WAR AGAINST GRAFT IS NOT DIVERSIONARY.

Dear Sir/Madam,

The PM`s directive to suspend Ministers implicated in graft and the resultant, dickering and dithering across the political divide has revealed a stunning inability of the Grand Coalition Government in combating graft in the country. It is crystal clear that politicians are bent on misrepresenting facts to score political points. With this in mind, political responsibility so to speak; has become a phantasm. Instead, politically motivated flak and unfounded fear mongering have officially become the main planks on the political platform.

Take for instance, those who are currently harping on the ill conceived notion that any efforts at fighting graft at this point in time, is a diversionary tactic aimed at stalling the constitution making process. Such incendiary remarks must be treated with the contempt they deserve. It would be absurd for anyone to imagine that the country must take a sabbatical leave from justice, law and order to allow the constitution making process to reach its logical conclusion. If this thinking was allowed to take precedence then it would mean that the country turns a blind eye to all forms of crime at all the levels in the society. It would be akin to saying that in the spirit of constitution making; we open all the gates of our prison and let out all criminals.

Still others have found it extremely difficult to make an official pronouncement over their personal or party position with regard to the fight against corruption perhaps with a view to eschewing the resultant short term political consequences were they to boldly denounce the influential corrupt. At such surreal moments, it is even more astounding to hear some political analysts and mavericks consider such admissions of cowardice as evidence of political astuteness. This kind of intellectual dishonesty is unfortunate and only serves to put our country in the imminent danger of becoming a failed state.

Many have also opined that none among our current crop of leaders has the moral authority to fight graft. Like Ronald Reagan who believed that the great American recession was too big to take care of itself, so are many our leaders today. They think that graft is too big for anyone to stand on its way. Unfortunately, we would be willing victims of their political chicanery were we to allow them to coerce us into accepting that this fight is insurmountable. It is not. We must not therefore allow them to suck us into their overwhelming diatribe.

Instead, we must insist that politicians across the political divide and especially the President and the Prime Minister, must strengthen the bond of trust between themselves and the Kenyan people by having the courage to tell hard truths and make hard decisions beneficial to Kenyans from all walks of life irrespective of the short term political consequences.

The mark of true leadership does not entail the ability to hurl accusations and counter accusations at each other with overwhelming rhetoric, rather, it lies in the ability to articulate clear goals and consistently hold to such goals without fear nor favor. We must never allow our leader to fall short of these two requirements. The means to our socio-political and economic success is clearly in our ability to forever pursue sustainable solutions to fighting graft.

TOME FRANCIS,
BUMULA.
http://twitter.com/tomefrancis