Sunday, June 01, 2008

KENYAN POLITICS: PERSPECTIVE


Foreign minister Moses Wetang’ula has upset many by telling Prof Oluyemi Adeniji and his team to go home because the work of former UN boss Kofi Annan and his fellow African Eminent Persons who mediated in the post-election mayhem has been completed. Says Dominic Gathuru: “Prime Minister Raila Odinga should send his first warning letter to him for embarrassing the Government. Wetang’ula owes Prof Adeniji and fellow Kenyans an apology.”

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According to George Mbugua, Minister Wetang’ula’s outburst against Prof Adeniji could just be an indication that he’s, probably, not fit to be the country’s top diplomat. Therefore, George is appealing to his boss, President Kibaki, to consider moving the Sirisia MP to “a less internationally visible ministry” to give a chance to a more diplomatically minded person to take charge of the crucial portfolio. He says Kenyans who wish to see justice done following the ethnic bloodletting would like to see Prof Adeniji fully complete his assignment.

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Raju Umamaheswar adds: “In any culture, guests are always treated with courtesy and warmth. In the Hindu system, Athithi Devo Bhava, is the dictum, meaning that a guest is equal to God. It’s an insult to our culture to indicate to a guest that he’s unwelcome. Wetang’ula was way out of sync and most undiplomatic when he bluntly told Prof Adeniji, that he should leave. The mediators came to salvage us out of a serious national crisis created by ourselves.”

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The trouble with most politicians is that they become complacent very fast, notes David Waweru, amused that with the parliamentary by-elections coming soon, everybody seems to have forgotten that they had serious issues with Electoral Commission boss Samuel Kivuitu for bungling last December’s presidential election. Says David: “In January, they were all baying for Kivuitu’s blood. Five months down the road, this ‘very bad team’ is still in office and presiding over by-elections.”

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Assistant minister Danson Mungatana’s(This guy is a nuisance) suggestion that South African High Commissioner Tony Msimangu be expelled from Kenya over the xenophobic violence in his country is utterly shocking, remarks Dennis Orembo. He adds: “Could the Garsen MP have forgotten so soon that we, as a nation, are just recovering from our own bloodletting in post-election violence and that none of our envoys overseas was expelled by their host countries.”