Macharia Gaitho
16 November 2009
analysis
Nairobi — The draft constitution will be officially unveiled on Tuesday in an atmosphere which does not bode well for its eventual passage through a referendum. The Committee of Experts delayed publication of the draft by a week as it sought the endorsement of the main political forces.
However, the Cabinet retreat in Mombasa over the weekend managed only to expose the fault lines on one of the key contentious issues -- who between the President and Prime Minister will wield executive authority.
Labelled as the "harmonised" draft constitution, the new document strives to find the middle ground between the positions taken by President Kibaki's PNU and Prime Minister Raila Odinga's ODM in submissions made to the Committee of Experts, positions that roughly reflected the 2005 referendum divide between the Banana (Kilifi Draft) and Orange (Bomas Draft) camps.
On the sticky issue of executive authority, the new draft leans to the Orange proposals for a Prime Minister elected by Parliament to wield executive authority as head of Government; while the President must still get a popular mandate but is relegated to a ceremonial Head of State.
Although little attention has been paid to most other contentious issue, including the proposals on devolution which clearly needs more thought, any replay of the 2005 divide even on the single issue of the Executive has the potential to spell doom for the new constitution.
In 2005, it was not so much the finer points of the draft presented for the referendum that mattered, but merely the political showdown between the Kibaki and Odinga wings of Government. After losing at the referendum, President Kibaki dropped Mr Odinga and the then NDP ministers, dissolving the coalition of the day.
The two sides came together in another coalition in the aftermath of the disputed 2007 elections, but this time under a formal legal structure with Mr Odinga as the Prime Minister.
At this stage the differences over the new constitution have not taken on the intensity of 2005, but if they are played up then there is the threat of history repeating itself. It was the divide of 2005 that manifested itself with such devastating effect with the 2007 elections.
It was in turn the post-election violence that forced the forced marriage of a power-sharing agreement and fresh resolve to carry through the reform process, including the search for a new constitution.
But politicians do not easily learn from history. Once again the daft constitution is not being debated on its own merit, but as if were drafted for a perpetual President Kibaki and a perpetual Prime Minister Odinga.
It was evident in Mombasa and elsewhere that PNU politicians, rooting for retention of an executive president were reacting as if the new proposals were designed to take power away from President Kibaki or whoever from their side might succeed him.
Those from ODM supporting transfer of executive power to a PM seemed to be under the impression that they were defending an office specifically created for Mr Odinga.
Until such misplaced attitudes are discarded, a compromise might be impossible and the elusive search for a new constitution might once again fall victim to the constant struggles for power.
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Ethiopia : Japan & Ethiopia Sign Agreement For Water Development
QUESTIONS :
What’s In This For Japan ? What’s In This For Ethiopia ?
Will Ethiopia Be In Control Of Its Resources ?
Beware of the Global Organizations that want to control your everyday lives. In the
1970s America’s farmers made the mistake of taking welfare (subsidies, loans, etc..)
from their bankers. Now only a few farmers are left. Americans rarely grow their own
food. Africans can learn from the mistakes of others. Develop local coops between
growers, sellers and buyers. Never give up your sovereignty to anyone.
Jesus Christ said Take precautions against being deceived or trick. (paraphrased from
Matthew 24).
WHO WE ARE ON THE WORLD’S STAGE.
1) Each African country is like a separate neighborhood in the world community. And each African country is responsible for running their own neighborhood.
2) Each State within those African neighborhoods (countries) are like houses in their own African neighborhood (country). And each of these States within their unique African neighborhood is responsible for their house in their African neighborhood.
3) Each city within their unique African state’s House is like a family living in their area of their African state House.
4) Each individual person living in their city is a cell of the Body of Adam ; with a free will and a unique purpose that only that person can fulfill. The contest isn’t won by the fast or strong, but those who never quit will win. Those who take a chance to win, when they have the opportunity to win, will win !!! The contest isn’t won by the fast or strong, but those who never quit will win. Those who take a chance to win, when they have the opportunity to win, will win !!!
