Kenya has just been chosen by the US as a “non-NATO ally” – the first in Sub Saharan Africa!! Now, this is quite an honour, and should give us hope that we, too, can emerge from our divisiveness and become respected in the world! We and Kenya both got or independence around the same time – and faced similar challenges.
It’s a kind of evolution, innit? Reacting to similar conditions leads to similar societies in all their manifestations. While you may think that we’re unique with our “land of six peoples”, each of the colonised African countries had at least dozens of tribes. But they were forced to think of themselves as a “nation” – just because some European rulers arbitrarily drew lines across Africa and declared pieces of real estate “countries”!!
Like us, they were states, but not nations, and had to deal with all the contradictions for over sixty years.
Kenya is the powerhouse of East Africa – as we’re becoming in the Caribbean. It has some 47 tribes, but three are major – like us!! So, democratic elections forced politicians to use the cleavages to mobilise votes – and their parties became dominated by tribal – what we’d call “ethnic” – divisions. Like us, after a long period of one-party, “big man” rule, they’ve been struggling to bring their politics into a more peaceful mode. After their 2007 elections — which were disputed, and more than 1200 persons died in clashes between the competing parties — they made some radical constitutional changes. Among other things, these forced cooperation between the parties, and also introduced some strict rules on the electoral machinery, to ensure transparency in the counting of votes. Sounds familiar??
But no matter how you change the rules, it’s up to the politicians to follow those rules, ain’t it?? And that’s where the problem lies. In Kenya, two of the oldest political competitors in the struggle for independence were Jomo Kenyatta and Oginga Odinga – and they represented two of the major tribes. It was their supporters, led by their sons, Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga, who created the mayhem in 2007. But after the 2017 elections – which Kenyatta’s party won – he fell out with his deputy, William Ruto, and brought in his old rival Odinga!!
Now, you’d think that this is a good thing, no? Sorta like Ali bringing in Norton and kicking out Phillips!! But it was a coalition of the old politics, which was intended to continue with the corruption that had plagued Kenya. So, in 2022, Ruto had to run on his own, and he billed the election as “the dynasties” versus the “hustlers” – with him “hustling”, like most Kenyans!!
He won the elections, and has governed peacefully by reaching across the divide!!
Sounds familiar??
…in Suriname?
Some (well meaning) Guyanese think that if our two competing parties — which go back to our independence struggle, like in Kenya — were to come together, all our troubles would be over!!! That’s a thought that’s gained traction over the years – and has been tried in several other divided societies. But what unfolded in Kenya isn’t unique; and, in fact, becomes the rule: two man-crab can’t live in the same hole: it’s like putting two big cats to guard the milk!! The corruption increases exponentially!!
Isn’t this what happened next-door in Suriname also?? Why’d you think they’re bankrupt, in the hands of the IMF, and their citizens are marching in the streets?? For years, their coalition governments have had to hire supporters in such numbers that practically the entire country’s on the government’s payroll!! Ain’t no way to run a country!!
And so, let Kenya, and Suriname, and so many other places that tried this “Executive Power sharing”, be object lessons for us!!
Ain’t no quick fixes.
…in politics?
As the PNC Congress approaches, things are heating up!! We have one charge that the Leader summarily dismissed the North American region executives and installed his friends. Then there’s the case of the missing CPU!! What next??
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