By Justus Atuti
Noone watched the American elections closely than I did. To me, I was more than a candidate because, not only was I excited about having the opportunity to participate in a political decision making in a nation that’s a superpower, and the strongest in the universe, but that I wanted to experience and feel and see with my naked eyes how a democratic process is done.
I will say it was indeed the rarest opportunity that none would have wished to miss, an opportunity everyone will embrace.
As tempers flew on the air and tongues and lips slipped, America went into an election with one agenda…”TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN”. Every man and every woman went to the election, not equipped with bows, arrows, and machetes and stones, but with an electors card, because, every vote in a democracy counts and noone needs to fear that their vote will not count.
For the 3 months I followed the election closely, I realized Americans discussed issues affecting their daily lives. Americans discussed how immigration laws have disoriented them. Americans discussed how the Obama Care had made their lives impossible. Americans discussed their international laws and relations and how they were affecting them and how as a first nation, they felt threatened left and right. The foreign policy. Americans discussed the conduct of their incumbent president, Barack Obama, his strengths and his weaknesses as president.
Americans discussed the conduct of their Secretary of State, who in turn was running for the coveted seat, Ms Hilary Clinton. Their was over taxation issue, minimum wage, arbotion, gender, etc.
Summed up, America was yearning for change. Not just a change of guard, but change that will be felt by every american, wherever they would be in the four corners of the universe.
Obama wanted to keep the status quo. Obama didn’t want to see the failure and the ultimate end of his own initiative, The Obama care. In the end, the Obama camp ended up with a clause, “US VERSUS THEM”…The Trump camp equally came up with the same feeling, “US VERSUS THEM”. Many a husband and wife didn’t agree. Homes were divided along camps. A husband could support Hilary while a wife could support Trump. But in the end, they all came to one agreement, America needed change badly, now more than ever. The American people chose change. They voted Trump, one man who spoke his mind, you hated it or liked it. He said it in black and white, yet after election, he has chosen reconciliation and admired Hilary Clinton for putting up a fight like no other, a fight Trump felt deep down his camp.
America is now back on track. It is business as usual and people are back to their day to day activities. The onus is for Trump to keep his divide of the promise and the election pledge of making America great again.
What do we learn from this election….
That elections come and go. The people of a nation remain and should remain united as a people. That, a people united, shall never be defeated. That it does us no good to rig, as rigging is barbaric and should not be put up with on earth. Let the people decide.
My country Kenya is bleeding. Greed has engulfed every corner of my nation where one community dominates every sector, all for wrong reasons. Tribalism has consumed Kenya, just like all African nations where voters don’t go for policy and the wellbeing of their nation, but go for their own who end up being hyenas. The policy is, MTU WETU (ie our own).
Why is Kenyatta in power when his family, including himself are corrupt to the core? Why is Ruto in power as if Kenyans don’t have a constitution? Ruto is the most corrupt individual on the face of the earth today.
Only misuse of public emails denied Hilary the presidency, yet in Kenya, one man will majestically walk away with all monies in central bank and we vote for him and praise him. REALLY?
Kenyans need to rethink. Kenyans need to copy from America, that,it is only good governance that will steer the nation forward, that corruption and rigging are unacceptable.
Finally, as Barack Obama exits office, I have only one quarrel with him, and I was bold enough to let him know right on time. The day he embraced Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto, he threw our democracy as a nation to the dogs. He knew very well they were criminals accused at the highest court in the universe, the ICC, accused if crime , not just against humanity, but their own people who they butchered in the name of election. His visit to Kenya was a big let down from our big brother. I hope Barack Obama learns his own lesson, that, when you plant democracy in your nation, sell the same idea and respect the same wherever you go. That, it is a good thing to preach water and drink the same water you preach.
Kenya must stand and demand for service delivery and a fair playground in the electoral process. Kenyans must be given the opportunity to elect their leaders through the process and not to vote and the state machinery to decide on their behalf. With this, I trust Donald Trump will come with a lasting solution and demand for sanity in the new world order, being a no nonsense man that he is.
As a Kenyan-America, I remain fully behind President elect, Donald Trump with high hopes that his word will echo in my motherland and leave an everlasting impact for the benefit of our people.
GOOD BLESS AMERICA. GOD BLESS KENYA. MAY THE WORLD BE A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE IN UNDER TRUMP. MAY AMERICA RISE HIGHER UP TO THE SKY. MAY TRUMP MAKE US ALL PROUD.
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