>From: Sanusi Owens <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list <[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Re: KENYA OPPOSITION, A LESSON FOR THE GAMBIA >Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2002 11:11:57 +0000 > >Folks > >Lets not jump into conclusion and think that we can >learn from the Kenyan Opposition. Whilst, I welcome >the Kenyan People for diching KANU after 40 years in >office, I remain sceptical that this could only happen >not as a result of policies but on who should lead the >KANU party. Don't forget that the likes of Raila >Odinga and many others had one time formed an alliance >with KANU in the hope of contesting this General >Election. > >If there is anything we can learn from NARC then >surely it must be based on how Kibaki was selected as >Presidential Candidate. Remember that the Movement for >Restoration of Democracy in the Gambia did publish a >reference document on forming an alliance for the >entire opposition. If our Opposition parties had taken >notice of that useful document, then surely we would >have been seen the end of Jammeh and the APRC in >power. > >To conclude; I enclose an article which I read from >Sunday's Observer Newspaper,UK; > >Kenya sweeps corrupt ruler out of power > >Opposition hails 'fantastic victory' after peaceful >election > >James Astill in Nairobi >Sunday December 29, 2002 >The Observer > >Kenyans revelled in a day few dared to dream of in >four decades, as the preliminary results yesterday >from Friday's elections suggested a landslide victory >for the opposition, sweeping away many crooks and >cronies of a ruling party that has terrorised and >impoverished them since independence. >With about a fifth of the poll already counted last >night, Mwai Kibaki, a veteran opposition leader and >former Vice-President, had won around 70 per cent of >the votes. Uhuru Kenyatta, the candidate of the >outgoing President Daniel arap Moi's Kanu party and >son of Jomo, Kenya's founding father, had won less >than 30 per cent, offering Kenya the chance of one of >the most peaceful and democratic transitions from 'Big >Man' rule in history. > >'We are cruising to a fantastic and historic victory,' >said Kijana Wamalwa, a key member of Kibaki's National >Rainbow Coalition (NARC). > >'The mood here is very sombre,' said an official at >Nairobi's State House, the centre of a kleptocracy >which has forced some 60 per cent of Kenyans into >wretched poverty. > >Fearing a repeat of the violence that claimed >thousands of lives before previous elections, >Nairobeans barely ventured out over Christmas, except >to vote. But as radio stations broadcast the >unofficial results from polling stations around the >country, small, disbelieving crowds emerged. 'No >violence and no more Kanu, no more Moi - it's too >much, a gift from God,' said Josiah Owade, one of a >group of youths hunkered round a radio. > >After 24 years of misrule, Moi was constitutionally >obliged to step aside. Yet many Kenyans feared that he >planned to rule on through Kenyatta. 'Choosing >Kenyatta was all about self-preservation for the old >man and his family,' said one diplomat in Nairobi >yesterday. 'But the trick hasn't paid off, because >Kenyans wouldn't be fooled.' > >Even more remarkably in a country where every vote has >traditionally had its price, many of Moi's most >notorious cronies lost their seats. They include >Vice-President Musalia Mudavadi; Justice Minister >Julius Sunkuli; Moi's crony-in-chief Shariff Nassir; >and John Haroun Mwau, a Kanu vice-chairman. > >'This is a glorious day for Kenya,' said John Githongo >of Transparency International, the watchdog which >ranks Kenya among the world's most corrupt nations. >'All the evidence suggest Kenyans have taken bribes >across the country, and then voted with their >consciences.' > >At a military parade yesterday morning to mark his >passing, Moi shrugged off the first results. 'That's >democracy,' he said. 'As long as Kenyans are united, I >am satisfied.' At the time, Moi's thuggish son Gideon >- one of the most feared men in Kenya and Kenyatta's >likely choice as Prime Minister - represented Kanu's >only victory. He stood unopposed after opposition >candidates mysteriously withdrew. > >NARC's likely victory took on added significance in >western Kenya where the sun wore a halo on Friday. >Meteorologists said the phenomenon was caused by light >refracting through ice. But the Luo tribe, one of >Kenya's poorest, celebrated it as propitious and more >than 90 per cent of them voted for NARC. > >As Kenya's likely new government, NARC looks only >fairly auspicious. It was formed when many of Moi's >leading cronies deserted Kanu, after being passed over >for Kenyatta. United only by hatred of Moi, it has no >ideology, no concrete policies and could crumble over >the division of spoils. > >With many of Kanu's most violent politicians now in >NARC, Kenyans have been spared the politically stirred >tribal clashes that claimed more than 3,000 lives >before two previous elections. > >On polling day, the threat of rioting lurked in >Nairobi's slums, where NARC's candidate - and likely >Prime Minister - Raila Odinga claimed two million >voters had been disenfranchised (though NARC had >insisted on the regulation that caused this), and >threatened to lead a million-man march on State House. > > >But NARC's campaign was better characterised by >Kibaki, virtually bedbound for the past three weeks >after a car crash. On Friday, the man who promises he >will 'Save Kenya' was so frail he had to cast his vote >from the back of his Mercedes. NARC's campaign was >mostly peaceful, disjointed and lethargic, counting >entirely on the poor's desperation for change. Indeed >it was they - and not Kibaki's slick London PR >consultants - who supplied NARC's real slogan: >'Unbwoggable' - the made-up title of a hit pop song, >meaning 'unstoppable'. > >NARC also boasts Kanu's most accomplished thieves, so >Kibaki's promise to fight corruption rings hollow. Yet >NARC is also introducing a handful of distinguished >activists to politics - notably Wangari Maathai, a >celebrated environmentalist - and, most importantly, >since Moi began constructing his patronage network >Kenya has changed. > >High rates of literacy and an energetic press are >closing many of the tribal divisions Moi abused to >divide opposition. > >The Western donors who allowed Moi's cronies to steal >their loans during the Cold War demand change too. >Kenya's aid was frozen four years ago because of the >corruption. If Kibaki wants the half billion pounds >pending to restart Kenya's shrinking economy, he will >need to offer stiff guarantees. Already he has >promised to pass two anti-corruption Bills. One >ensures that all politicians declare their wealth. > > >HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY > >Sanusi > > > > > >--- Seedy Khan <[log in to unmask]>wrote: > An >opposition leader, Mwai Kibaki has been confirmed > > as the winner of Kenya's > > Presidential elections. > > > > It will be recalled that Kibaki contested the > > elections under the umbrella of > > National Rainbow Coalition, a coalition of about 12 > > political parties. > > > > This is a huge example for the opposition political > > parties in a country(The > > Gambia), where there is no presidential term limits. > > This, indeed, is a great > > historic lesson ought to be emulated from the > > Kenyans. > > > > > > > > In the coming ALD > > > > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > > To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of > > postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface > > at: > > http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html > > To contact the List Management, please send an > > e-mail to: > > [log in to unmask] > > > > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > >__________________________________________________ >Do You Yahoo!? >Everything you'll ever need on one web page >from News and Sport to Email and Music Charts >http://uk.my.yahoo.com > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > >To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface >at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html >To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: >[log in to unmask] > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~