Tuesday, July 20, 2010

YES, MOI TOO, IS AN ORPHAN OF HIS OWN REGIME

By Miguna Miguna, July 20, 2010

Last December, I published an article in this newspaper (the Star) in which I marveled at the “genius and madness” of former president Daniel arap Moi. Although my article restricted itself to known facts, it generated such heat from the many Moi Orphans strewn all over the country that one would have thought I had stirred a hornets’ nest. If I did, it was deliberate.

The ramblings from Moi’s orphans were such that many of them lost their bearing; forgot the issues I raised, and started imagining that I was responsible for their delusions. In their rush to defend Moi over known historical abuses, they forgot that dictatorships produce psychological, psychiatric, physical and material victims; mostly from those abused, but also of the perpetrators.

Some of the most severely mentally damaged were actually Moi’s agents who felt that they were simply “doing a job;” trying to “feed” their families. They believed that disobedience was the surest way of getting killed, maimed or bankrupted. One either had to be crazy or had a strong commitment to change before opting for that “one-way ticket to hell”. Some compliance and obedience by Moi’s agents in executing “orders from above” were motivated by self-preservation. However, many were complicit to the crimes against humanity committed during that period. But all suffered mental anguish because of the brutality they either inflicted or witnessed being committed on the “opponents” of Moi.

During Moi’s 24-year reign of terror, many of his agents, relatives, friends and associates misused and abused their power and privilege either to cause havoc on the economy, land and lives of real or perceived “enemies.” During that period, multi-billion dollar deals were sealed by crooks using public telephones on Nairobi streets. One Cyrus Jirongo has confessed that he made his millions that way.

Similarly, people got detained without trial, tortured, exiled or killed through telephone orders by ubiquitous “higher ups”. Court proceedings, like other transactions, became shams. Following the aborted 1982 coup, people were arrested, tried, convicted and hanged within weeks; thanks to the efficiency of Moi’s regime.

Education no longer meant anything. There was no direct correlation between education, employment, promotions and remuneration. The most important thing was political, filial and ethnic relationships. With a few exceptions, that is the Moi legacy most Kenyans remember. It is impossible to convince Kenyans that Moi was not a tribalist. While he preached “peace and unity” at political rallies; he did the opposite at State House for the entire duration of his regime. In fact, during the 24 years Moi was in power, looting and lawlessness were synonymous with “public service.” One was more likely to be punished for not participating in these ills. Even if one wasn’t punished, s/he would be frowned upon and treated like a social outcast.

Therefore, it is impossible to convince many people that Moi was a jolly good old man during those 24 years of horror. It is, however, possible that in his perpetual denials of and lame justifications for detentions without trial and torture, Moi is exhibiting symptoms of one who “suffered” psychologically from the side-effects of the brutality he meted out during that period.

However, I return to Moi today, not simply because he presided over the worst dictatorship in our history and supervised my own torture in 1987 for which he has neither apologized nor sought my forgiveness; he invited my return through repeated public declarations in the past few days by suggesting that because he is not dead, we cannot talk about “Moi orphans.” He is also getting this rebuttal due to his insensitive defense of a brutal practice he excelled in: the detention without trial of patriotic Kenyans whose crimes were only to exercise their rights of conscience, belief, association and expression.

During Moi’s long reign of terror, he “created” many politicians, businessmen, dealers and conmen. They thrived during his reign. Upon his retirement, however, many of them found life a bit challenging. They have been trying all sorts of tricks to retain the status quo without realizing that things must move forward. It is those people we refer to as Moi’s orphans. Even the dictionary agrees with us when it says an orphan is not just a child bereaved of one or both parents; but “a person bereft of previous protection, advantages, et cetera.”

Moi’s repressive legacy will never be forgotten or forgiven by many of his victims. It will also never disappear from discourse; whether historical, political or those dealing with gross human rights abuses. Moi and his orphans must know that he deeply hurt this country and caused permanent mental and physical scars on many. The culture of looting, pillage, plunder, impunity, human rights abuses, intolerance and repression were not created by Moi. But in Kenya, it was the Moi regime that entrenched, popularized, normalized and institutionalized those excesses. He should be the last person to lecture us on what we can or cannot discuss. But yes, Moi, too, is an orphan of his own regime.

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