Dear Reader
Thousands of years ago, we humans elevated ourselves above the animal world and never looked back. Figuratively speaking, the key to this evolutionary advance was our powers of vision: language, and the ability to reason that it gave us, let us see more of the world around us.
To protect itself from a predator, an animal depended on its senses and instincts; it could not see around the corner or to the other end of the forest. We humans on the other hand could map out the entire forest, study the habits of dangerous animals and even nature itself, gaining deeper, wide knowledge of our environment.
We could see dangers coming before they were here. This expanded vision was abstract: where an animal is locked in the present, we could see into the past and glimpse as far as our reason would take us into the future. Our sight expanded further and further into time and space, and we came to dominate the world.
For our MPs, it seems somewhere along the line, they stopped evolving as rational creatures. They could not see their actions leading to the massacres of innocent people, experienced in the country in the last few months, where almost 2000 Kenyans lost their lives, and left over a million homeless, now living in the life threatening IDP camps.
It is frightening to see and here MPs talk about power-sharing but only to the extent it meets their own selfish interests for power and riches. It is almost clear to me that despite our progress as human beings, there is a part of these current politicians that remained animal, and that animal part can respond only to what is most immediate in their environment- they are incapable of thinking beyond themselves.
It appears to me as if the two sides of these MPs character, rational and animal are constantly at war, making almost all of their actions awkward. They seem to reason and plan to achieve a goal, but in the heat of action they become emotional and lose perspective. Instead of seeing the wider picture of reality as it is, they use cleverness and strategy to grab for what they want, but they are not stopping to think about whether the 100 billion shillings they spend for themselves every year is necessary, or what the consequences of spending it will be.
Remember our MPs are members of the so-called grand coalition? To me had they been the peoples’ leaders, the first step would have been to think beyond their immediate egos. These PNU and ODM MPs should be asking themselves; we are in a coalition government, where will it leave the ordinary people-better off or worse? To answer that question the logical step would be for them to think ahead, to the third or fourth political battles coming.
For our political leaders, Kibaki and Raila, thinking ahead should have been be the concept of the coalition, in which their strategists would set realistic goals and plan several steps ahead to get them. This is what is called ‘Grand Strategy’. The talks about power sharing among coalition parties then would not lead to the formation of 40 + cabinet positions and 80 idle assistant ministers.
Kenyan leaders have began their grand coalition on the wrong steps by not focusing on greater national goals. It is unfortunate that the Kenyan people have been misled to understand that the formation of this coalition would result in making life better and make the nation united.
We have a shortage of serious political strategists among the current crop of selfish politicians. The first step toward building a grand coalition would have been initiating steps that would make everything else fall into place. This would have been realised by starting with a clear, detailed, purposeful goal in mind, one rooted in reality.
We ordinary Kenyans often imagine that our politicians generally operate by some kind of magical plan, that they have goals they are trying to reach. But we are usually fooling ourselves; what they have are not goals but wishes.
Their tribal emotions, and staggering speed, to grab what comes their way, have infected them with hazy desires: They want fame, success, security-something large and abstract. This haziness has unbalanced our destiny and rational growth from the beginning and sets our future on a chaotic course.
To make Kenya safe, and prosperous for many, what is now needed are socialist ideological parties to be in power, armed with specific, detailed, focused goals that would put in place, clear long-term objectives, while giving direction to all immediate national political and economic actions, large or small. Kenyans living in the Diaspora where such democracies are in power could be of much help in making the same happen back at home.
They have lived those democracies and gained the necessary experience, capable of instilling some sense of responsibility, now missing in the thinking and actions of the current crop of Kenyan politicians. The kind of monies they send back home now and then to help their less privileged indicates how socialist they have become. Helping the needy.
They should now move the next step to help the helpless gain permanent help, through political campaigning to have in place a careering government. Contrary to what our leaders are doing things, it is common sense knowledge that Grand Strategists keep sensitive antennae attuned to the politics of any situation.
What our leaders must keep in mind is that their behaviour in public affairs always has political consequences, in that we, the people around them, will analyze it in terms of whether it helps or harms us.
A word of comfort to fellow betrayed Kenyans. There is a future no one can stop. For our leaders, if they want to politically survive in that future, as a politician of respect, then they must figure out their actions with a mind to gaining support from people outside their tribes and class, to help speed and strengthen the re-liberation of Kenya – which is now coming closer and faster than many would like to admit.
DICK KAMAU
SECRETARY GENERAL. CCM
I approach everything i read objectively. And this post is flawless. It makes a great deal of sense. And if the leaders were responsible from top to bottom, we wouldn’t need any type of help from the Western World.
P.S. I run across your blog by accident, and i must say i am impressed with your different views on such a wide array of issues. You are brilliant.