| Editorial |
Chasing dictator is usually a slow pain-staking job
COO
The political scene in Kenya, where President Daniel arap Moi is stepping and is micro-managing his handpicked candidate Uhuru Kenyatta to take over from him, is unfolding dramatically.A rebellion within the ruling KANU party by Moi�s ministers, has led to an alliance with sections of the opposition to form a loose electoral front that looks fairly strong in the early stages. Kenya being Kenya, the National Alliance of Kenya might yet disintegrate. The remarkable thing however in all these events is that Moi, a man whose word was once law and inspired utter fear in Kenya, seems to suddenly lost his clout. In some parts of Kenya, disaffected party members are simply taking over KANU offices, painting them over with the colours of opposition groups, and the ruling party faction is the one that has to look for alternative accommodation!
No one can tell at this point whether a desperate KANU might not instigate violence. Whatever the case, the dissolution of Moi�s absolute power is very intriguing. How did it happen? Over the last ten years, the political opposition and civil society groups continually challenged Moi and KANU. Because the opposition was divided, and civil society fickle, sometimes it seemed like they were fighting a losing cause.
Now it is clear that their effort was not in vain. The evidence from Kenya seems to suggest that fighting an authoritarian is like prisoners tunneling their way out of jail using spoons and belt buckles. Every blow seems very insignificant, but it leaves a dent. The trick is not giving up, which is only possible if one doesn�t get in the mindset that expects immediate results. In Uganda the opposition to the near-one-party politics of the Movement comes to life during elections, and the occasional political rally, but is mostly one holiday until there is some scandal and they call a press conference. Kenya is different because nearly everyday there was someone out there in Parliament or the streets pressing for reform and more democratisation.
We d on�t even have to go war to change the situation. All those who love civil liberties have to do is get up every day and put in a little work to expand the democratic space. Real transformation and the elusive �fundamental change� that Uganda has sought for years comes from the slow chiselling away at absolute over many years, not getting a big gun and blowing away a bunch of dictators overnight.
October 26, 2002 01:35:21
Gook
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