Commentary (by Standard Editorial team) - No retreat, no surrender for President and Raila

Ref: http://www.eastandard.net/news/?id=1143982631&cid=16

Published on March 2, 2008, 12:00 am

The task of rebuilding the nation and restoring the broken bonds of trust and faith among the citizenry is gargantuan.

The burden of recovering the missed steps in democracy, a process jolted by the sham that was last year’s presidential election, is backbreaking.

The brief to give Kenya a new comprehensive constitution addressing the historical injustices, past cases of impunity, pursuing national healing and peace and justice is onerous.

The responsibility of securing the nation under the umbrella of truth, peace, justice and reconciliation commission can be suffocating. So, too, is the assignment and duty to undertake and complete, appropriate constitutional, legal and institutional reforms for achieving the complete independence of the Judiciary, Parliament, the Electoral Commission, and other constitutional offices.

There is also the awesome task of resettling the displaced, the thousands in tented camps in public utilities. The point is there is too much to be done and in so little a time. The onerous task before the scarred nation and the leadership is captured by the draft of the proposed National Accord and Reconciliation Act 2008.

The document that could haul Kenya from the cesspit of failed and ruinous regimes, is to be tabled in Parliament for debate and possible adoption after its state opening on Thursday.

All these tasks stem from the agreement signed by President Kibaki and Orange Democratic Movement leader Mr Raila Odinga, under the watchful eye of the world, through the lead mediator Dr Kofi Annan.

It, therefore, follows that President Kibaki and Raila are key to its success. Much will depend on the level of goodwill they will invest in the process, and how successful they will be in whipping to line their supporters, especially Members of Parliament.

The fact remains that no matter the perception in character and political disposition, that they are like a concoction of oil and water, the burden of salvaging the nation and attaining the dreams of the Founding Fathers are now squarely on their shoulders. Historians are waiting on the wings, to record, for posterity, how the two, navigated the tricky waters of personal and political interests. As we have said before, the two must rise to the occasion in the name and spirit of the motherland.

Sacrifices and goodwill

The scope of the work, and the manner of achieving success requires their individual sacrifices and goodwill. For it is not about them, the servants of the people, but the survival and resilience of the motherland.

That Kenya was, until the signing of the power sharing agreement by Kibaki and Raila, on the precipice is incontestable. So much has been written about how militia groups, patterned along ethnic lines, were gearing up for war if the Annan talks collapsed.

The reality of the nation is that it was not just one or two communities waiting on the wings to go for each other hammers and tongs. It does not therefore mean we are out of the woods, for a lot more will depend on how Kibaki and Raila will, in the spirit of give and take, share power and garland the nation with unity, tolerance and accommodation.

The first stanza of our National Anthem is after all a prayer to the Almighty:

"O God of all creation,

Bless this our land and nation.

Justice be our shield and defender,

May we dwell in unity,

Peace and liberty.

Plenty be found within our borders."

Both leaders must be guided by the popular ethos: "The difference is that a statesman thinks he belongs to the State, and a politician thinks the State belongs to him."

Kenyans expect that the two will work together, amicably and without retreat or surrender.