The news about uranium mining to start in Bongo is kind of exciting and makes guys at the Kijiwe giggle with no apparent reason.

Now, I wish I had taken the forms to run in the October elections. Uranium! Of course, naturally this means allowances at Dodoma will shoot up in the next five years.

How about the common Mbongo? Never mind about Wabongo; they will be satisfied with a cut of any percentage of the precious mineral. Kilimo Kwanza! Who cares what happens to the minerals?
There was another news item that moved hearts and souls all across East Africa .

The people of Nyayoland at long last did it. I say congratulations brothers and sisters in Kenya for such a historical achievement. Hongera sana !
 To get a new constitution in our illiberal democracies is not something that comes easily.
 Don’t tell me you don’t know what illiberal democracies means? It is a pseudo form of democracy that are found in most African countries.

Fareed Zacharia, coined the word illiberal democracy to mean just that; a low quality form of democracy. Here the citizen gets a few liberal rights occasionally; such as voting after every five years.
Fundamental liberal rights such as freedom of expression are carefully controlled not to irritate the waheshimiwa and in such circumstances the system remains authoritarian and corrupt.

I believe if the new constitution in Kenya works, it won’t be long before other countries in East Africa are forced to follow suit. Mark my words; I say if it works. I remember seeing Baba Moi on the TV during the new Katiba launching ceremony, stone faced; he didn’t look very happy. Did he?

Then there was a hero’s welcome for that ICC wanted fellow, Al Bashir. I don’t think he is the kind of guest to invite to a party celebrating the end of impunity.

Never the less the people of Kenya have shown us the way and deserve a pat on the back. Hongera tena!
Talking about illiberal democracies reminds me of the great hopes we had in the early days of multi-party in the 90s.

The previous system had led us into near despair and our new found euphoria, we thought that we would have the power to remove non performing systems and elect alternatives.
Unfortunately, it was another day dream; the guys from the previous system simply just stepped over and snatched the new system too.

In fact, there was nothing new at all in the system. It operated on the same old constitution with a few clauses twisted here and there, to please the donors rather than the citizens.

As our hopes of great liberal liberties fade away by the day, funny things are happening in Bongo. There are a bunch of guys who are demanding we all speak a special language during the election campaign season. The problem is these guys forgot to give NEC the vocabulary for the new language.  
It’s amazing the same people who just a few days ago were calling the opponents Santuri, Vuvuzelas are the one now demanding divine status at least until the elections have passed.

I think the height of this ‘mind your language’ crusade was when Chadema launched the election campaign the other day. We were watching the speeches at Mama B’s on TBC as we irrigated our throats.

The Chadema guys were really giving the rhetoric when suddenly the live broadcast was cut.
The presenter later informed us the programme had been cut short due to abusive language that the speakers were using.  

“ Haaa! This is against our right provided by the constitution.” Someone shouted angrily.
“Which constitution?” another asked.
“The Bongo constitution article 18 gives us the right to acquire and give information. How dare they cut us off?”
“No, but it also says you shouldn’t infringe the right of thers.” The argument was now on and it was getting heated by the second.
“Sasa hapo, what right of others has been infringed there? If a person is a fisadi what should we call him? Mzalendo or what? If someone has been offended by the language used they should go to court. TBC, this is ridiculous. ”
“Acha jazba. You opposition fellows can’t you speak without using abusive language even during this holy month.”
“Go to hell! What abusive language have I used here?”
At that point I decided it was time to leave the place before the war of word could turn into something else.          
 Maybe I might have joined the argument and used uncivilized language.    
But the question remains, which language?

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