Language used as a tool of obfuscation

“But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought,” George Orwell wrote in the seminal and dystopian book 1984.

The book has long been used as a warning to the public about politicians who use language to confuse, obscure and obfuscate. In Kenya, throughout the years we have sadly had too many examples of this.

Today, it is fascinating and even Orwellian that the words “inclusivity” and the “will of the people” have been used against supporters of a referendum on the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).

The BBI taskforce went on the road for a second round of public barazas. These are expected to last until March when the report will then be amended.

The final report is expected to be put to a referendum when all Kenyans will have their say about whether it becomes the foundation for a new national legal framework.

Those who understand this process could not possibly conceive of a more inclusive of people-driven initiative. It is broad and consultative at every level.

So, when some criticise the process for a lack of inclusivity and standing against the will of the people, and rally against a referendum, our senses should be screaming about the sheer dishonesty of their statements.

Logic should tell us that this Orwellian-speak is meant to obscure something. In fact, this is also relatively easy to spot if we wade through the rhetoric.

Those who use this language are the same people who realise they have the most to lose from this process because they don’t agree or much care for the will of the people.

The politicians who rally and tarnish the process know that they rely on a system where the public is kept in the dark.

They forget about the public until a few months before each election when their well-oiled public relations machines splutter into action ploughing out platitudes about the people and what they will do for them.

Two years ahead of elections, we know what politicians think of the people. They do not want to hear from us. They fear us because they know over the last few years, thanks to greater political transparency, led by President Kenyatta.

If the BBI report process is finalised the way President Kenyatta and his allies seek, then it could spell the final nails on the coffins of their political ascendancy.

People’s power will have replaced political kleptocracy and the nation will gain from this cleaning house.

A referendum on the BBI report is their greatest nightmare because the rules of the game will change, so they will attempt to use any rhetorical devices to try and hoodwink as many people as possible.

These are hopefully the final throes of the old Kenyan politics that deceives and deflects, and hopefully a new era will enter with far greater ongoing public engagement.

Let’s not allow those engaged in Orwellian language sway us from the path. We should unite behind those who have nothing to fear from inclusivity and seeking the true will of the people.