We should respect the wishes of the majority

The referendum is over. The ‘greens’ won. The only thing remaining now is the promulgation of the new constitution. Yes, I have to admit I have already learnt some vocabularies; ratification, plebiscite and promulgation, among others. Anyway, the issue of vocabularies is just a by the way.

The important issue, here, is the new narratives that are emerging from the ‘no’ brigade. It is claimed by this group that the voice of the 2 million plus voters should not be wished away. They say that these voters have an axe to grind with the new constitution. This stems from the fact that they, in the first place, voted ‘no’ because they were unhappy about some paragraphs of the new constitution. Key of these clauses is the one on the Kadhi’s courts and another one that supposedly legalises abortion. There are others, too, who have a bone to pick with the provisions on the land issue. Notably, among this latter group is former President Moi.

I respect the rights of all Kenyans to vote whichever way they deem good for themselves. However, I thought the very reason why we go to vote, in the first place, is to know the opinion of all eligible voters. The opinion, in this case, is thus measured by either a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ win as in the referendum, or the candidate who carries the day in general elections.

Luckily, unlike what happened in 2007, the winning side not only carried the day but did it with a huge margin. Thus, we avoided the instance of a Samuel Kivuitu, or a Johann Kriegler if you like, telling us that the winning side can not be determined. I am also glad that the ‘yes’ side achieved the so called threshold the ‘reds’ wanted to dupe people with. With 70% of the electorate voting and 70% of them voting ‘yes’ their ‘international standard’ was indeed put to shame.

Now, what next is the issue. What do we do with the ones who are insisting that amendments have to be done before promulgation of the new constitution? Do we have to accede to their demands? Do they really have justifications for that? Anyway, in my not so schooled mind, I think they do not deserve to be given a hearing. Theirs isn’t a worthy cause anymore. They had their time. And with all the propaganda they spewed, they still could not convince the majority. I am glad Kenyans could see through their hypocrisy and the unholy alliance formed by the church and the oppressors of yesterday. The same guys who subjugated us under a tyrannical hold adopted the moral high ground to preach to us what is good and what is bad. What a shame!

Anyway, they are entitled to their opinions and I am glad the new constitution safely protects that. But they should not try to stop Kenyans from achieving what they have been clamouring for all these years, over two decades now. I have to give them credit, though, for trying all their best to derail this very achievement. They pulled all sorts of tricks under their sleeves but, luckily, none seemed to have worked.

The ‘no’ side should also let bygones be bygones. They should give us peace and allow us to move forward. Although we also need them, in our endeavour to forge ahead in the rebirth of the nation, it does not mean they have any valid reason to deny Kenyans their much awaited constitution. The time for the New Republic is now!

My biggest worry now is if we accept theirs, wouldn’t we be setting a bad precedent? Suppose in 2012 we go for elections and the winner gets 90% of the vote. Would the losing candidate be justified if they asked to govern for 10% of the time? This informed by the fact that 10% of the voters voted for their side. Of course that would be impossible and would go against the very spirit of democracy. The losing side has to gracefully concede defeat. Otherwise, the whole exercise becomes a big joke.

I am not much of a believer in democracy, also. I get disappointed, most times, when we get to choose between some devils’ incarnates. Of course, you can choose the less harmful, between the not so appealing ones. Sometimes, though, the choices can be very depressing. I have this feeling that the very best in Kenya - the ones whose integrity is above reproach, the ones who rightly deserve to lead us to prosperity - shun the dirty world that is politics. And it is for this reason that I am, in most cases, a sceptic.

However, if you enter a field and play a game, you must play by the rules – pre-match, post-match and whatever happens during the match itself. That’s what any self-respecting person should do. Otherwise, they need not be competitors and waste people’s time. Most importantly, the people of Kenya were well aware of the strengths and weakness, if any, of the new constitution and endorsed it, all the same. Thus, the wishes of the majority must be respected and the constitution promulgated as it is.