Cabral Pinto
13 November 2009
opinion
I hold no brief for Kenyans whose visas are being revoked by the US government. As they are fellow Kenyans, my plea, though, is that they be not bullied or treated with disrespect. I know where the US government is coming from.
It has supreme military, economic, social and cultural interests in Kenya which, it is convinced, are being jeopardised because of lack of commitment to reforms on the part of the Kenyan leaders. What I find objectionable is when the US displays hypocrisy, perfidy, double standards and cowardice in pushing its reform policy in Kenya.
The front-page headline of the Daily Nation of October 27 wondered: "Is it Amos Wako?" in response to US officials' refusal to name the top-ranking Kenya government official whose US visa had been revoked. The Nation guessed right. Attorney-General Amos Wako has since been served with a notice of visa revocation. And now follows the usual political chorus that the AG should resign because he cannot conduct business.
Kenyans should recall how Mr. Wako Kenyans should recall how Mr Wako was appointed in the first place. The Kanu dictatorship was under international siege on its poor human rights record. And Mr Wako was an internationally acclaimed human rights activist -- a euphemism for one who points a finger at human rights violations in other countries and does criticise and engage with human rights violations in their own backyard.
Our "professor of politics" -- President Moi -- silenced the hypocritical international clamour for the rights of Kenyans by giving us and the foreigners Mr Amos Wako to fix the problem. What happened thereafter is known by all human rights activists the world over.
President Moi enslaved Mr Wako, benefited from his credibility internationally and carried on his human rights abuses. Is there any human rights activist nationally and internationally who is defending Mr Wako?
Are travel bans to the US effective? America needs to establish if the Kenyans whose visas it is revoking actually wish to visit the country. It is possible for these people to conduct business with the US from Kenya or Europe in the modern day and age?
Can the civil servants whose visas have been revoked delegate tasks to other officers? Are the families of the banned people also affected? Who monitors when the US restores the visas or simply allows the officials in the US using immigration officials' discretion at the various points of entry?
Why is the US not thinking of such an action where it can mobilise other countries to ban such people? If America is convinced that travel bans work, why has it not convinced potential superpowers the EU, China, India, Malaysia and Brazil to support them? Are we being treated to illusions of action, while more effective means could be used?
It is hypocritical, perfidious and an exercise in double standards to ban people who head institutions of state on the basis that they have retarded the pace of reform. Why blame Mr Wako for the mess at the state law office, and not the political system and the leadership that have made him an ineffective government official?
Why are President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga not blamed for blocking the advance of reforms? Why is the US individualising and personalising institutional and political problems? Why is Washington not coming forth to say that it has no faith in the current leadership's ability and commitment to carry out reforms?
The US is displaying extreme cowardice in the manner in which it is dealing with the travel bans issue. It wants Kenyans to have the illusion that, at long last, the sole superpower, though declining, can now help effect reforms in Kenya.
If America were targeting all anti-reform forces among the politicians, the entire grand coalition government would not travel to the US. Having fought hard to support the coalition, the US does not want to throw the baby out with bath water.
President Kibaki and Mr Odinga may have the last laugh because it is alleged that they have been involved in schemes to get rid of both Mr Wako and the Chief Justice Evan Gicheru. The media have started speculating on the AG's successor. None of the names being bandied around can even match Mr Wako's smile. What is for sure is that the two coalition principals have a long of list of lawyers who are dying to be enslaved and do the principals' bidding.
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" Why blame Mr Wako for the mess at the state law office, and not the political system and the leadership that have made him an ineffective government official? .."
We can blame him - for both even:
1) He has the powers to effect changes. We contend that he has not shown an inclination nor the drive to use those powers for the good of Kenya. What does he think he is there for?
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2) He cannot claim that he is not allowed to wield the powers that are associated with the position. If he does claim thus, then he wouldn't, in good conscience, hang around lining his deep pockets with a fat 'pay' from the people's tax revenue coffers. [And in a country where over 50% are starving - this is unconscionable.]
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3) He cannot pretend that he did not know what he was getting into when he accepted the appointments - because the political/corruption environment has not improved drastically - even after the 2002 elections. And d efinitely not during his watch.
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4) Whenever changes occurred, and whenever called upon to legitimize the rot, Mr. Wako has been there - with a broad grin - to put his stamp of approval, as needed, on the schemes.
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5) A few years ago, he spent tax-payers' revenues to pay for a stay for many of his dim colleagues at a high-priced hotel at the coast of Kenya - while supposedly drafting a constitution for Kenya. And what did Kenyans get out of it? A sub-standard scribble (- devoid of learning and worldliness -) that starts with praising a jewish 'God'. In Kenya of the Ma'asai and the iTeso and the Somali and waSwahili! The bones of our ancestors Chief Mumia, Chief Lenana, Kimanthi turned in their graves!
And for those Kenyans who ever tried to transact business at the Attorney General's office will agree with me: This man is ineffectual. He is an embecile, a costly dunce.