TREAD SOFTLY...
Revolutions eat their own children. Governments eat their own people!" Those are the very words of Siaya Senator James Orengo on the floor of the senate on the 19th day of July 2016 during the electoral laws debate. His sentiments were directed at the Jubilee legislators who were defending their party to their last. Over time, the truism of Orengo's allegation has become apparent beyond reasonable doubt. Let me tell you why.
I will draw my analogy from George Orwell's allegorical novel-The Animal farm - in synopsis.
Old Major, a senile pig of the Manor Farm in the suburbs of England, alleges to have had a very satirical yet important dream. Duly, he summons all the animals of the farm to a prompt meeting to narrate unto them the worthwhile vision and its claimed significance. All the animals thus assemble in the barn and ready themselves for Old Major's speech.
Old Major sets the ball rolling by stating that for so long, man has mistreated them - the animals of the farm. He furthers his speech by claiming that man is the only living thing that feeds without significant production. Summed up, he concludes by saying that the tribulations of all animals can be rounded up in a single word;man. He thus proceeds to lay bare before all the assemblers his dream which he says, must come to pass. He envisages a country where man will be subdued and subjugated by beasts. He sees an England where all farms will be ruled by animals of their kind. Where animosity shall cease to exist among the animals, where beasts shall trod the land freely without fear of the whip from their crude masters and above all, he dreams of a time when all beasts of land shall be regarded with equal rights - no beast shall be master upon the other.
(A good dream I must acknowledge.)
Old Major concludes his speech and in context, he beseeches the animals of the farm to revolt against man. Sadly for him, he lives not so long to see his dream become a reality, for a few moons later after making the landmark revelation, he succumbs to death in his sleep.
The revolution took place successfully and the animals of the farm are left to their devices. For the first few days of their new found freedom, they work, eat and coexist harmoniously without acrimony. They further their success by coining seven rules that would eternally guide them in their stay in the farm. Summed up, the rules forbade them from inheriting any of the traits of man;good or bad.
Subsequently, the pigs were unanimously accorded leadership of the farm owing to their undisputable intelligence. But later in the novel, it is revealed that two of the pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, have the upper hand over the rest. Distinctive though, the two never read from the same script in matters leadership. In the regular animal debates, it became increasingly apparent that whenever one said this, the other would sternly oppose it, even when it was crystalline that it was for the larger public good.
Snowball was characteristically a shrewd leader. His eloquence in debates and untainted character naturally made him a darling to all. Napoleon on the other hand, was just a naysayer. He couldn't come up with a single working plan. He seldom had supporters save for one sly Squealer; a junior pig who had a particular charm on other animals. Squealer was thus used as a bait to persuade multitudes to Napoleon's side of the widening rift.
Henceforth, Napoleon devised a plan to have Snowball expunged from the farm. Mudslings were thrown at Snowball courtesy of Squealer and Napoleon. They incited other animals against him labeling him a sell-out to man. And subsequently, Snowball was ousted from leadership and archaically expunged from the farm, never to be seen or heard again. It is not known where he sought refuge.
Following that ouster, Napoleon became the undisputable doyen of the farm. As a matter of fact, he added a title to himself- General Napoleon, to probably stamp his authority. In the first month of his reign, he was a fairly good leader. But going forward, he increasingly became authoritarian leaving his subjects' tongues' wagging. The beasts of the farm laboured with much effort but Napoleon only treated them as man would. He elevated the status of fellow pigs and often, would walk around with whips and lash the lesser privileged animals. In the end, it became apparent that Napoleon had collaborated with man and hitherto dampened the dreams of Old Major. Dreams of a liberal England, trod by beasts without fear of the whip. He sabotaged all that. And although George Orwell didn't mention, it is highly probable that history judged him harshly.
Revolutions eat their own children. Governments eat their own people. This was the message of the article. And so as the highly learned Barack Muluka would say, tread softly without haste.
Closer home in Africa, I would draw many sample countries where after successful revolutions, leaders became engulfed with greed and ended up betraying the course of their people. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for instance, after assuming power after the ouster of Milton Obote, has become highly dictatorial shunning the dissenting voices that critique his administration. Bobi Wine, of recent, has been the talk of town after near-death drama with the police who've initiated political witch-hunts against him.
Right here at home, Kenya. After the highly fought for independence, Kenyatta assumed leadership of the country. He was a people's darling until when he became a renown tribalist and land grabber, sorry to say. But to contrast all this drama with Ken Walibora's masterpiece, Kidagaa Kimemwozea, one would not fail to notice that Amani, after ousting the fraudulent Mtemi Nasaba Bora, refused the to take the onus of assuming power. Such like reformists are what the world needs. Reformists with the public interest at heart, not greedy men and women who claim unseen anointment to power.
