Mudavadi: Trust me to do what Jubilee has not done

MUSALIA MUDAVADI

NAIROBI: Since introduction of multi-party politics, Kenya has been on experimentation mode, stuck on the political highway between the promise of democracy and threatening return to the devious past. The country is being held hostage by political gangsters. It’s time to stop experiments on political transition and settle down to building a country.

It is a nice coincidence that a year to the elections, Amani National Congress (ANC) celebrates its first birthday. ANC is determined that our second birthday next year will be an ANC government chosen by the people of Kenya in a peaceful, free, fair and democratic election. This would be a saving grace and an opportunity to reconstruct Kenya within the letter and spirit of the Constitution.

By choosing ANC next year, Kenyans would have voted against Jubilee nostalgia for single-party dictatorship and affirmed the clarion call in our Constitution that Kenya is a multi-party state.

Kenyans would have removed trademark incompetence and deceit that is the Jubilee hallmark in running State affairs. They would have said no to the creeping culture of promises for the sake of promises but which tells our youth lying is an alternative to truth.

Kenyans would have done away with reincarnation of a dangerous system of ethnic hegemony of dynastic caste succession.

Kenyans I meet ask me; Mudavadi, we like you, but what do you stand for? And before I answer, they do it themselves by cautioning me not to replicate CORD or Jubilee mockery.

At least they don’t want to construct me in the image of other leaders. These are Kenyans tired of the shouting matches between the two at the expense of attention to basic services. These Kenyans are tired of the fatal flaw of experimenting with extreme ethnic leadership; they want to put an end to “transitional” anxiety “for our time to eat”. I couldn’t agree with them more. It’s time for Kenyans to settle down from permanent waiting.

One, I am certainly not a shouting person. I offer sober, predictable and honest leadership for the stability and prosperity of all Kenyans. Two, I offer trust to Kenyans. Trust me to stabilise and grow the economy that creates real employment opportunities and reduces income disparities. Trust me to stay true in implementing the Constitution. Three, trust that mine will not be a road-show government. I may never shout above the din of my competitors, but that is me; I prefer action and results. Four, I can’t promise what I can’t deliver but trust me on integrity, ethnic cohesion, economic opportunities, education reform and devolution.

Implementation of Chapter Six on Leadership and Integrity was sabotaged by Parliament giving us a lame leadership ethics act. The act allows crooked characters to infiltrate and sabotage the country’s political and economic systems. That’s why youth role models are the corrupt. I will amend the act to conform to the letter of Article Six and weed out the undesirables to set the pace for integrity throughout the country.

Those vested with power and State offices will exercise responsibility with integrity, transparency and accountability even as we uphold human rights and the rule of law. There will be action; not just words, on zero tolerance to corruption, nepotism, victimisation and discrimination. I don’t intend to be lenient with laziness, idleness or negligence in public affairs.

Integration and cohesion is a desire by every Kenyan. Multi-ethnic societies require assurance on belonging in governance. I will set the pace of abiding by Article 130 that requires that the president’s appointments reflect the regional and ethnic diversity of the people of Kenya. Proportional representation on the basis of population would be an ideal starting point in appointments. I am certain devolution provides opportunity for sovereign citizens to practically engage in governance as free citizens constructing their destinies. In time, this will lead to inclusive participation, equity, and reduction of ethnic animosity and conflict.

Kenya has the human capital stock of knowledge, talents, skills, abilities, experience, intelligence and training that competes with the best. But we are busy killing the goose; an education system to meet the challenges and demands of the 21st century. We are on the verge of criminalising education by insisting on KCPE exams.

Thousands of innocent bright children are condemned annually by this redundant and worthless exam. I need support for the abolition of KCPE to enable majority of Kenyan children access secondary education. This will be on the back of truly comprehensive mandatory free basic education (from ECD to secondary), and subsidised university education. Trust me on that; we have the resources. All we need is the will to stop pilferage.

There are three threats in implementing the Constitution; those who seek to retain the status quo, reverse the gains or manipulate the implementation. The culprits are spread across CORD and Jubilee. Jubilee is particularly excited at reversing the gains made so far. It has recruited the legislature to claw back on devolution, human rights and anti-corruption space. As a result, the expectations of Kenyans have been betrayed: Corruption has been reborn threefold, marginalisation tripled and nepotism has matured. But trust me, the Constitution will be implemented to the letter and the promise of devolution met.

You will notice that I don’t sloganeer, sneer or stare at an illusionary ideology. A Kenyan leader professing a particular ideology is a liar. Mine is pragmatic leadership tinged with liberal social concerns for the welfare of the people of Kenya.