http://blog.jaluo.com/?p=1655
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:11:23 +0300 [05:11:23 AM CST]
From: john maina
Subject: Re: Ragem’s Response To Kumekuchas article Copied Below.

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I pick the two arguments – by Tom and Kumekucha – because it’s my considered view that they represent the dilema that Kenya is in at this critical time in our history.

For too long, it’s been well-documented, we slept on our problems. I have writen befoer that we inherited a problem of governance from our colonial masters and we swept it under the carpet. The monster had to outgrow its cage and this it did last December, with the able support of our ineptitude at managing political transistion.

It must be noted that the Kenyan voter of 2007 was a voter who understands his rights and will vote, not with the stomach but, with conscience. This is avoter that we must be prepared to live with for eternity. Kenya’s voting trends will never be the same again. You steal peoples’ votes, their rights, and your must bear the consequences of their wrath. That’s exactly whta happened between December 31st 2007 and March 2008.

History will record that some politicians took advantage of the situation and threw in gasoline into embers of fire. But the truth is that all Kenyans, especially our immediate post-independence leaders and their successors, hid time bombs that were bound to explode in their faces. The pre-2007 voters were very able collaboratotrs in mismanaging Kenya’s political development. We must, at this juncture find immediate and long-lasting solutions to our problems. All historical injustices, much blamed for the December 2007 elections fiasco, must be addressed even as we seek to punish the perpetrators of the near-genocide that was committed immediately after the elctions.

To seek to punish only thos ewho violently expressed their frustrations at the injustices committed against the majority bythe the minority for 45 years will be seeking to dress a festering wound without anihilating the pathogens that caused the wound in the first place.

So, where do we go from here? I must remind every one of the Makau Mutua (?) Commission that recommended a Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission. We must all agree that we’ve sinned against each other for too long – some sinned against more than others – and the only anwer to our problem is a collective repentance of our sins, seek forgiveness from our neighbours and create a new Kenya where all will forver live in harmony. Carrying the burden of anger and hate will only futher stoke satan’s fires that might consume us all.

The problem with Kenya is one of “short-termism”, seeking short-term measures to long term problems. We must be careful this time around. Otherwise we will re-ignite fires impossible to extinguish.

Some of us have lived thruogh these injustices, we know the pain and agony we’ve faced but we must now ensure that these injustices, anger, frustrations and poor political leadership are not passed on to our children and grand-children The time to do this is now. This, to me, is more important the the temporary relief and satisfaction that will ensue from seing a post-2007 election criminal hauled before the Corts at the Hague.Mathias.

Mathias

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Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2008 20:49:59 +0000 [11/20/2008 02:49:59 PM CST]
From: mathias aguta
Subject: RE: Ragem’s Response To Kumekuchas article Copied Below.