Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 14:37:21 -0800 [04:37:21 PM CST]
From: patrick opondi
Subject: coalition government a failure
Coalition a failure
Early last year, the international community forced Kenyans to adopt a coalition government under two principals, the president and the prime minister. Both had laid claims to have won the highly discredited and disputed 2007 general under the defunct electoral commission of Kenya . The ECK hurriedly declared a winner though serious obvious flaws were documented that could have prompted the electoral body to carry out an audit and some soul searching before reaching at a verdict. As events unfolded very quickly amidst protest and confusion, the ECK rubbished tangible evidence allayed by protesters, hurriedly declaring the incumbent a winner.To date, the two principals and their lieutenants are bickering and accusing one another of all sorts of evils. Since inception, they have agreed on just a few fundamental issues such as the dissolution of the very body that bungled the election.
The ECK under Kivuitu , our security forces and the then incumbent president knowingly and willingly derailed democracy, eventually plunging the country into a crisis that has continued to haunt this administration to date.
From the onset, the coalition was faced with a myriad of problems as strange bedfellows cohabited. PNU assumed credibility and legitimacy through the constitution regardless of the tones of accusations leveled against them, including accusations that they manipulated the general elections to their favor. ODM claim to victory was bolstered by the party illustrious performance in both the civic and parliamentary election. To date, there is a great element of distrust and all manner of suspicions between the two parties, eroding all the efforts to harmonize administration.
We no longer have leaders talking collectively on national issues, including the ragging media law enacted recently by the president. Each an every time we are faced with a crisis, all political parties in the coalition is in denial, pointing fingers to their partners to shoulder blame. Don’t we have a coalition government that speaks from the same platform with one voice?
Who is responsible for the daily administration of the country and who issues orders to the top civil servants? From the public bickering between the two parties, it is evident we have parallel governments, under Kibaki and the other headed by Raila . The head of public service and secretary to the cabinet, the government spokesman and other top notch leaders have aligned themselves to PNU, openly working against and discrediting the efforts of the prime minister. On the other hand, cabinet ministers from the ODM have persistently lambasted Muthaura and their colleagues from the other divide, who they accuse of undermining the office of the prime minister. It is apparent the coalition still need elaborate fine tuning for all partners to read from the same script instead the common assumption that we have one government.
A workable coalition dictates that both parties consult, in all maters however pertinent. It is a way to engage and build trust. Where as the president and the prime minister may be in consultation, it now apparent that there are powerful forces out to poke and derail their working formula.
But the president is guilty too because some of his appointed officials have not acted in accordance with the principles of the national accord that created the office of the prime minister. At par with the president, the accord demands that both parties be consulted and treated as equals in the coalition. Why would the PM not be consulted in important issues like the transformation of the electoral body?
Although we temporarily acquired peace as a country by accepting to work under a coalition government, its formation was a violation of our electoral rights and opinions, negating all the democratic achievements we have gained as a nation. A winner and a loser accepted to share the spoils of governance but with different ideals.
Patrick L Opondi,
Wasio-Migori.
http://migoriconstituency.blogspot.com/
Patrick Lumumba Opondi
NB!
From: Paul Nyandoto
Sent: Tuesday, January 6, 2009 1:33:56 AM
Subject: PNU, ODM-K & ODM are taking Kenyans NOWHERE
Kenyans:
The country is moving backwards , so let Kenyans wake up. The coalition governmnet is just a joke at a time Kenyan debt is also growing at an alarming rate. Kenyan`s jobless figures are impossible to calculate, poverty and starvation are already been taken as normal life style, while Mps are enjoying the tax-payers money without any responsibility. Kenyans are also moving away for greener pastures at an alarming rate, infact the number of Kenyan students going out of the country for education is also very alarming. It raises a lot of questions: will the country have enough geniuses to make the development in future?. Do the country or present governmnet know that these young Kenyans leaving the country now to other countries for studies or greener pastures are the country`s future ?. African countries have been talking about brain draining to developed countries, so what is this coalition government doing to prevent this?, or they will just open their mouths to cry again to the developed country to do something about it?.
How did President Kibaki get the media bill now creating hell?. I do know that before a bill is signed by the president it must be discussed in the parliament. So who are the Mps who passed this bill in the first place?. Do Mps realy performe their duties or they just travel abroad, go on with their private businesses at a time when a bill is being discussed in the parliament?. It is very odd that in a coalition government the president ends up getting a bill from the parliament to sign and it is only after that when a prime minister and over 50% of the Mps start joking around by condemning the president for signing it. What type of government do Kenyans pretend they have?.
We hear of a new constitution to be in 2009, by the way we are already in 2009 so why signing a new media bill while there will be a new constitution?. Or Kenyans are being taken for aride, will there be a new constitution in 2009 or NOT?. You Know Ugands are Tanzanians used to think that in Kenya there are a lot of educated people and kenyans are more smarter, but all what we do see now in Kenya it looks that it is in Kenya where there are less smarter people than either in Tanzania or Uganda. Guys our country is going the Somalian way bit by bit.
I hear ODM also had a list of diplomats to be assigned to foreign jobs, but the list has not been established and PNU have not made his promise as the coalition government did agreed. So who is this ODM trying to cheat?. Are they cheating themselves or the ordinary people who risked their necks for them?. Ladies and gentlemen I do think PNU is doing very bad things to the ODM coalition partner, but ODM is to be blamed for taking Kenyans backwards. This coalition is working because of ODM so why should they keep on doing what they are doing and using ordinary people to get what they want and still cry with wide mouths?.
Ladies and Gentlemen to those who are still sleeping, let me wake you up: ` the presidential DICE in 2012 is already CASTED`there is no way ODM will produce a Kenyan president in 2012. When Kibaki gave Saitoti internal security ministry, he already throw the dice. Do no forget that in Kenya there is no transitional government during election, so it is he Saitoti who will still be the minister for internal security even during the 2012 elections, and it is he Saitoti who will still be giving orders to the police, GSU etc. and Kibaki is the head of defence until a new president is in place and Kalonzo will hold the home affairs. So how is this present ODM will make its dreams?. Even now when we do have peace Raila speaks this and Muthaura or saitoti ends up doing the opposite. The ECK have not respected what Raila said, infact they are back in full force. Saitoti ordered policemen to beat the media at a time Raila was speaking the opposite. I do see ODM as a mule which is trying to run a horse race banking on the noises being made by the spectators but NOT from its own trained muscules and capability. ODM should also stop using human skin as a shield to further their agenda while they are blindly sleeping with the enemy all the time. The voters had alreay done their job so it is the ODM leaders time to do their jobs, but are they doing it?, I think NO, if I am wrong then they are doing their jobs very badly. How long is ODM wants be a mule and for what gain?. Why can`t ODM be bold enough to call for a new election?. The PNU has already surpassed them on that also, they have already destroyed the ECK using the ODM`s demands BUT have used the opportunity to elect their own ECK transitional guys of their choice, so should they call the election now, it will be the Muthaura`s guys ( Chege etc) who will handle the election, what a dity game?.
Those who wanted to form a new party, I hope you do see now the opportunity and the loopholes you can build your foundation on now, but please have a smarter goals and foundations than those English words you did write to us some days a go.
Paul Nyandoto.