ETERNAL VIGILANCE IS THE PRICE OF LIBERTY.

Dear Sir/Madam, The Anglican book of common prayer states that “Constantly speak the truth, boldly rebuke the vice, and patiently suffer for the truth`s sake.”It is in this light that I dare ask whether the Prime Minister erred in New York when he stated that the Grand Coalition Government had at no time agreed to use the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) to try the perpetrators of Post Election Violence (PEV)? I do not think so. He was simply brutally frank to the chagrin of a section of the legislators. Stating that Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) is the way forward for this country does not in itself preclude the establishment of a local and/or international legal framework for dealing with people who hold the highest responsibility for PEV. Truth whether spoken in Kenya or in New York remains nothing but the truth. With the deepest spirit of patriotism, I dare say that every Kenyan must exercise his responsibility and vigilance and to speak truthfully about what is before us. In the words of John P Curran, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” To shy away from this responsibility because a temerarious, obdurate and desultory Harvard trained lawyer is telling us that too much democracy is bad for us will be suicidal. Such persons are hell bent in making us to exchange that vigilance and responsibility for complacency, to idle in the shadow of false images, thoughtlessness, ignorance, and disinformation and to blindly swallow sugar coated lies that they are desperately trying to implant in the minds of the masses. They without prospicience want the impuissant public to permit without effective protest the dissemination of error and mendacity about the state of our nation. It must be crystal clear to all and sundry that to look at issues from the lenses of these self serving politicians is a sure way to reserve for our nation a place in the dust-bin of history. One does not have to look far afield to discern well-meaning societies who, for like-reason, have suffered that fate. When yesterdays liberation fighters turn into today’s political Henchmen and turn you into a punching bag, do not despair for this is the price you have to pay to regain the high standards of truth and democracy upon which our great nation was founded. Do not fear that Kenya has increasingly become a hotbed of political insanity. The truth shall set us free. In this regard I whole heartedly support the Prime Minister over his stand on retributive justice. The cabinet`s collective responsibility stance to hide the reality is just but collective insipience since this will be a sure way to reserve for our nation a place in the dust-bin of history. It is quite unfortunate that some politicians in cahoots with a section of a partisan media are deliberately misinterpreting and vilifying the Prime Minister`s views in order to make the public susceptible to phantasms that are projected as realities. Yes, the media is the pubic relations expert, the image-maker but unfortunately if misused it becomes a purveyor of falsehoods. The Prime Minister`s views are no different from the views expressed by members of the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) who have been on record stating that TJRC can not effectively handle the prosecution of the perpetrators of PEV. In fact some TJRC members have threatened to resign should the cabinet`s decision to expand their mandate be implemented. The public too has expressed serious doubts over the expansion of the mandate of TJRC to prosecute PEV suspects. A section of legislators have echoed the same sentiments. And I do not think that we need a seasoned political science professor to tell us that dealing with the extensive and intensive historical injustices alongside Post Election Violence (PEV), within a very limited time frame and more so, without clearly spelt out specific objectives, is a disaster in the making for the country. It is our consentaneous decision that no amount of sprucing TJRC can make it rise to the occasion. I wonder why these politicians should go through the dance, when I suspect that they invariably are not listening to the same music as we are. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA CONSTITUENCY.