By NATION Team
With hours ticking towards the constitution review demonstration,
Education Minister Kalonzo Musyoka yesterday appealed for restraint from
the marchers.
He said anarchy could result from the planned peaceful demonstration
and this would scare away investors.
"We must get rid of emotionalism. The Constitution-making process
is a complex matter that must be approached with sobriety because it involves
the destiny of the country as a whole," he said.
Defending the government's proposal to have the constitutional
review referred to Parliament, Mr Musyoka said no-one wanted to dictate
the process. President Moi's remarks had been "grossly misinterpreted",
he said.
He asked the clergy to be diplomatic since the era of street demonstrations
was over.
But as he was calling for restraint, support for the demonstration
continued to grow.
The secretary to Chemchemi ya Ukweli Movement - which has organised
the demonstration, Mr Said Athman, said his organisation was committed
to ensuring that the public were included in the review process.
He said the demonstrators will not retaliate even if police interfered
with today's march. "We will just sit down as they descend on us."
He said police had shown interest in ensuring the procession is
peaceful "although we have information that Kanu wants to plan a parallel
demonstration to disrupt ours".
Yesterday, police spokesman Peter Kimanthi, said police had a role to
ensure peace was maintained in today's procession.
The head of the Anglican Church of Kenya Archbishop David Gitari
said any attempt to refer the review process to Parliament would be peacefully
blocked.
His church will participate in the demonstration.
The director of the Ecumenical Centre for Peace and Justice, Reverend
Jephitha Gathaka and the Kirinyaga DP branch organising secretary, Mr Muriithi
Kang'ara, asked police not to interfere with the demonstration.
The chairman of the caretaker committee of the unregistered Islamic
Party of Kenya, Sheikh Mohammed Khalifa, announced that IPK youth would
join in the demonstration.
Sheikh Khalifa said those Parliamentarians supporting the government's
decision were misguided and acting out of fear.
Former Kisauni legislator Rashid Mzee, while supporting the demonstration,
suggested that the government appoint four constitutional lawyers to re-draft
the Constitution.
He said that the lawyers should draw up three constitutions namely
- a unitary system of government, a constitution which creates the posts
of a prime minister and a majimbo (federal) constitution.
He said that the three constitutions would then be presented to
the public during a referendum.
Former Mombasa Mayor Najib Balala said the review should
be people-driven and Parliament should only be involved at the last stages
to ensure that views of the majority were contained in the new Constitution.
Thirty-three civic leaders from Narok County Council led by chairman
Stephen Ntoros condemned the demonstration saying it would be an exercise
in futility as the government would not change its mind.
Officials of the Nyanza inter-denominational Church and State
Cooperation, led by their chairman, Dr Washington Ogonyo Ngede, warned
that the peaceful demonstration would be hijacked by hoodlums and end in
bloodshed.
The Church leaders in Nyanza supported President Moi's plan to
take the review back to Parliament.
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