WANJIKU AND THE CONSTITUTION.
(THE VOICE OF SUBALTERNS)
INTRODUCTION.
The constitution speaks in general terms of ‘liberty and ‘ property of the privileges and immunities of citizens and of the equal protection of the laws’ – open ended phrases that seems to invite readers to reflect in them their own visions and agendas. Yet recognising that the constitution cannot be merely what its interpreters wish it to be, the interchanges in this essay tries to prove this otherwise.
A lively and important contribution to the continuing dialogues on constitution interpretation, the essay serves to remind us of the trouble we make for ourselves when we assume that we can predict the conclusion of the original intentional
, that oppositions are always activists and rulings, parties never, or that the protections of liberty afforded by living constitution have all come from only one ideological camp.
These interchanges in this dialogue amounts to energetic and often highly illuminating discussions of how constitutional and who are charged with the interpretation and implementation of the constitution think that because they are still the majority who makes the rules and write the headlines, they assume they speak for everyone. They know little of the citizens in the grassroots.
‘The most important thing in life is not where we are coming from, nor where we stand today, but in which direction we are moving into the future’ (A Pakistan saying)
WANJIKU AND THE CONSTITUTION
Few principles of civic morality have had so profound on intellectual influence within the lower social economic community and members of these communities many times find themselves on the wrong side of the constitution. The constitution governing the proper allocation of state power and individual liberty are not well articulated.
Constitution: Don’t interrupt me! I’m talking.
Wanjiku: So you are. I’m sorry; but how about the ten thousands times you have interrupted me? Why is it okay for you to interrupt me any time, any place, but not all right for me to interrupt you? It ought to work both ways, shouldn’t it be? Maybe if you’d ever say you’re sorry when you interrupt me, I could learn some good manners from your example.
Constitution: Do it now, Right now, I tell you!
Wanjiku: All right, all right! But why do you expect instant obedience from me, but you never shout, “Do it now!” to each other? And when I ask you for some amendments, you nearly always say, “wait a minute, I’m busy,” or I’ll do it when I get good and ready’! And yesterday you shouted and screamed at me, “Get off my back for heaven’s sake! “ But I always have to do it now, this very minute. No matter what I’m doing, I have to stop and do what you want me to do. I don’t understand the intellectuals and ideologies behind all this. I don’t think I like them. Sometimes I think they are crazy.
Constitution: wait till next election!
Wanjiku: Yeah, I have heard that one before! It’s about five years until we get there, and meanwhile I have to live under a big black cloud of fear. Do you know how long five years is to Wanjiku? It’s like about five months for you. How would you like to live for the next five months with a threat hanging over your head, and all you know is that something awful is going to happen. You wouldn’t like that, would you? You know what? I think you are sadistic, that’s what. Either that or just plain mean. If you think I need to be punished, why don’t you do it yourself and get it over with? And then I wouldn’t have to wait five years to find out if politicians going to beat upon me. I don’t think I like you. Not at all. But I’m going to pretend I do, because if I don’t, I lose my security. And I need that something awful.
Constitution: Run and bring me the hammer.
Wanjiku: look! Why do I always have to run and get thing for you? Run down to the store. Run tell your father. Run and ask your sister. Run and get me the screwdriver. Run, run, and run. I’m sick of running. You people don’t run you walk. Slow, like. You take it easy. But I’m supposed to be just speeding blur as I rush around carrying messages, getting tools, running errands. I’ll go on running my legs off just to make sure I’m loved while I need great gobs of it; but wait till I get bigger. Then I’m not going to run for anybody. I’ll take my own sweet times. I even over react and act slow and stupid just to win one power struggle. Or it could fix me so I go on rushing around all the rest of my life, tense and anxious with a big fat anxiety neurosis eating at my gut gulping tranquillizers to keep the anxiety at bay. How’d you like to be ordered around by me? Huh? Run and get my breakfast, mom. Dad run and get me that devolutions you promised me. Look, you three; it ought to work both ways. Only it doesn’t. Wait till I’m real big, say sixteen or eighteen and you know what? I’ll find ways to get even. I could rebel against all authority, and really get back at you. I’ll find ways.
