The Right to Protest Peacefully Not Violently Protests and demonstrations are a fundamental right of every Kenyan- young and old, rich or poor. But that right must also be exercised with care and in considerations of other laws and rights. It must not affect especially peoples and national economics. I always take part in protests and demonstrations and we have many many many of them here in Canada. But you will never hear of any property having been damaged. Life goes on as usual. Sometimes we meet our goals sometimes we fail. The First Nations of Canada have been pushing for Self-determination, sovereignty, and land rights for centuries but that has not been granted. They are using courts, administrative/political machinery, protests, petitions, United Nations, Organization of American States (OAS), etc. These have very painful grievances a millions times worse than what Cord is talking about (e.g.-historical land injustices) yet they have resolved to go the way of peace and non-destructive mechanisms. They have allowed Canadian economy to go uninterrupted, expand and the economy actually supports their cause. In Kenya, protests and demonstrations are in most cases violent. That is why embassies are calling Cord and Raila to tone down (remember similar warnings to president gbagbo of ivory coast?). I have heard a few people talking about a sabasaba revolution, chaos and such like. I have received phone calls of people scared of their lives and frightened. I feel driven to mention a few facts for those who have such thoughts: A revolution is not a one-time-off/short time affair. It can run for years. once the flares starts, its hard to put them off. revolutions in most cases end up in civil wars and a very divided society if not fragmented for ever. its sweeps even those who started it-killing them, their families and loved ones too. although mobutu was removed from power by Kabila, he Kabila did not live long thereafter, the sword cut his throat one day as he sat in Congos State House mansion. Since Mobutus violent ouster, and since 2003, 5.4 million congolese have been killed in a war that has destroyed that natural resource nation. if congo was stable, it would be richer than Australia, France, Netherlands, Italy etc. 90% of congolese will be owning mansions, cars, and thousands will be having personal aeroplanes, etc. But today over 4million congolese are refugees, 99% live in shacks, and cannot afford a decent meal. Death toll of other attempted revolutions: Russian Revolutions- 20m in 1905-1940s-DEAD; 30 Years European civil war -11.5million-DEAD; German Holocaust-17million-DEAD; Nigeria-1967-71- 3million -DEAD and still counts; sudan (which Cord cited recently-ukiona jirani akinyolewa....) over 4million-DEAD; Korea- 4.5m-DEAD; Banglandesh 3million-DEAD etc, etc-of course we are all aware of Rwanda, Somali, uganda, chad, ghana, syria, eritrea, iraq, etc (if we truly take and remember lessons?). In addition to this death tolls, everything else is disrupted. Libya today lies in ruins. The NTC leadership (the Cord equivalent in Kenya) is no more and warlords are fighting it out. The Central African Republic (CAR) currently is in turmoil with deaths and refugees mounting each day. so those talking of revolutions to change gava may as well check these facts before acting. kenya may be in fire everywhere- be they cord or jubilee regions. millions of nyanza people will be fleeing across to TZ and Uganda, west Kenya people will flee to uganda and sudan. some coast people may cross over to TZ. am unsure where eastern/north easterners will get to because somalia fires are more fierce. the lawlessness that will ensue will wipe out any factories, farmlands, supermarkets, and marauding gangs will roam the countryside and towns with a destructive hand of a brutal nature that will spare no one. revenge forces may seek to avenge their anger on cord leadership who may never survive the purge even if they resort to arming their informal supporters. many warlords will emerge-imagine each of those leaders in various parties [cord, jubilee, amani, etc] each becoming a war lord in his own home turf. even if these leaders survive the international long arm of law will catch up with them. the utterance that have been made by some of our leaders - in cord and jubilee- are infact sufficient to convict then in ICC. Just watch those statements (by cord and jubilee...eg-kuna wanaume wengine, tuko tayari to die, etc) and compare to Gaddafi speech just as when NTC were organizing the rebellion. that gaddafi speech formed a key element of ICC evidence. he then preferred death than being taken to custody by ICC. presidents gaddafi, hissene, etc tried to flee to their strongholds but all was in vain. our leaders- perhaps-turned the new war lords may decide to hide deep among their tribesmen -deep in chyulu hills, aberdares, mt. elgon caves, muhoroni, etc, but they will be caught up. Mladics, karadics, etc hid for eleven years among their serbian tribesmen, but Hague eventually caught up with them. Once the UN Security Council passes a resolution- the entire cord and jubilee leadership will be on their way to ICC. It may be a very bad and sobre ending for some of our STAR and valued politicians that we have so much admired like RAO, Orengo, etc. others that may be in the same Hague bound ICC chartered flight could include-kalonzo, wetangula, muthama, kamanda, kamau,etc. And by way of facts, once the international justice system begins, stopping it is near impossible because there the rule of law and every rule, coma, exclamation mark, sentence, etc are sacred. That is how Slobodan Milosevik ended. Nigeria, AU, etc were unable to protect Charles Taylor. President Gbagbo of Ivory coast and his wife Simone are rotting away in an ICC cell- they refused to listen to repeated requests from the UN Secretary General, France, USA, etc to avoid a bloodpath route. Cord, Jubilee and anyone agitating for acts that may end up with violence must trend that path very careful - for the end may be a very bitter pill- under national laws, international law-ICC; or law of the jungle via marauding gangs who may take the law in their own hands as a power vacuum/tussle ensues.
Posted on: Sun, 06 Jul 2014 13:37:44 +0000
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