August 31, 2010
TONGUE OUT? SWEET WORDS PLEASE!
By Wambui Gachari
Watching the promulgation of the new constitution was a breathtaking sight. It was history unfolding before our very eyes, and for those of us not born before 1964, this was the most glorious moment we have seen in our lifetime. I am thankful for being old enough to understand its meaning and its implication to the life of the ordinary Kenyan. Brand new change, change for the better, bringing hope to each Kenyan. Expectant hearts watched and will continue to do so, in the hope of seeing progress in the rebirth of our nation.
The ceremony went on with only a few hitches. First, there was the commentator using language such as “the president waving the constitution” as opposed to showing the document to the citizens of the esteemed country. Next came the microphones that would not work as the team of musicians belted out their best tune in honor of the auspicious occasion. But the blunder of the day, which seems to have overshadowed the novelty of the occasion, was the presence of the Sudanese president, Omar al-Bashir.
His secretive entry into the country left many human rights organizations baffled. How did he manage to make it to the ceremony, having only a few top government officials in the know? And why the secrecy? What happened to Kiir representing Sudan?
Bashir was indicted by the ICC in 2008 for war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur. Kenya, being a signatory to the Rome statute has a legal obligation to have him under arrest should he step foot on our second republican soil. Furthermore, the government had better cooperate with the Hague, as it already has a case currently under investigation. What sort of message are they trying to pass to the top organization instituted for crimes against humanity and genocide trials?
Representing the country, the minister for foreign affairs, Moses Wetangula, had a few unintelligent comments to make. It makes me wonder what has become of our ministers. We simply cannot trust them to make sense out of a mess they have fashioned.
Wetangula was unapologetic, excusing Kenya, saying that we cannot afford to embarrass a state guest; as that would go against African traditions. He should know that the country’s reputation is at stake here and hiding behind our traditions does not make the situation any better. We should put the good of the country first as well as those of our fellow human beings who suffered in Darfur. It makes us look like modus operandi does not exist in our vocabulary. The action simply violates what the ICC treaty set out to accomplish.
He went further to say that Bashir is not responsible for the post election violence and therefore there should be no problem in his presence in the country. He was not the mastermind of the chaos of 2007/2008, and his arrest is uncalled for. Has he forgotten that we are talking of over 300,000 people killed in Darfur, leaving 2.7 million displaced? Has he forgotten that Bashir was the brain behind it? Its situation is very much like our post election aftermath, in fact worse.
Had the minister followed protocol and arrested him, perhaps the Hague would have had a soft spot for those implicated as having orchestrated the post election violence. But that option has been calmly thrown out of the window by our highly educated minister.
Vile tuna feel 