Friday, January 4, 2008

Politics takes many forms

I can only pray that the events in Kenya come to a peaceful and just resolution soon. In the mean time, some of the stories of blatant corruption are shocking. I wish the world were more loud and resolute in its responses. From the allafrica.com news site(http://allafrica.com/stories/200801030754.html)

-- Meantime, The New York Times reported that, "The European Union said its observers in one constituency last week witnessed election officials announce that President Kibaki had won 50,145 votes, but on Sunday the election commission boosted those same results to 75,261 votes."

Furthermore, ECK admitted that in a constituency with 70,000 registered voters, Mr. Kibaki received 125,000 votes; in another, the tally changed at the last moment to add 60,000 to his score.

So one is left wondering where Mwai Kibaki gets the audacity to place his hand on the Holy Bible and swear-in as President of Kenya.

In an article aptly titled 'Cheated of Change,' The Times of London states, "The verdict of Kenya's voters is unmistakably clear. They have turned out in force to vote for deep reform of a political system that, although democratic by comparison with much of Africa, is deeply scarred by corruption and dominated by a pampered, self-perpetuating political elite...Seldom has an African election so clearly reflected public determination to 'sling the bastards out'. President Kibaki's government and his opportunistically revamped alliance of the political old guard have been dismissed by the electorate."