DEMOCRACY IS A THEORY AND NOT A PRICIPLE
  
The time has come for Kenyans and, indeed, the world to review what democracy is and why it is necessarily a school of thought that is widely accepted to be good. I will not speculate so much about this because I am not a Political Scientist. I will, however, state here that democracy is a theory that need not stand in the way of a people’s development. The American or British or any other country’s interpretation of democracy need not be our model as Kenyans. The Chinese and the Russians have taken off economically without the much touted western-style democracy. I think that, as Kenyans, we need to consider our wellbeing first before we debate the pros and cons of a certain type of democracy. All these issues of governance are just theories and ideas that some people came up with. They can be altered at any time.  Let Kenyans develop whatever the political arrangement. If a grand coalition like the one due to take place in Kenya can deliver to the population, then why not? It is not a taboo to have something different from popular belief.
   
Sillah Oriato

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Hello Sillah,

It’s good to have you back. 

While we agree with the primary sentiment expressed in your email–that all people should have the right to self determination–we take some issue with the idea that Russia and China are examples of functional democracies. Both of these countries are police states. We suspect that the willingness of the Russian population to accept totalitarianism in exchange for economic growth and security will eventually catch up with them. This is also, we think true of Uganda, a country in which a “benevolent dictator” has reigned and, it seems, will continue to reign indefinitely. Finally, human rights abuses are all too common in Russia and China, and people have little say in their government (sound familiar?). 

Certainly, Kenyans must decide what type of government we want. Based on its success in developed countries, many of us prefer democracy. We would also agree that it is possible for a homegrown, or even African, democracy to take hold in Kenya.

We would caution that, in the absence of democracy–that is, in the absence of basic human rights and civil liberties–governments are more likely to be unstable and to collapse more quickly. This is why African, Latin American, and some Asian countries have seen coup after coup. Democracy, we think, better promotes development than any other form of government.   

Regards,

Jaluo Press