NASA leaders during a past press address. [Photo|Nasa coalition]NASA coalition's People's Assembly organising Committee has slammed a section of the business and religious community after they called for a national conversation.The committee respondent by releasing a statement saying:"21st December, 2017.We have perused a public statement putting forward a proposal for a “national conversation” by a section of the business and religious community. The purpose of this statement is to draw a distinction between this proposal with the Peoples Assembly process as well as the national dialogue which this group has previously approached NASA about.We note that while the stated purpose is to address the recurring election problems, the conversation itself is about socio-economic development within the Vision 2030 framework. Election crises are political. The correct framework for addressing them is electoral justice. Vision 2030 is a government socio-economic development policy agenda. The correct forum for debating government policy is the participation of the people in policy processes as provided for in the Constitution. We note that the framing of the agenda dovetails nicely with the position adopted by Uhuru Kenyatta that he is open to debate with anyone and everyone on development. We conclude therefore that this group is holding brief for Uhuru Kenyatta. This enterprise is a euphemism for “accept and move on”. We are not accepting, and we are not moving on. Those who wish to do so are free to proceed.Free and fair democratic elections are the means by which citizens of a republic form Government. Subversion of elections is a failure of the social contract that Kenyans have signed up to otherwise known as the Constitution of Kenya 2010. It contains elaborate unambiguous provisions on democracy and elections. It makes no reference to Vision 2030 or any other policy blueprint.The development mantra is the opium that successive regimes have used to anaesthetize the people so as to take away their political rights, dispossess them of their land, rob them blind in Government, and exploit them ruthlessly in the market place. This is the post- independence POLITICAL status quo that we must uproot for democracy and the rule of law to take root. We do not expect the status quo to cooperate in the process of uprooting it.The Peoples Assembly process, which we set in motion with the Coast Peoples Leaders Forum in Kilifi on Sunday 17 December 2017, is founded on Article 1(2) of the Constitution namely, the right of the people to exercise their sovereign power directly. We wish to reassure Kenyans that exercising our sovereign power sitting as the Peoples Assemblies, we can chart our political destiny and forestall the electoral authoritarianism that the Jubilee administration is hell bent on restoring in this country so as to sustain the status quo. The sovereign will and power of the people will prevail as it has throughout history.The People’s Assembly process resumes after the festive season. Ignore the sideshows.We take this opportunity to wish all Kenyans wonderful festivities.Peoples Assembly Organizing CommitteeMutakha Kangu Hamida KibwanaKoitamet ole KinaPeter MathukiDavid NdiiOduor Ong’wenJudy SijenyBramwell Simiyu."

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