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Factional bickering within NARC is hurting the country
Statement of the Kenyan Community Abroad
Released: Tuesday, June 08, 2004
There is no doubt in our minds as Kenyans that the factional discord
within the ruling NARC coalition has reached its acme, unfortunately
at the expense of the entire country's well-being.
We have noted with great consternation the priority this Parliament,
the Government and the opposition have placed on factional politicking
at the expense of all else. The constant tag-of-war, especially between the NAK and LDP factions of the ruling coalition, is draining
on the Government and the country, rendering the Government ineffective or non-operational. It is especially embarrassing to see
cabinet colleagues engage in public bickering over petty, inconsequential or peripheral factional matters while major national
issues go unattended. The goodwill, internal and external, that welcomed the new government into office has all but diminished and
investors are beginning to wonder if Kenya is really worthy their
investment. It appears that various political factions only agree when
it comes to looting the country, as in legislating outrageous pay hikes and allowances for MPs. We have not forgotten the
MP`s successful blackmailing of the Minister for Finance, threatening not
to vote for a bill for funding free universal primary education, one
of their own campaign promises, unless the Minister first authorized
payment of millions of shillings in car allowance for each MP.
It is very demoralizing to see that after months of hard work, billions of shillings, and even after the ruling coalition itself
promised Kenyans a new constitution within 100 days of coming to power, and after Kenyans agreed on a draft constitution, the draft is
still the subject of factional contention at the Parliament level.
This clearly indicates that MPs are not interested in a constitution
that will serve Kenyans for posterity, but rather one that will serve
their parochial short-term factional interests.
We would like to appeal to our political leaders to put the long-term
interests of the country before their short-term ones. Leaders should
promote compromise and consensus building among contending parties for
the benefit of the country. We would especially like to encourage our
leaders to focus on rebuilding the country now and wait for 2007 after
Parliament has been formally dissolved to embark on political jostling
and campaigning. Constant squabbling is scaring investors away and
this will seriously encumber our efforts at economic recovery. Perennial politicking is going to be the painful consequence of
commercializing our politics by having MPs award themselves outrageous
salaries and allowances.
Angaluki Muaka
Secretary, KCA
The Kenyan Community Abroad (KCA)
Web: http://www.kenyansabroad.org
E-mail: secretary@kenyansabroad.org
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