Saturday, January 5, 2008

Attacking one's neighbour is misplaced anger

Story by PHILIP OCHIENG
Publication Date: 1/6/2008

I can understand your anger. But to understand is not to condone. I cannot condone your bid to wreak revenge on the wrong person. Those who have plunged our country into this humanitarian catastrophe — the Electoral Commission of Kenya — have practically admitted it.

But, even without such a mea culpa, all intelligent persons knew that, if anybody criminally interfered with the ECK, it could only be a few individuals with political clout. In short, if there was any vote rip-off, you could not blame it on the Kikuyu, Embu and Meru.

It should be obvious that, in their millions, these so-called Gema people did not – indeed, cannot – sneak into any Government redoubt at night to participate in such a heinous crime.

That is why I say that, if you have personally attacked a Kikuyu or Meru at any urban centre, then you have misdirected your anger. By hitting the wrong target, you have wasted your political energy completely.

If you have killed any Kenyan on account of his ethnic identity with the individuals who may have stolen your votes — if you have burnt his house or looted his shop — you have committed an unspeakable crime against a compatriot who has nothing whatsoever to do with your political agony.

And what you have done is completely futile. For elementary logic tells me that, if the Government is your pet-peeve, then it is against the Government that you should vent your anger using any one of what our newspaper correspondents call “crude weapons”.

For the “mere” fact that you have killed a Kikuyu or two in Kapenguria or looted a Meru shop or two at Kendu Bay will not affect the Government in any way whatsoever. A modicum of intelligence should tell you that your onslaughts on Gema individuals cannot hurt any Government interest.

The incivilities and barbarisms with which you have treated your Gema compatriots at Awendo, Eldama Ravine, Garissa, Homa Bay, Kapsabet, Kericho, Kisii, Koibatek, Lamu, Mbita, Mumias, Ngong, Siaya, Wundanyi and other trading centres has only revealed you as a despicable political Neanderthal.

Exactly what gain — political or otherwise — can a man make by setting fire on a church and killing 50 Kenyan children, cherubs who have no idea as yet what it means to be a Kikuyu or a Luo? What anthropological primitivism is this? How can we tolerate such mind-boggling cruelty in our midst?

On the contrary, at least in the short run, our Neanderthal can succeed only in strengthening the official resolve to do what the Government — any government — knows best, namely, to quell the anarchy with all brawn. And, in the circumstances, no Kenyan of feeling and thought will blame the Government.

Another question of logic. If the interests of the Luo, Luhya, Kalenjin and Mijikenda are what are egging you into taking the law into your own hands, then you are astonishingly blind. For hundreds of thousands of Luo, Luhya, Kalenjin and Mijikenda people live and work in Gemaland.

Provoking Kikuyu

By attacking Kikuyu, Embu and Meru individuals who live and work in Luoland, Ingo, Rift Valley and Mwambao, you may succeed only in provoking the Kikuyu and consanguine communities to take revenge upon the Luo, Luhya, Kalenjin and Mwambao individuals who live in Central Province and the northern parts of Eastern.

In other words, because you have no brain, you — the murderous Luo, Luhya, Kalenjin and Mijikenda hooligans — are unaware that you are gravely endangering the lives of your own kind – many of them relatives – who otherwise have lived peaceful lives among the communities whom you demonise with such alacrity.

But I repeat that, as communities, the Kikuyu, Embu and Meru can never wrong you. What can wrong you are only individuals among them. These include the individuals whom you now suspect to have robbed you of your votes and denied you your sacred political rights.

These are the ones against whom all Kenyans — including all Gema individuals of thought and feeling — ought to put to task. I have no idea how to do it. How do we get out of the imbroglio into which the ECK has thrown this country? How do we salve the tribal nerves frayed by the selfishness of the political class?

Perhaps you can begin by asking yourself why you have allowed the self-pursuits of politicians to incense you into going for one another’s throats as members of tribes. Why have you allowed politicians to caress your lowest tribal sentiments and thus vitiate all the efforts you have been making to build yourselves into a single nation?

Why have you allowed politicians to fill you with such mutual ethnic hatred from which only the politicians — and not you individually or collectively — can gain anything? Why this misplaced anger?

http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=25&newsid=114028

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Advice to Those Who Have Intensions to CLEANSE KENYA Off the “KIKUYU”

GEMA Communities Will NOT Continue to be Slaughtered at Will Like Chicken

WE ARE NOT YOUR CHICKEN TO SLAUGHTER AT WILL.

