A quirk of fate brought the Grand coalition government to power in the February 2008.The Grand coalition government that it put together, which was able to secure parliamentary majority with the help of other sub-standard better to say below average parties, has shown remarkable lack of cohesiveness with individual Ministers representing the Coalition’ allies running their allotted Ministries like their personal fiefdom. This was a Government totally divorced from the twin principles of collective responsibility and accountability.
The nation is thus burdened with a Prime Minister who is in office but not
in power; and, a Government that is in power but not in authority. This was supposed
to be a Government that would work for the welfare of the common man. As it prepares to exit office after five years, the Government has nothing to show by way of extending a ‘hand’ to the common man.
This Government will be remembered for four things. It was headed by the
weakest Prime Minister the country has ever had and will wish to retain to have. Its reversal or modification of other’s policies has led to a mounting sense of insecurity fuelled by repeated tribal-terrorism attacks,insurgency and separatist violence which together have claimed hundreds of innocent lives. Its gross mismanagement of the economy has caused inflation, job losses and lockouts. And, it has shielded corruption at high places by misusing agencies of the state, namely CID.
The Grand coalition government has tried to whitewash its terrible record on the national security front, especially its abysmal failure to protect citizens from tribal-terrorism, by making cosmetic changes in antiquated laws. This is clearly not enough. It has sought to gloss over the increasing cost of food, with a double digit percentage higher than any other year, and many times more than any other regime, by projecting misleading statistics.
Thousands of people in the unorganised sector have lost their jobs over the past year.Skilled workers are losing their jobs in the organised sector. This is far worse than unemployment because it impoverishes families dependent on assured income and dampens the national spirit.The worst hit are Kenya’s youth, especially those who are looking forward to enter the job market. The grand coalition Government has gifted them with a bleak future.
As for the poor, they feel abandoned by the coalition regime. The much publicized
The constituency development fund has turned out to be as much a flop as all other schemes of the Government. It is a telling comment on the Grand coalition performance that a whopping millions people have been pushed below the poverty line over the past a few years. This is according to a study by the Kenyan Statistical Institute, based on data collated by the National Sample Survey Organisation; the real figure could be much higher.
In rural Kenya, thousands of farmers have committed suicide to escape the
burden of mounting debt and grinding poverty. So many children have been put off schools and they are malnourished They are victims of Government apathy.
An equally damning indictment of the grand coalition regime is galloping
urban poverty. An estimated 48.2 per cent of the population in cities and towns lives in slums, according to ‘Kenya: Urban Poverty Report’, amid squalor, crime, disease and tension.
Such glaring deprivation and denial, such rising numbers of people below the
poverty line, contradict this nation’s aspirations. They are obstacles to Kenya’s emergence as a great power and need to be removed through remedial Government intervention.The stability of the government will help Kenya to prosper. The drift of the grand coalition years has put Kenya in reverse gear. What Kenya needs is a change that will restore the stability which Kenyan desperately needs.
A leader who, immediately upon coming to power, will be able to address the key issues of security and economy. A leader who will resume the employment-generating, prosperity-creating policies of change .Who’s Government will move forward through massive investments in infrastructure projects, by nursing agriculture back to health, and by making credit easily accessible to industry, while ensuring the safety and security of all people from the depredations of tribal-terrorism.
Kenya today faces a severe crisis of leadership. The nation needs a determined
and decisive leader who has the capacity, commitment and conviction to take command
of the situation and lead from the front. The country needs a leader who can restore
Government’s credibility and the people’s confidence in themselves. The polity needs a leader who values consensus over conflict, consultation over confrontation. Then alone can good governance replace the all-round failure of the grand coalition.
Someone with exemplary of visions and visions ,record of service to the nation . A leader of impeccable integrity, who will be one of the chief crusaders for
Democracy. Someone who be able to initiated a powerful debate on cultural nationalism and the true meaning of secularism. Someone who will be able to steer the ship of the nation through difficult waters.
Someone who will stand for contesting the 2012 election on a Manifesto that
commits the party to an agenda for change guided by three goals: good
governance, development and security. Who’s focus will be on the nation’s
youth, on addressing their concerns and helping them achieve their aspirations. Who will lay emphasis on empowerment through excellence by providing quality education. Who will ensure the security of life and property. Reviving the economy, re-orienting it towards agriculture, rural development, and unorganised and informal sectors; creating adequate employment opportunities for the youth; pushing back the price line; and,investing heavily in infrastructure projects should be at the top of their agenda.
The leader who believes that after five years of drift and missed opportunities, the time has come for a Government that works, a Government that cares. His primary concern should be Kenya’s rapid, inclusive, equitable and all-embracing development and stable growth that benefits the largest number of people. A leader who will invest in rural development; who will ensure higher agricultural productivity and guarantee an assured income to farmers; and, who will protect the livelihood of the masses while creating myriad opportunities of gainful employment. For stability & security Kenya needs a decisive leader.
Thanks!
No comments:
Post a Comment