Fw: [YP_Ke] Prime Minister is wrong on terming proposed constitution a government project.
Anthony Gitonga
Regards
Anthony
From: George Nyongesa <grnyo...@yahoo.com>
To: in...@bungelamwananchi.org
Sent: Tue, 18 May, 2010 9:16:44
Subject: [YP_Ke] Prime Minister is wrong on terming proposed constitution a government project.
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BUNGE LA MWANANCHI __________________________________________________________________________________
Press Statement
May 18, 2010
To all Media Houses
Prime Minister is wrong on terming proposed constitution a government project.
We, the citizens of Kenya, wish to make this statement to register our utter dismay at the brazen assertion by Prime Minister Raila Odinga that the proposed constitution is a government project. This kind of opinion worrisome and betrays inclination of the executive to misuse its power as stick on those who hold contrary views on proposed constitution.
We wish to point out that it is misguided, unacceptable and repulsive to attempt such an abrogation of the constitution making process by the government which amounts to the exclusion of the citizenry to whom the process first and foremost belongs.
What Kenyans are engaged in right now is a process where we as the people who live in the territory called Kenya are coming together to negotiate a social contract that constitutes us into a State and it is in that State that a government is charged with a management and administrative function. Therefore, an incumbent government, as it is in our case, being a creature of an existing constitution cannot in the review of the social contract claim to adopt the constitution review process as a government project. There are Kenyans who political affiliations is not in the coalition government and therefore we find Premiers utterance to be ill informed opinion and must be corrected immediately so as to assure cordial environment that allows us persuade majority of Kenyans to feel part of the process and vote for the proposed constitution.
What the Premier and his government colleagues may need to apprise themselves is that the government is but one of the elements of a State and the people are the most important part of that State. It follows that the constitution review is a people’s project, at the referendum each shall have one ballot hence all of us including the President, Prime Minister and all Minister, we are equal. Referendum is not George Orwell’s Animal Farm where some voters shall be more equal than others.
The PM needs to be reminded that in the 2005 referendum it only took the mischievous labeling of the proposed constitution as a government project to make the process utterly fail. Therefore, unless it is to that same slippery steep slope that the Premier wants to put this process, the government should stay away from appropriating the new constitution quest to government circles and allow the people of Kenya to own the process and play their rightful role without intimidation, coercion and misrepresentation.
While the political parties can play a role as part of the commonwealth, we are highly opposed to their using State resources, especially taxpayers’ money, to fund themselves to canvas the country, village to village, in the pretext of selling the proposed constitution yet we know that they are laying grounds for 2012. As a matter of fact, in their engagement in the campaign for the new constitution, it would be desirable that they abstain from employing the politics of power play where opposing sides compete to show their might. It is this politics of power play that created the ‘No camp’, that wobbles some politicians between ‘Yes and No’ and also gags others as a strategy for 2012 election politics.
When we entrusted the coalition government with the task of spearheading reforms, including the constitutional review process, theirs was merely a coordination and custodial role. Coordination of the people through the creation of necessary laws and infrastructure for the people of Kenya to effect reforms that would improve management of their State affairs, and custodial in as far as they are charged with safeguarding Kenyans’ interests. By no means did this mandate charge them with taking over and subverting the larger interests for personal political ambitions.
In order to anchor the constitution making process in the citizenry there must be more concerted effort for ordinary citizenry’s participation and not political elite power play. The political elite may need to know that we are also engaged in the campaigns for ratification of the proposed constitution; however our campaigns employ persuasion not coercion.
Finally, we wish to make the following appeal to our fellow citizens:
Signed for and on behalf of Bunge la Mwananchi,
George Nyongesa +254 720 451 235 +254 720 451 235
&n bsp; &nb sp; |
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