Two weeks ago, I was privileged to visit Malaysia, not for the first time.
At our independence, Malaysia had a lesser Gross Domestic Product and per capita income than Kenya. Story has it that at one point, President Jomo Kenyatta actually gave adonation of five million US Dollars to Malaysia in the 60s.
Today, Malaysia is no longer a third world country with phenomenon developmental achievement, sound economic management and extremely admirable management of the ethnic diversity in the country, thanks to Dr Mahathir Mohamed who as Prime Minister constitutionalised and institutionalised a policy where no ethnic grouping occupies more than its demographic percentage equivalent in national appointments. I hope that one day our country will constitutionalise and institutionalise a similar policy.
On September 10, 2014, the National Assembly convened a special sitting to approve nomination for appointments of some constitutional office holders.
If the honourable members in the National Assembly had adhered to the letter and spirit of the constitution and all other enabling laws, that list of proposed appointments would have been marked RTS (Return to Sender).
For a start, the list is completely flawed in terms of ethnic and gender balance. More than half of the nominees are from the communities of the President and his Deputy. The rest of the remaining 40 communities of Kenya are left to share less than 50 per cent of the opportunities.
I am not in this regard questioning the competence of the appointees though I have many reasons to do so.
Let us, for a minute, ask ourselves why the Jubilee regime thinks that Kenya has to be shared between two communities! There is sufficient precedence world over that myopic regimes and leadership that have walked down this dangerous path have led their countries to irredeemable doom.
You don’t need to go far, Somalia is a perfect example, former Yugoslavia, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda and many other examples where those in power become so megalomanic that they forget that there are others out capable of asking questions, demanding for answers and even revolting at this kind of objectionable conduct by the leadership.
Even their ages, association and orientation, the least expectation one would have placed on the Jubilee leadership is this blatant and arrogant behaviour that seems to make them think that their two communities are the Alpha and Omega of our great country. And as if they think Kenyans don’t hear, see and understand, you quite often hear sarcastic and cynical pronouncements from the President and his deputy that they are going to appoint people from all the ethnic communities to state jobs.
This kind of callous and uncaring statements from leaders is quite offensive to say the least.
Our country has suffered, and has been jostled by very traumatic events in the past because of poor management of our diversity. You look at the cabinet composition, security sector, management of the financial sector, high profile appointments in senior state jobs including Principal Secretaries, the composition at the state law office and almost everywhere and you can’t help but ask the same question that Jesus Christ asked, “Why don’t people who have eyes see, why don’t people who have ears hear?” And I dare add why don’t people who have capacity to speak, speak?
I have said many times before, and I want to repeat here for avoidance of doubt that kupinga ukabila siyo ukabila. I have many close friends and association from the communities of the President and his deputy. In fact, some of my greatest supporters and benefactors in my life are from these communities.
I have no difficult whatsoever in pointing out what I'm pointing out herein because many of my friends from the two communities have expressed disgust and anguish at the myopic manner in which Jubilee administration is handling or rather mishandling the managementof our diversity.
And every appointment that Jubilee makes simply raises the bar and takes tribalism in our country a notch higher.
Two or so months ago, I counted the President make four consecutive public appointments from his community. Going back to Malaysia where I started, the country has three major communities: the Malays who are 60 per cent of the population, the Chinese at 20 per cent, Indians at 10 per cent and others. In this great country, a community cannot occupy public appointment slots that exceed their percentage share of national demographic profile.
So if your share of population of Kenya is 20 per cent, you cannot enjoy 40 to 50 per cent of all public appointments as is happening now. And if your share is five per cent, your expectations should be equally no more or less.
This approach will give a sense of security, belonging, ownership and comfort to every community in our country. It will enhance and strengthen our patriotism and eliminate unnecessary and unhelpful pressure that may be out on leaders in office to do what Jubilee leaders are doing.
I would hate to see a situation where we are seeing in other countries like France,Pakistan, Senegal, Thailand and so on where heads of state upon completion of their terms spend the rest of their lives in court battles trying to fend off this or that accusation and indictments born out of their conduct while in office.
Indeed, many African leaders have fled their countries and died in misery out there because of exactly this kind of conduct.
What I don’t understand is why even well-educated young people fail to learn from the follies of history. As the good old saying goes, “those who fail to learn from history run the risk of repeating it”.
And with changed time, the repeat of this unpalatable history will always have unpalatable consequences.
My brothers in Jubilee, for a moment, remember that when people look at our country and see that literally all over that where the Cabinet Secretary is from the President’s community, the PS is from the Deputy President’s community and vice versa, they get concerned. That they don’t ask questions or speak out does not mean that they can’task questions or speak out.
And that there may come a time when those who may not speak out and ask questions will feel and act beyond questions and concerns. And this can make all of us uncomfortable. It hashappened elsewhere, it can happen here. I pray it does not because it is not a good thing to happen to any country.
And remember that this country doesn’t have landlords and tenants, neither are there Kenyans here by invitation. Everybody is a Kenyan with rights and expectations.
By Moses Wetangula.
The writer is a Coalition for Reforms and Democracy co-principal and the Senate Minority leader.
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