And so I dare say today to all ye, tread softly with immense care, for the ground is smarted with thorns of all kind.
#Merry_X-Mas
©oiraqaleb esq.
I will draw my analogy from George Orwell's allegorical novel-The Animal farm - in synopsis.
Old Major, a senile pig of the Manor Farm in the suburbs of England, alleges to have had a very satirical yet important dream. Duly, he summons all the animals of the farm to a prompt meeting to narrate unto them the worthwhile vision and its claimed significance. All the animals thus assemble in the barn and ready themselves for Old Major's speech.
Old Major sets the ball rolling by stating that for so long, man has mistreated them - the animals of the farm. He furthers his speech by claiming that man is the only living thing that feeds without significant production. Summed up, he concludes by saying that the tribulations of all animals can be rounded up in a single word;man. He thus proceeds to lay bare before all the assemblers his dream which he says, must come to pass. He envisages a country where man will be subdued and subjugated by beasts. He sees an England where all farms will be ruled by animals of their kind. Where animosity shall cease to exist among the animals, where beasts shall trod the land freely without fear of the whip from their crude masters and above all, he dreams of a time when all beasts of land shall be regarded with equal rights - no beast shall be master upon the other.
(A good dream I must acknowledge.)
Old Major concludes his speech and in context, he beseeches the animals of the farm to revolt against man. Sadly for him, he lives not so long to see his dream become a reality, for a few moons later after making the landmark revelation, he succumbs to death in his sleep.
The revolution took place successfully and the animals of the farm are left to their devices. For the first few days of their new found freedom, they work, eat and coexist harmoniously without acrimony. They further their success by coining seven rules that would eternally guide them in their stay in the farm. Summed up, the rules forbade them from inheriting any of the traits of man;good or bad.
Subsequently, the pigs were unanimously accorded leadership of the farm owing to their undisputable intelligence. But later in the novel, it is revealed that two of the pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, have the upper hand over the rest. Distinctive though, the two never read from the same script in matters leadership. In the regular animal debates, it became increasingly apparent that whenever one said this, the other would sternly oppose it, even when it was crystalline that it was for the larger public good.
Snowball was characteristically a shrewd leader. His eloquence in debates and untainted character naturally made him a darling to all. Napoleon on the other hand, was just a naysayer. He couldn't come up with a single working plan. He seldom had supporters save for one sly Squealer; a junior pig who had a particular charm on other animals. Squealer was thus used as a bait to persuade multitudes to Napoleon's side of the widening rift.
Henceforth, Napoleon devised a plan to have Snowball expunged from the farm. Mudslings were thrown at Snowball courtesy of Squealer and Napoleon. They incited other animals against him labeling him a sell-out to man. And subsequently, Snowball was ousted from leadership and archaically expunged from the farm, never to be seen or heard again. It is not known where he sought refuge.
Following that ouster, Napoleon became the undisputable doyen of the farm. As a matter of fact, he added a title to himself- General Napoleon, to probably stamp his authority. In the first month of his reign, he was a fairly good leader. But going forward, he increasingly became authoritarian leaving his subjects' tongues' wagging. The beasts of the farm laboured with much effort but Napoleon only treated them as man would. He elevated the status of fellow pigs and often, would walk around with whips and lash the lesser privileged animals. In the end, it became apparent that Napoleon had collaborated with man and hitherto dampened the dreams of Old Major. Dreams of a liberal England, trod by beasts without fear of the whip. He sabotaged all that. And although George Orwell didn't mention, it is highly probable that history judged him harshly.
Revolutions eat their own children. Governments eat their own people. This was the message of the article. And so as the highly learned Barack Muluka would say, tread softly without haste.
Closer home in Africa, I would draw many sample countries where after successful revolutions, leaders became engulfed with greed and ended up betraying the course of their people. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for instance, after assuming power after the ouster of Milton Obote, has become highly dictatorial shunning the dissenting voices that critique his administration. Bobi Wine, of recent, has been the talk of town after near-death drama with the police who've initiated political witch-hunts against him.
Right here at home, Kenya. After the highly fought for independence, Kenyatta assumed leadership of the country. He was a people's darling until when he became a renown tribalist and land grabber, sorry to say. But to contrast all this drama with Ken Walibora's masterpiece, Kidagaa Kimemwozea, one would not fail to notice that Amani, after ousting the fraudulent Mtemi Nasaba Bora, refused the to take the onus of assuming power. Such like reformists are what the world needs. Reformists with the public interest at heart, not greedy men and women who claim unseen anointment to power.
And so I dare say today to all ye, tread softly with immense care, for the ground is smarted with thorns of all kind.
#Merry_X-Mas
©oiraqaleb esq.