It has now become fashion that anybody with a problem with the Government, has a political score to settle, losses a football match or even cannot pass wind finds relief through KILLING the nearest Kikuyu, BURNING our homes, LOOTING and DESTROYING our businesses and property, RAPING our mothers and daughters and MAIMING our children.

This has gone on every 5 years from 1992 ( Kikuyus should lie low like an envelope was the call by one William Ntimama) and up until today our brothers and sisters have been denied their right to occupy land that they rightfully own and still live as refugees in their own country. The killing of GEMA community has continued and is now a 5 YEARLY RITUAL. It has now even been baptized ETHNIC CLEANSING by the Press and the Political Class.

This has gone on because those that kill, rape, maim our people or burn, loot or destroy our property wake up the following day and go on with their lives as if killing a Kikuyu is the next NORMAL thing to do.

It has continued because those doing the killings, rapes, maiming or destruction of property have not faced any CONSEQUENCES for perpetrating their crimes.

They kill us and get away with it. They kill us again and get away with it. They rape our mothers and daughters and get away with it. They maim our children and get away with it. They burn our homes and get away with it. They loot and destroy our businesses and get away with it. After all it was just another Kikuyu.

We wish to state the following

1. We are Kenyans with rights like every other Kenyan

2. Whatever we own has been acquired through blood and sweat

3. We have a right to live and rightfully own property in any part of Kenya

4. We have a right to guaranteed security by the Government

5. We have a right to protect our children and Property

6. We are our brother’s keepers.

Our PATIENCE, CALM and BELIEF IN THE RULE OF LAW have been taken as WEAKNESS. Our brothers and sisters get killed and we wait for the law to take its cause. Our mothers and daughters get raped and we wait for the law to take its cause. Our children get maimed and we wait for the law to take its cause. We lose property and keep quiet about it. We sleep in makeshift houses and plastic tents in refugee camps because our homes have been burnt down by our well known neighbors and our legally acquired land has been occupied by others. We get insulted publicly and keep quiet about it.

Our patience, calm and belief in the rule of law seem not to have paid dividends. This situation cannot and will NOT be allowed to continue. Our people will not be killed at will again. Our mothers and daughters will not be raped with impunity again. Our children will not be maimed mercilessly again. Our property will not be burned down or looted with impunity again. We will not continue to be refugees in our own country. We will not be CLEANSED. We have no apologies to make for having been born GEMA. We are proud to be Kenyans who are Gikuyu, Embu, Meru or Akamba.

Henceforth, there will be CONSEQUENCIES.

We know those who commit these crimes because they are our neighbors. We work together. We went to school together. We worship in the same Churches. We drink in the same Pubs. We belong to the same Golf Clubs. We travel in the same bus. We draw water from the same river.

We know where YOUR MOTHERS, BROTHERS, SISTERS, DAUGHTERS and CHILDREN work or live. We know where YOU own property. We know that YOU too, CAN BLEED.

If YOU have read history and follow current affairs YOU know just how violent and ruthless we are capable of becoming. YOU know that high walls, fierce dogs and guns in Lavington cannot stop us from getting to YOU and YOUR RELATIVES. You know that we took an OATH during the MAU MAU, in 1969 and as recent as last year to protect freedom. You know just how DETERMINED, RESILIENT and THOROUGH we can be.

DO NOT PUSH US ANY FURTHER.

We have lived PEACEFULLY as neighbours for decades. We have been family friends for years. Your son has married my daughter, and mine yours. We derive great joy from our grand and great grandchildren. We have depended on each other for generations. We have done profitable business together as partners for years. Our COLLECTIVE hard work has built Kenya . We have no wish to destroy this GREAT NATION.

We are therefore advising you to look for the RIGHT PLACES to vent your anger. To look for the RIGHT AVENUES to air your grievances. To reach out to or create the RIGHT FORUMS to correct any perceived historical misdeeds. To look for OTHER WAYS TO SETTLE YOUR POLITICAL SCORES. But whatever you do, NOT through killing our people.

Our people are not your chicken for you to slaughter at will

By Kenyans who love their Country dearly, 6th January, 2008