I want you out of this house
now. We can never put up with a slut in this house'. The girl says, "well,
I was just bringing you the keys to the Jeep parked out there, the title deed
of a nice little plot at the coast and Kshs 4 million for mother in the Barclays
Bank in Westlands". The Mzee keeps quiet and then asks: ‘And what is it you said you
became?' "A prostitute, father".
The old man says; ‘Oh, that's ok, I
thought you said you became a protestant. My bad'--------Double standards is
what I call it.
The mentality Raila and his supporters have that they have a
divine right to the Presidency is misplaced. They are going to kill, maim and
rape people and after all that, they will remain what they are - opposition
members of parliament, repulsive to the majority Kenyans until such a time as they respect public institutions and graciously
appreciate the presence of competing interests in the political game.
The violence clearly is not about a rigged election. No, it is
about sour grapes and a pre-disposition to bullying, blackmail and battery.
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BUT take another look. what is the role of Mr. Mwai Kibaki? Is there not something he can do to bring an end to all this? Can he behave like a true winner? in my view having a re-run would be much more less costly than the cost of re-building a war ravaged nation. and having a running mate this time round, may actually win convincingly.
(...)
alternatively, let us just have fresh elections with neither kibaki or raila running!!