AN EXHORTATION TO KIBAKI AND RAILA TO LIBERATE KENYA FROM ANTI-REFORMISTS.

Dear President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila, In every moral and political matter, the decisive question for Thomas Hobbes is always: who is to judge bearing in mind that in the state of nature, each of us is a judge in our own cause, consequently we are perpetually in a warring state as we are inclined to use our feelings as measures for others. In such circumstances, the only rightful judge is the sovereign; in our case –you the President and the Prime Minister. That is why the public and the international community are looking forward to you to provide the requisite leadership necessary to pull Kenya out of the doldrums. In complimenting the Hobbesian political philosophy Juan Stuart Mill also argued for an ethical principle that would be superior to the self interest of the individual just as Emmanuel Kant had established a rational principle of moral law superior to individual desire. To add the icing on the cake is the African proverb that states that fish rots from the head downwards. Far be it from me to suggest that you do not have the capability to turn things around, however it is your lackadaisical stance that is worrying the nation. You seem to be waiting for some mythical rebound to make it possible for the country to get the essential reforms in a flash. What is incessantly nagging the citizenry is whether you fully understand the gravity of the country`s non implementation of the essential reforms before the next General elections. I say this because the signals emanating from your confidants and your party stalwarts are not encouraging at all. Whenever they speak one may think that it is a contest in which the one who shouts the loudest emerges the winner! And as if that is not enough some insolent ministers and members of parliament in their whimsical design keep throwing unnecessary burps at the international community at any opportune moment whenever the latter attempts to help us out of the quagmire we are in. But when disaster strikes it is the very Ministers and Members of Parliament who will be quick to ask the same West “where were you when we were butchering ourselves left, right and centre?” They are quick to embrace the age-old schisms: that the West is undermining our sovereignty. They have been quick at perverting “Sovereignty” to mean non interference by the sufficiently philanthropic neighbors even when it is crystal clear that we are on the brink of a disaster. I dare say that it is only those without any ounce of decency who may be tempted to believe this wisecrack! The same wisecrackers and anti-reformists are responsible for the near statelessness that we are in. They have easily led us astray in our attempts to forge our destiny as a country. Like the proverbial ostrich, they have buried their heads in the sand for too long. Our capacity to reason has become fragile as is our capacity to know; we heavily rely upon language (read as tribe) and we are often prone to error and undue influence. It is chilling that when even the most learned among us give their opinion on any issue of national importance; they do so selfishly or impulsively on the basis of emotive speech by our so called ethnic political leaders. Some of the obtrusive civil society and political leaders we rely upon to give us direction are selfish, cowardly, and some of them “vainglorious” (and some of them are of all of these!). Many of these leaders will be prepared to embellish ethnicity and even violence to attain their selfish ends. Their connivance conjures up images of Post Election Violence. Mr. President and Mr. Prime Minister take of off the gloves and get down to work. This country is in dire need of your leadership. You must rid yourselves from the crazy- quilt of your confidants and party stalwarts. This is the Hobson`s choice, that is assuming you care enough for our posterity. You must start to rate yourselves and to demand to be rated by others not based on your good intentions but performance. I implore you not to allow the nation to run on this treadmill that is quickly carrying us backwards. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA CONSTITUENCY.