KENYANS ARE NOT IMPRESSED BY THE COALITION'S DIRTY LINEN

THE STANDARD
NAIROBI, KENYA
April 8, 2009
By Nancy Mburu

So, we are back to square one: Ms Martha Karua’s resignation from Government, the failed bonding talks at Kilaguni and Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s public criticism of his fellow coalition partner, President Kibaki, all indicate how deeply troubled Government is.

Do they now expect us to align ourselves with them, with each person taking his or her "followers"? I don’t think so.

Gone are the days politicians would tell us to jump and we would ask: ‘How high?’ Not after ordinary citizens killed each other and lost property following the last General Election, with these losses being felt to this day. None of the leading politicians was personally affected by the violence, which they kept fuelling.

Isn’t it funny the way things turn out? Just the other day, I was smarting from embarrassment after leaders clearly showed they did not understand Chief Mediator Kofi Annan’s role in helping Kenya recover. It was sad that our very own Vice-President, Kalonzo Musyoka, led MPs in scoffing at Annan’s move to extend the deadline for setting up a local tribunal to try the perpetrators of the post-election violence.

Just what is wrong with these fellows? Their arrogant and disrespectful language towards Mr Annan was disappointing, with some even asking who he thought he was to issue "extensions and deadlines". Hello? He is the guy who saved Kenyans from killing each other like flies. And he is not one of your fellow political rivals, so he is not interested in a piece of the leadership pie, unlike you.So give the man his due respect.

He is only concerned that no progress has been made after he helped the political foes seal a deal on the crucial reforms that will save the country from sliding back to anarchy.

Politics That Thrills

Kalonzo told Annan that Kenya was not a failed state and was perfectly capable of resolving its issues without "resorting to foreign solutions". Well, with the current happenings, the VP might consider taking back his words. These people are washing their dirty linen in public, in the hope of, once again, winning the public’s sympathy. Sorry guys, we are tired of your sensationalism.

We now know the politics that thrills is the politics that kills. We simply want to live our lives, but you just won’t let us. You are chronic time wasters with no decent agenda.

Ms Karua’s resignation is bold. I admire her courage. It shows that perhaps she is not that excited by a ministerial position and is willing to sacrifice power for principle. But her move should not signal the end of the world. She simply exercised her democratic right. After all, as Sidi told Lankule, the village teacher, in Wole Soyinka’s The Lion and the Jewel, if a snail is dissatisfied with its shell, it moves house.

Other disgruntled ministers should emulate her and quit on a matter of principle. It is better than fighting the same Government they work for. At the same time, they should not make the country ungovernable with their constant noise as happened prior to the 2005 referendum. We need peace, not politicking.

And even as Karua gets ready to become a backbencher and fight for the rights of the common man, she should show what she has done for us and her constituents for the six years she has been in Cabinet. We want evidence of a development record, or results. This way, we might not judge her too harshly, as one who only wants popularity as she prepares to make a stab at the presidency come 2012.

On his part, Kibaki has to stop being a rigid leader. Why should he resist reforms that are meant to benefit the country? He must not behave as if power solely belongs to him. It is a power sharing deal, we have here. But even as Raila has come out to criticise his partner, we are tired of his team demanding more ambassadorial, military and Government positions. How will ODM individuals appointed to these positions benefit Kenyans?

Plus, ODM members have also been linked to grand corruption. And we have seen how all Government officials are spending our money — to make their lives more comfortable.

When all is said and done, we are flogging a dead horse in the name of Government. We shall no longer take the fall for them. They know we want them to work together, but their selfish interests won’t let them. If they must know, readers are increasingly talking of a civilian coup.

How about that?

It is time Annan made public the names of post-election violence culprits so their trial can commence. This might be sobering for them, teaching them a lesson they do not want to learn. Then all politicians should be denied visas to foreign countries so they suffer with the rest of Kenyans if they think they will leave the country burning.