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"id": 197438,
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"speaker_name": "Prof. Anyang'-Nyong'o",
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"id": 193,
"legal_name": "Peter Anyang' Nyong'o",
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"content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, we are here today in this House because of the famous saying: \"It takes two to tango\". We in this House who have previously been antagonists are just about to tango together to produce good music to Kenyans who have been suffering tremendously as my friend, \"G.I., Mr. Gitobu Imanyara, has said. For many years, Kenya has suffered from what my dear friend, Mr. Gitobu Imanyara, has called imperial presidency. 196 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES March 18, 2008 Mr. Speaker, Sir, if I remember well, all the manifestos of all parties, beginning with the National Democratic Party (NDP) which was a precursor to FORD - a party that ushered in the great march towards multipartyism in this country - have fostered for a national democratic and prosperous Kenya. A Kenya in which the separation of powers in government would be real. A Kenya in which this Parliament would, indeed, be the supreme lawmaker in this nation. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would like to pay tribute to all those gallant Kenyans who have made tremendous sacrifices to bringing us here where we are today. I want to particularly thank the \"Young Turks\" who are not so young any more. I am glad the majority of them are in this House. I would like to thank Messrs: Gitobu Imanyara, Kiraitu Murungi, Raila Odinga, James Orengo and Prof. Anyang'-Nyong'o. This is a moment for which we are very proud and happy. I do hope that as we move forward to make this a reality, we remember that we should never resist change. Mr. Speaker, Sir, one of the major contradictions about human beings is that although we live in a state of constant change, we tend to resist change. The philosopher Heraplytas once said that no human being can step in the same river twice. Whenever you step in a river, that river is in a constant state of flux and you are always stepping on different water all the time. Life, like that river, is also in a constant state of flux and yet, we, as human beings, tend to be conservative. We want to conserve what we have because we are resisting change even though biologically we are also changing on a daily basis. As Shakespeare once said: \"Towards my grave on a daily basis, do I travel every second\". Yet, we tend to resist this change which is so real to us. I think today this House coming together and accepting that change is necessary in this country, is coming face to face with reality. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we have had an authoritarian system of Government. A system of Government that tends to be exclusive, both in its ideologies and also in its practices. In its ideology we tend to be exclusive by worshipping the ideology of tribalism. In practice, we tend to be exclusive by excluding the majority of Kenyans from the mainstream of national life. At the same time, we tend to believe on a narrow elite that must have both wealth and political power. We are now being asked today by the people of Kenya that let us move towards the politics of inclusion and the economics of equity. This authoritarian system has also tended to tolerate corruption in society which derives us of the opportunity for economic growth and better social welfare. This authoritarian system has also tended to entrench unequal development in our nation. We are now being driven to be more participatory and make sure that both resources and wealth are more devolved to our people, so that they can feel that they have a Government for the people, of the people and by the people. We sit today in this House knowing fully well that we are here, indeed, to serve the masses of our nation, as, indeed, it is written at the entrance of this Parliament: \"For the welfare of the society and the just governance of our people\". Today, we are together to change the Constitution and bring in a system of Government. As we leave this Parliament, I believe that we will be responsive to that saying on top of that door. I believe that if we unite with this purpose in mind, as many Members have said, this House shall have laid a foundation for one of the major things we must do this year; to usher in a Constitution that will guarantee national prosperity, democracy and the just governance of our people. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I was very impressed when the Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs was moving this Motion. The recognition that a moment comes in our lives when we have to recognise that although differences will persist in this society, but a moment of unity to get this nation going is important for each and everyone of us to make maximum sacrifices. This is, indeed, something that this House, today, is demonstrating to the nation and the world as a whole, that a new Kenya is possible. Today, as we sit here and debate this Motion, we can say with one voice, never again shall this nation break down into civil strife because of a stolen election. Never again shall this nation break down into civil strife because of the worship of the ideology of tribalism. March 18, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 197 Never again shall this nation break down into civil strife, because we are resisting change. Never again shall this nation break down into civil strife because for two decades, we have been looking for a new Constitution, but we cannot rise above our selfish motives to enact that Constitution, although we can recognise what is good in it. Never again in the life of this nation shall we resist to listen to the people of Kenya, who are poor and down-trodden. But a few who are wealthy and well looked after, do not want to listen to them. Never again shall we continue to believe that the privileges that we have in society are made by us and not driven from that society. Mr. Speaker, Sir, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere once said something very interesting; that the rich enjoy their riches because next to them are the poor people. They cannot enjoy those big houses if they cannot compare them to something else. If they compared them to small houses, then they enjoy living in those big houses. But as my great grandfather said at one point, when he was burying his uncle: \"This man used to fight for us to get land from neighbouring clans and fought great wars and great battles. Today, when we are burying him, we are only giving him a small piece of the earth, that is, six feet by three and four feet deep\". That is all he will own for the rest of his life whether on earth or in Heaven. I wonder whether we ever stop for a moment and think that all these riches that we keep on amassing for ourselves, all these capital that we keep on accumulating for our families, all these jobs that we keep on piling for our relatives, when we die, do we take them with us, either to hell or to Heaven? The truth is that each one of us only gets a small piece of the earth, six feet by three feet by four feet. If all that is what we get, why is it so important for us that when we are on this earth, we cannot listen and pay attention to the suffering of others and treat them as we treat ourselves? Mr. Speaker, Sir, when somebody asked Jesus: \"Who is my neighbour\"? Jesus replied: \"Treat your neighbour as yourself\". If there is anything that the last three months have taught Kenyans, it is that when you stop treating your neighbour as yourself, sooner rather than later, somebody is also not going to treat you as his or her neighbour. The measure that you have used to harm somebody else will be used to harm you. So, I would like to appeal to this House that this is a golden opportunity to change the Constitution. It is not just because we want to change the Constitution in and of itself, but because we want to open a window for change. We want to open a window for change, first, we should enact this Accord document, which is going to bring change to the governance of this country. There will be another window for more opportunity; The window for opportunity to usher in a new Constitution. But too, there will be a window for yet some more change; a window for change for more equity and better governance in this country, more attention to the plight and needs of the masses. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}