James Shikwati, activista Queniano, escreveu uma carta aos seus compatriotas apelando-os a isolarem os extremistas de ambos os lados, a protestarem pacificamente e a salvarem pais.
Oxala iniciativas privadas ou da sociedade civil africana e internacional se multipliquem! No nosso pais, salvo erro, para alem da iniciativa privada do Professor Serra de escrever uma carta ao candidato Democrata Barack Obama, e da oferta docidadao Joaquim Chissano para mediar o conflito, nao soube de mais iniciativas nem privadas, nem da sociedade civil, da sociedde politica e muito menos do governo! Onde anda a nossa solidariedade pan africana?
Pela importancia civica da carta vamos publica-la na integra!
An Open Letter to the People of Kenya: Isolate Extremists, Protest Peacefully, and Save Our Country
By James Shikwati
4 Jan 2008
NAIROBI -- Innocent people are being murdered. Houses are burning. Property is being destroyed. It matters little whether one is Kikuyu, Luo, Kalenjin, Luhya, or whatever. It is only a matter of time and the violence will assume a life of its own that will go beyond the sheds of tribalism. We must do something to save democracy and our country Kenya.
We are caught in a moral and legal dilemma. To accept a government whose mandate comes from a flawed election, is to accept that we are not capable of genuine democracy. But to resist such a government under the present circumstances, where mobs seem intent on ethnic cleansing, is to destroy the pluralism that is needed to make a nation. To claim that the election was “legally valid” is to destroy the spirit of the rule of law. But to engage in illegal acts in order to oust a leadership whose mandate is being contested is to destroy the rule of law as such.
If we are to save our country, we cannot push the problem under the carpet; we cannot watch and wait for the mob to calm down. Kenya is on fire because a few individuals took it upon themselves to manufacture electoral results. I do not think any tribe sent these individuals to “steal results.” When a thief is caught in the streets of Nairobi, the mob does not ask for to which tribe he belongs – they simply apply “mob justice.” So why do they make this theft a tribal issue? Because it serves the purposes of the real thieves.
The ongoing mob injustice – attacks on innocent people and their property – must stop. The leaders of all political parties should announce that, regardless of who is in power, the rule of law will be upheld and those responsible for murder and pillage will be held to account for their crimes. No Kenyan should accept a leader who permits violence against innocent people.
Mass action must not be targeted towards individual communities; it should be simply a peaceful but loud expression of people against those who seek to rape democracy in Kenya – and by extension Africa.
I also appeal to the international community to assist Kenyans by isolating extremists who seek to destroy democracy and the rule of law. Let the world know who they are and sanction their behaviour: deny them – and their families – entry to your countries and freeze their assets.
Our media can help by identifying the hardliners in the Party of National Unity and Orange Democratic Movement who support the mob violence.
Perhaps such pressure will encourage Mr. Mwai Kibaki and Mr. Raila Odinga to talk to each other either on their cell phones and stop this mayhem.
If not, perhaps the Chief Justice, the Attorney General and other senior legal figures could step in and declare the election null and void.
People are dying. The economy is faltering. If we wait for much longer, what started as political discontent will assume its own life and there will be no country to govern. Above all, we must safeguard democracy and lives of our fellow Kenyans.
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