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| Raila Odinga addressing his supporters in Thika, Kenya. |
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| Ruto William addressing his supporters in Malindi, Kenya. |
The next time someone says you are ‘too political’,
tell them silence is a political stance – it is a full throated endorsement of
the status quo.
It is absolutely difficult to dissociate oneself
from politics. To enforce a perfectly neutral position would be fascist.
Perhaps you disagree but here is a bit of light on
this matter.
Kenyan politics is turning to be fascist, right-wing
if you prefer. The totalitarian and high handed nature of the once thought of
as the most optimistic nation in the African continent is fast losing its mask
and unveiling what is coming to be termed as Dictatorship. And the constitution
is second fiddle to the autocratic leadership who would stop at nothing to
seize more and more power.
A subdued press is typical of this extremely
reactionary form of capitalist government. In what world would we have the
media shut down for days on end without the stakeholders speaking up? The
shutdown came up as a reaction to the media coverage on the mock swearing-in of
the NASA (National Super Alliance), not to be confused with the space agency,
leader Raila Odinga on the 31st of January 2018.
Judicial processes are manipulated with utter
disregard for the rule of law. Fundamental rights of the citizenry are
abrogated flagrantly and yet the protectors of the law are sitting pretty. Murders
and abductions are common place; one would be forgiven for thinking that the
gods have abandoned us.
The judiciary is no longer the epitome of justice
but the symbol of mockery. Well I have heard like you that the judicial supremo
has touted something about the jinxed independence of the judiciary. It is time
court orders were obeyed by all and sundry, high and mighty.
Maybe we are all having the Deported Brain Syndrome
that some of the infamous state apologists suffer occasionally, because we
don’t seem to realize that we do this to ourselves and our posterity.
We most certainly do not wish to have the chickens come to roost, in the words of
Malcolm X, neither do we want to overemphasize the current apathetic,
Kenya-weariness mal du siècle that seems to follow us like a bad habit, but won’t
we just do the right thing!
If freedom was the crown which the fighters of
liberation sought to place on the head of mother Africa, let the uplifting, the
happiness, prosperity and comfort of her children be the jewel of the crown –
we Kenyans must never deface this crowning glory.
5 Comments
Yess!!! It's that time we need liberty!!
ReplyDeleteFreiheit!!
Thank you Ballack. TRUE
DeleteThe judiciary has become an avenue for atrocities.
ReplyDeleteAsante sana Mwanabutangi. you couldnt have said it better!
DeleteI am in absolute agreement. The silence is quite frankly deafening, even by the media. There is this annoying belief in a none-existent reality called 'impartiality'. There can only be two sides: good and bad. The is no middle-ground. You cannot abandon that which is right or fail to emphasize it simply because it is also supported and championed by a political player. It is the role of the media to speak up on such issues and give confidence to viewers with authoritative facts and evidence to the advantage of the 'mwananchi'. Impartiality and middle-ground are deceptive, pernicious and malignant notions that are detrimental to our democracy. The reason for a thriving democratic space in the United States of America media is because of their deviation from this moral lie championed especially by the Kenyan media. Fox news is largely known as a right-wing proponent while MSNBC considered a largely left-wing station. Amazingly, both do thorough empirical fact-finding research with facts to support what they believe is right or wrong. The consumers are therefore able to pick a side based on sober reasons and not fallacious representations of blurred lines. Should we abandon truth and justice because it happens to be supported by either political alignments? Certainly not! For how long will our pundits, media and citizens dither in useless and meaningless nuances in the name of being impartial. After all, it is the same media that expects the politicians to come out against any attempt to have them muzzled by the establishment (which has been done by legislators of a political leaning recently through shutting down an anti-media freedom bill). How then is it that if the same speak out on something that is evidentially reasonable the media fears showing support? Kenya is ours. We welcome all ideas regardless of the side they come from. The media should be quick to spot lies and sound an alarm regardless of the side it aggravates. Silence is death! I dare say '...by hanging', to infer that it is treasonous. For it verily betrays the trust the citizens have placed on their media. We cannot all be journalists and have therefore placed it on the media which cannot afford to disappoint us. I have chosen a side and I intend to stick to it, have you?
ReplyDelete