Constitution: God doesn’t love you when you’re bad.
Wanjiku: Bad? Am I bad? Does God love me when I’m good and get mad at me – like you do – when I make mistakes? If he’s like that, he’s no better than you are! And if God hates me when I blow it, then he’s mad at you too, because last Sunday the minister read that part in the Bible it says , “All have sinned ,and that means you. And if sinning gets God mad at you, you are in big trouble. When you three get mad, and yell at each other, does God get mad at you? If so, he is mad at you a lot of the time. By the way, how comes it’s all right for you to get mad but not okay for me to get angry? Tell me that, huh?
Constitution: Tell the judiciary and the legislature you are sorry. Tell them!
Wanjiku: Okay, okay but I’m not sorry. Not in the slightest. They hit me first and I’m sorry, I hit them; but don’t lie and tell them I’m sorry, you will hit me. So I’ll lie about it, and that way, I won’t get hit. Why is it I have to tell the judiciary and the legislature I’m sorry when I hit them in self defence, and you never say you are sorry when you hit me? How comes, huh?
Constitutions: Look at those grades!
Wanjiku: Yeah, just look at them. Keep on looking till you see if you can figure out why they’re so rotten. I’ll tell you Wanjiku’s all want to learn. It’s built into us; but with you three quarrelling and threatening to split up, you have got my nerves all shot. I can’t concentrate; I can’t even remember assignments the teacher gives. I go to school with a knot in my stomach half the time, and then my brains don’t work. When you aren’t arguing who is right, and who is wrong, you fight about money, power and ten thousand other things I don’t understand. All I know is that I’ve got this big knot in my stomach, and i feel anxious all the time. And other things: the time I brought home three A’s and two B’s and a C, you said, “All right but you can do better!” Did I get any recognition for knocking myself out to get these grades? No! You just kept setting the goals higher. I don’t like that, you know it? And so next time I got C’s a couple of D’s and two E’s.
Constitution: This hurts me more than it does you.
Wanjiku: You’ve got to be kidding! Or stupid. Wanjiku’s don’t buy that garbage. I know you feel when you’re beating up on me. You’re feeling angry and frustrated because you have such a poor idea of what it means to protect Wanjikus, and you project yourself hatred onto me, and beat up on me just because you are an incompetent, undemocratic constitution. I know I make mistakes, but is that any excuse to go knocking me around? You call it spanking. To me it’s oppression, because that’s what it feels like. Look, when you make mistakes does someone beat up on you? Any dumb undemocratic constitution can start oppressing Wanjiku, but it takes a concerned democratic constitution to go to grass root and check out whether its helping Wanjiku or not, and what ought to be done. If you spent as much time collecting views from the grass root as you do politicing, you might learn how some oppression just makes me resentful and rebellious, and how I unconsciously decide to punish you in some way by doing something really bad.
Constitution: Stop complaining or I will give you something to complain about.
Wanjiku: All right, if you say so. I have no other choice. So what I’ll do is this: I will burry my hurt and grief and anger, bury them so deep no one will ever know what I’m feeling. I will bury my joy and spontaneity, too. I’ll wall my self in so I won’t feel much of anything. I’ll become an unfeeling citizenry, that’s what I’ll do. I’ll substitute cynicism for a buried feelings I’m not allowed to express. I may get migraine headaches, or depression or some other symptoms, but at least I wont have to feel.
Constitution: You must respect this sacred document.
Wanjiku: Year, why? You don’t respect me. You scream at me, hit me, and tell me how bad I’m, or how silly or stupid or clumsy. If you did that to your friends, you’d lose all of them. You have to be polite to them, even when you don’t really like what they are doing. You respect them enough not to insult them. And you know what? Some of them are real paupers, you’d really let me have it! No, you don’t respect me, and frankly I don’t respect you either. But I have to play along with you, because you are bigger than I am, and I need you for the time being. Until I get bigger. Then watch out!
