Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me

The more I look at the referendum on the constitution the more I feel something just does not sit right. While I focus on the details, on the merits of article this and the illogic of section that, I feel that I (and to large extent many of us) have lost sight of the bigger picture. The wider, bigger political picture. In some situations to much detail distorts the picture just as much as not enough detail. Anyone who regularly uses a camera with a manual lenses would agree with that.

In Politics 101 we were taught different political theories on who runs the country/how the country is run. Many of these theories focus on the role of the “elite” and argue that democracy has changed from one of direct popular rule to that of competition between and within elites to control the state. What this simply means is that although in theory everyone and anyone can stand for and attain public office, in reality only members of the “elite” have the means/resources/opportunity to do so. (This is a very brief explanation, if interested search google for “Elite theory”, “The Power Elite”, or “Pluralist Elite”, as starting points.)

Look at our last election in 2002. Kibaki –v- Uhuru. It becomes increasingly clear just how much of a non choice that was. Old moneyed political dynasty –v- Old moneyed political dynasty. That Njenga Karume could switch sides and back again find a natural home in each camp is an example of this. That the grand old men of the Moi regime, Ntimama, Nyachae et al are as welcome in Kibaki’s cabinet as they would have been in Uhuru’s cabinet is another example. That Nyachae, Karume, Kibaki, all consolidated their positions in this elite during the presidency of Uhuru’s father is probably the strongest evidence of the existence of this elite. (This is not confined to Kenya or even Africa, during the last American election voters had to choose between old money, New England, prep school and Yale educated candidates who are so similar that they were both members of the same fraternity. What a choice eh! And yes W is from New England. If he is a cowboy from Texas then I played guitar for Guns’n'Roses. ) I have written about the importance of the last Kenyan election but now in the interest of all that is fair I have to ask myself, would things be different if Uhuru was the one relaxing in Statehouse? Increasingly it looks like they engineered a whole election that captivated and shook the imagination of the country, played on our fears and our dreams, played us like a game of chess.

With this referendum I get a sense of déjà vu. We’ve seen it all before. Two camps apparently at each others throats, a clear decision to make Yes or No, scandals in this camp, the papers misrepresenting that camp, tribal loyalty/stupidity, we are constantly told that he destiny of our country lies in our hands, to above all make sure we vote. We’ve seen and heard it all before. You’ve even heard it from me. But stop for a minute. If you vote yes or no do you think it will stop a government that says it doesn’t have enough money to build 500,000 new homes for those who really need it but finds 100 million shillings to pimp up the president’s house? Do you think if you vote yes or no your roads will be tarmaced and city council will start collecting garbage? Do you think if you vote yes or no ministers who were on the verge pf bankruptcy three years ago will stop strolling around their new 2000 acre farms? Do you think if you vote yes or no MPs in your camp will vote to give back their salary increases and find ways to increase the salaries of lower grade civil servants? Do you think anyone in this referendum is in it for the Kenyan people? Let say you went to the top 5 people in each camp and guaranteed them power if they defected to the other side leaving their principles behind, do you think they would say no? So where does that leave us? Is this referendum the greatest fraud every perpetuated on the Kenyan people? Perhaps so.

I am not saying that we should not vote in this referendum. It is vital for our democracy we do. Even if the choice is limited let us, the people of Kenya, make the choice. Not leave them to take it for us. But and it is a big BUT while you vote and after you vote have eyes in the back of your head, keep your ears open, stay awake, listen to the promises, identify the liars. In 2002 we gave them (and by them I mean both the Yes and the No camps) the benefit of the doubt. That benefit has to end today. Come 2007 you should be able to stop your candidate in street and tell him/her, because of a,b,c I will not vote for you or because of a,b,c I will vote for you. Not just presidential candidates but your local MP as well. Like the saying goes, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”

In my world Kenyan bloggers are the salt of the earth. You are brave enough to put your opinions out there when you know that there is no way that everyone who reads them will agree with you, yet you do not back down. You are willing to fight your corner. The flipside of that however is that these blogs will last forever, or for a very long time at least! This means your archives are still going to be around in 2007 which is not far away. If after 2007 we are making the same complaints we made after 2002 I really do not know what am going to do with us. If we are busy crying the same crocodile tears after 2007 then we might as well shut up shop. After 2007 I should be able to walk up to anyone of you and ask you who your local MP is and three policy reason you would have voted for him/her and three policy reasons you would not have voted for him/her. After 5 years we have to have pushed forward. Its all well and good have massive plans for the economy for the health service for the civil service but it all comes to nought if we do not start holding our elected leaders personally accountable. If you don’t (and here comes the threat) then I will stand for elected office and as I fellow blogger I know your one weakness which I will use to bribe you. “Kura kwa Mentalacrobatics ni kura kwa bandwidth.” I’ll promise you broadband and give you dial up if you’re lucky.