I am writing this article out of
a keen urge to keep pressing for peace, a strong urge to see tolerance and
pride in the diversity of this country. I intended to use this blog for matters
green, hence Green Background. But my spirit keeps pushing me to matters of this
country. Patriotism, peace, politics, values, tolerance…I guess I stay true to
my green orientation, with my strongest principle being peace and non violence.
You may see me pull away from confrontational situations, shut down debates that
sway towards intolerance, respectfully walk away from arguments that refuse to
focus on the objectives, even after listening and trying hard to see someone’s
pint of view. We all have diverse opinions that should be tolerated unless they
call for the dehumanizing of the very nature of our being human. You may see me
smile at the tone of insult. It’s all something that I consciously do, in the
need to find peace. Human beings all strive to be good; they all have something
magical inside of them. That magic is the state of being human. So I look for
that humanity. Sometimes going to bed wondering why I did not respond when
someone insulted me, wondering why I let myself be misunderstood. Then I meditate
a practice I am striving to master. It gives me calm. I feel at peace again,
and I remember why I walked away, shut down, smiled…and I am ready to do it
again.
Ubuntu: “I am because you are”. Do we ever think of the profound and deep
meaning of these words? Loosely translated, it could mean, ‘utu’ in Swahili, meaning the state of being humane or human if you
like. The meaning of these interconnected words from two Bantu languages from
the South and East of Africa should live within us. To remind us that we are
all human and when we stare into each others eyes, we should see the same God,
living inside each and every one of us,” I
should recognize the God in you as you the one in me”. (Jacqueline Novogratz)
Kenya is approaching the 2013
March general elections with a lot of apprehension. We are all worried that
there may be election violence. We know that we vowed “never again”. But never again cannot on its own, be enough. We
have to do more than ‘never again’ and as it is, I do not think we are doing
much to ensure that we remain intact as a nation post March 2013. It is sad to
think about the possibility. It is more than sad; it is heartbreaking to
imagine that we could go the inhumane way of 2007/2008. I have been reading stories
from the genocide in Rwanda, stories of loss, displacement, pain and suffering.
People reliving this 1994 nightmare 19 years gone. As I read, I recall the
tough moments we had as a Nation in 2007/2008. Killing and displacing one
another for power. Editing out each other and breaking the interconnectedness that
we have as human beings. Exposing the weakest chain in our link and breaking the
strongest one, diversity. I call it the paradox of similar strength and
weakness. But it is the identity of the Kenyan state.
When a careful and objective
history about Kenya’s democratic growth and elections will be written, tribal
clashes and disintegration will feature heavily. That history may forever
remind Kenyans that their boundless love for their country may have saved this
African giant from a possible and destructive civil war. I hope civil war shall
not be part of that history for we cannot bear it. The surrounding countries
relying on us to send our army to fight terrorism cannot bear it. The refugees
who seek solace in the hands of our motherland cannot bear it. The
international community working in Nairobi and loving the tropical friendly
weather, beautiful beaches and affordable luxuries that they would otherwise
not afford in their home countries cannot bear it. Men and women who have
fallen in love with the Kenyan blood and found families raising children who
bear the great diversity of cross oceanic citizenships, cannot bear it. Kenyans,
who work hard to feed their families, who have built the economy of this
country, who so passionately gave themselves to the governing of a new and
progressive Constitution, setting the stage for indigenous jurisprudence and a
new constitutional order, cannot bear it. A second displacement (appreciating the
fact that displacement due to tribal clashes has been rife since 1992), a
second mass and sexual assault, rape as a weapon of war, armed bandits, murder
in cold blood, love turned guile , husband against wife, wife against husband,
lover against lover, neighbours against each other. Kenya, we simply cannot
afford to bleed from the same wound twice, for we would never heal. “Never again”, would not have meaning a
second time.
The post election violence of
2007/2008 may have driven this country towards an unprecedented state of togetherness;
the passing of the Constitution of Kenya 2010. The general election of the year
2002 may actually have been the greatest form of togetherness as a people. We
changed a 24 year regime that did not work for us as a country. We, the Kenyan
people, did it. We can embrace this togetherness again. We have done it in
politics and in policy. We have crossed the dual carriage way of politics and
policy and we have found commonalities in both. Now is the time to focus on our
humanity. On the things that unite us and shed those that divide us. We must
focus on our unique state as a country. Embrace our divergent political choices
with a nod of the head and a giving of the ear. We must listen to one another
and accept the divergent political choices, for that is the definition of
democracy. We must however never kill or maim, or assault, or vandalize for the
exercise of these choices. Rather, we must learn to accept the will of the
majority. Whatever the choice of the majority may be we must hold our heads high,
adjust to the outcome of the general elections and together, as a nation forge
forward. We are 50 years of age as an independent state; our youthful years as
a country are behind us. We must be hard on ourselves and demand the best from
ourselves, from each other. Indeed may we dwell in unity, peace and liberty and
nature will hear us, and plenty shall be found within our borders.
In the Constitution we passed, together,
as a people, we included the NATIONAL VALUES AND PRINCIPLES OF GOVERNANCE thus; patriotism,
national unity, sharing and devolution of power, the rule of law, democracy and
participation of the people; human dignity, equity, social justice,
inclusiveness, equality, human rights, non-discrimination and protection of the
marginalised; good governance, integrity, transparency and accountability; and sustainable
development. These are the values we chose to bind us to the state of our
Kenyan citizenship. We must hold onto these values and principles for we are
called by this sacred document to be these things. We must not abdicate our
political duties. We must strive to ensure that we have the best, even if the best
is recognized by our solitary selves. For from these principles we shall raise
a generation of Kenyans who in the addition of their solitudes will forge an
army of men and women dedicated to the progression and survival of their nation
state.
We must not also lose sight of
the gains we have made. Laying the ground for electoral justice is the new
mantra of the Kenyan judiciary guaranteeing expeditious and fair hearing of all
electoral disputes. We have an option for justice. We should not walk in fear,
for those are things we shed with the blood in 2007/08. We decided to strengthen
the institutions and started with the judiciary and we can all attest to the
dedication and reform of our Kenyan judiciary, of its capacity to handle
electoral disputes for by dint of the Constitution, it bears the sovereignty of
the people and indeed, it is the only arm of government that has its two feet
on the ground before the election and even after, until we have the other two
firmly established, ready to preserve this sovereignty. With this in mind,
quoting Winston Churchill in one of his greatest speeches; “I have, myself, full confidence that if all do their duty, if nothing
is neglected, and if the best arrangements are made, as they are being made, we
shall prove ourselves once again able to defend our home, to ride out the storm
of war, and to outlive the menace of tyranny, if necessary for years, if
necessary alone. At any rate, that is what we are going to try to do”.
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