Constitution: Don’t touch yourself down there!
Wanjiku: Oh? Is there something wrong with that part of my body? Is it bad or evil down there? I thought God made all of me. If he did, how come part of me is bad or dirty? Okay, I’ll repress my sexuality and come to think of sex as dirty, something you don’t talk about, but just tell dirty stories about. And by the way, if sex is dirty, what about some of vixens I see in the web? Is sex something only big people can talk about? What is the big secret? If there’s something you’re trying to keep from me, I’m going to find out what it is , one way or another. Soon.
Constitution: Don’t you dare talk back to me!
Wanjiku: if you don’t, who does? Im just a humble wanjiku so how would i know? But if you keep on predicting failure for me, ill really get to believe I’m no good, rotten citizen like you say. Your questions become my doubts, and my doubts will become fear, and fear will become a certainty, and i will fall just like you programmed me.
Constitution: did you do that? If you did, I’m going to punish you.
Wanjiku: Don’t be silly, I’m not going to confess I’m going to lie about it, like any normal citizen who doesn’t want to get beaten up because sometimes when i lie I get away with it, but if i confess i get knocked all over the place and when you tell me i wont get punished if i tell the truth and i confess then i get a gosh-awful lecture lasting a good hour, and you keep referring to it days after. I’d rather take my chance on the lie and may be getting a whipping. And I’ll probably go on lying because when I’m accused, my automatic response is to defend my self. You lie too; i have you lie to people of times. And i heard you three scheming about the national government expenditures. Was that a lie or wasn’t it? And did anyone beat you up for it? So why do i get hit when i tell a lie? Accuse me enough and ill become a professional gold platted, pathological liar, like you say politicians are, huh!
Without knowing all of the details, we can sense the general outline: all of us, even in the most enlightened and loving home environment, were damaged to some extent, for us there are no perfect constructions, there is no perfect environment and thus there is no perfect citizen grown into future leaders of this nation.
Such citizens cant like or love themselves, because they were not catered in a away they could readily accept. Constitutions often send a double message, the verbal message is “you know how much we promised you during the referendum, dear, just see all the things we do for you, and all were given you, not to mention the sacrifices we’re given you but the message that Wanjiku receives may develop these feelings: You don’t care for me because you never deliver the equalities and justice you promised one, instead, i get a hundred criticisms for every word of approval, so i must be not good, im not cared for.
Constitution, Judiciary and the Legislature’s action may belie their words, their tone of voices may be in total disagreements with what they say, the citizens of such nations may grow up to be non-touches afraid of giving opinions, suspicious of you people’s motives, cold and aloof, or depending upon numerous factors, they may become effusive and gushy, ever compliant sending out messages of insincerity, while feeling inwardly, involve me in every aspect that affects me, accept, tell me I’m right, affirm me, make up for all the cares and services i failed to receive as a citizen.
Cultures and religions of all varieties have sought a common goal: the Nirvana of Budhists, the satori of Zen, the Samadhi of the Hindus, the ‘peace’ that passes understanding of the Christians. Could this longing for infinite peace and serenity be, not simply the reaction to life’s stress, but on echo of the peace once experienced before birth experience, when we were one with fathers? No one can say with finality. All that is certain is that, we were damaged in some degree that we are all different and we must learn to live together to communicate more effectively, to love more deeply, or we shall all perish together.
ACKNOWLEDMENTS
I have taught in three private schools in Nyeri County. Later i was trained by networks of Aids researchers in eastern and southern Africa {Naresa} in 2010. Im a community health worker on voluntary basis. Other essays include the simplified prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV, day care in the peripheries, community health and developments in viwandani, solving social problems with simulations and collaborative skills, voice of alone ranger and relevant and popular education.
I would appreciate and responds to comments developers, decision and policies markers, im readily reached by email: [email protected].
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