CONCLUSION
a) Each of us are responsible for our own lives.
b) Yet each of us are cells in the Body of Adam . Each of us cells are going through a stage of existence where we will either develop into fruitful cells that reproduce . Or we will become diseased cells that will feed on and corrupt the healthy part of the Body. That is why it’s important for us to also be team players ; for the Body’s sake. * When we pray we say OUR FATHER…. Not my Father…GIVE US..not give me.
c) Governments are like organs & systems of the body. Managing the teams of the Body. God the Creator of All is the Architect and Designer of All that is . He alone knows how to run the Government. Isaiah 9:6 “…The GOVERNMENT shall be on HIS (Jesus Christ) shoulders , not man .
d) Man has tried and tried to play God. The most famous instance was when Nimrod and all the inhabitants of the earth tried to build a tower (The Tower of Babylon) to Heaven – see Genesis 10. Africa is no stranger to being used to bring the world together as one. Remember “We Are The World “ ?
e) Governments are under God’s direction. We who are God’s children should follow his guidance. Any governments that exist today and / or movements should be under God’s guidance.
f) People maintain your freedom and don’t give them an inch , ever!!!! Don’t forget Achebe’s book "Things Fall Apart " .
• First the Pastors Came
• Then The Commissioners Came
• Then The Governor & The Troops Came And The People Paid These Outsiders
Taxes On Their Own Lands
• Next Many People Were Forced Off Their Lands ; While Persons Like Cecil Rhodes, (AND) Businesses like DeBeers got filthy rich from robbing us of our wealth.
• And all of these African Tragedies didn’t even mention the Slave Trade that has weakened Africa to this day.
g) Achebe’s book is at work again .
• The pastors of agricultural commodities are disguised as things like Private Enterprises. Many individual African countries may have Private Enterprises NOW.
• WHAT ARE THEIR FUTURE PLANS ?
• In Achebe’s book after the pastors , came the commissioners. The agricultural commodities commissioners could be the New Laws & Regulations designed to condition the people depend on others instead of their own God-given talent .
• The ultimate goal of evil is to trick righteous people into being evil. This is done by either fear, lust, or pride temptations. Evil attempts to get righteous people to get rid of their conscious. Some have sold their souls. Please pray for our leaders and each other.
* Zimbabwe: WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ....CONTROLS !!! THE WATER
ZIMBABWE and other countries should control their own resources. One thing I like about President Mugabe is that he is not allowing that colonialism to continue in Zimbabwe.
1) Do you Africans remember people like Cecil Rhodes ?
Rhodesia was what Zimbabwe was called.
2) How about that bloody absentee demon-directed King Leopold II ?
" King Leopold's Ghost " (1998) Adam Hochschild - this book is very informative and enlightening about a wide spectrum of historical views of what the Congo and other oppressed lands are and have gone through.
The Swine Flu Vaccination Hoax - Explained URL – [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbFxV_C8Yw4 ]
[Check Out :
3) Who Brought The Slaves To America ? URL = [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuzhnKy63io ] Or [http://wideeyecinema.com/?p=911]
WAKE UP !!! STAY UP !!!
[ libradio.net ]
[http://www.infowars.com/infowars.asx]
[gcnlive.com]
Life Is A Game. Have Fun . Luke 18:17 - Isaiah 11:6
The draft constitution should be changed pertaining the issues of the selection of the prime minister.The prime minister should be directly elected by the public and not the members of parliament.In addition the president and the prime minister should have equal powers.
The error for imperial president is gone, this is the system which promoted dictatorship, impunity and corruption since independence but Kenyans has woken-up to oppose any form of such like systems and to support the devolved power system which is composed in the harmonized draft, i urge Kenyans to read and understand the whole document the same way i have done it and pass a positive verdict on it.
To all my fellow country men i.e Kenyaans I urge you all to wake up and stop listening to misleading utterances from our MPs who have really gone into tribal cocoons at their own benefit.The time is now for us to give ouselves a new constitution.Lets do not support our fellow MPs but vote for the new constitution which will end the 40yrs of impunity.No single leader will save Kenya except a good constitution which will ensure equal distribution of resources irrespective of your tribe.Kenya has become a countey of who do you know and what do you have.If your father was poor you become poorer no matter how hard you work.
DANIEL ODERO ODINYA JARAGENGNI.
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Active Discussions: Kenyan Lawmakers Propose New Constitution