Blood of Innocence

Chapter Two

In a secluded bongalow located in a private area about three kilometres from the city, were three heavily armed guards. They strolled a highly stone-walled,steel-gated compound. One of them rushed to open the gate as he saw a black limousine approaching. He saluted in acknowledgement of the occupants. After exactly three minutes , another limousine carrying three people pulled into the compound.

To a casual passerby, the house and the compound looked like any other ordinary property owned by any of the bourgeois dominating the area. However, unknown to many a people,the property was owned by the major opposition alliance. The Alliance, which went by the name Restoration of Democracy Alliance ( shortened to RDA), comprised of five main political parties. The leaders of these formations were commonly referred to as Principals. It was their joint decision that resulted in the setting up of this building to not only serve as their secret meeting point, but also to be a major communication hub equipped with the latest technological devices allowing them to have unrestricted leeway in any satellite-controlled system. Since the country boasted of few computer gurus,most of the personnel contracted towards this goal were foreign-sourced and sponsored.

All the five arrived at seven thirty pm. As a prelude to the discussion, they were served a cocktail dinner. These five had been in politics for as long as their memories could serve them. They all nursed the wounds of having been cheated off their sure win in the previous elections by the incumbent government with a lot of nostalgia. Jaduong, the leader of the most popular opposition party, the People's Party, could not mask his bitterness. He had secretly vowed never to allow the same mishap untill he sat on the throne in the impending elections.

Jaduong had been in politics immediately after finishing his studies abroad. The son of the then Prime Minister immediately after independence from their colonial masters, he had no difficulties in winning an elective post. Together with his father, they had worked towards having not only a bicameral legislature, but also a multiparty democracy. This was antagonistic to the then president and his cohort. When they finally fell apart, the Jaduongs and their sympathizers found themselves in the opposition. Their several attempts to win the elections and form the government had been thwarted by well-calculated political manuovers and glaring illegalities. According to him, the time was now or never to take the mantle in order to save the country from corruption and the numerous political assassinations of critics.

Mulamo was the leader of Together Nyake Party (TNP). His father had been one of the political kingpins representing the western region in the pre and post-independence governments. He passed away while Mulamo was a twenty-two year-old student persuing his third year in the University. In what became to be termed as political inheritance, sympathy votes from the constituents saw him winning the ensuing by-election. He had climbed the political ladder up to being appointed a Vice President in the previous government. It had been his intention to serve as the President's Deputy in the previous elections. To his great consternation, the elections had been stolen. He was forearmed enough to rectify this.

The leader of Nyake Social Congress, Hon. Na,had always loved being in the opposition, critiquing the government to keep it on its toes. But on realizing that he could do more for his people from inside the government,he had reversed his gear and teamed up with the like-minded. Having won, but lost , the race last time, he was not ready for a repeat. He was not a political scientist for nothing. He represented a community that was not a minority in terms of ethnic balancing.

Hon. Kasyo was one of the Principals representing Haraka Haraka Party . Most parties having been formed based on ethnic alignment,he represented a big community of people who had been known to move with the wind. He was known to be a political polygamist as opportunity presented itself. Like Mulamo,he had also served as second in command in previous governments. Now that he had been beaten in his race to the top-most position in the country in the last election,he was prepared to settle for any senior position should the alliance win.

Hon. Roj,son of a Sultan,was famous for being a free radical in political parlance. Save for the last elections when he had lost alongside his co-principals,he had never missed to ride on political opportunism. Though he represented a large amalgamation of subtribes, his people had yet to be civilized enough to decipher matters politics. He had founded his political party, the Empowerment Party ,to ensure that his people were no more marginalized in developmental issues.

After a sumptuous dinner, Jaduong, being the leader of the Alliance, called the meeting to order and started his brief opening remarks.

" Gentlemen, it's always great pleasure when the top-cream meet to share ideas for the benefit of our motherland. Am persuaded beyond reasonable doubt that if we don't discuss bottlenecks to our country's development, and corrective measures thereof, history will charge us more harshly than our forefathers.

" We are still nursing wounds from the daylight robbery of our sure win last time. The blatant violation of human rights, the runaway corruption and misappropriation of public resources and demonic mutilation of our constitutional safeguards all do nothing more than opening the wounds every day of our lives. However,all that is now water under the bridge. God in His bountiful mercy has kept us alive and accorded us another opportunity to cure the malady. We learnt that our silence and none-violent approach was our major weakness. Second was our technological capability, that's why we weren't able to have real time voting and tallying process. Now you can all see that our joint undertaking has fully solved that obstacle. Without being pre-emptive of today's discussion,I would like to invite Hon. Mulamo, our Secretary,to bring forth the agenda. Thank you all, and feel up to the task". He took his seat while signalling Mulamo to take over.

" Good evening, gentlemen", Mulamo started. " This being our first meeting to consolidate our energies and resources to chart our destiny and eliminate any impediments on our way to State House,I have hereby outlined key issues for our consideration as agreed in our last communication. They are set as hereunder:

1. Adequate pressure on the government to dissolve the current electoral officials and appointment of new ones.

2. Refurbishment of our military wing.

3. Consultation with our friends in the Defence Forces and Police geared towards gathering intelligence.

4. Sourcing for funds and the prerequisite machineries from our partners.

5. AOB.

" I now invite discussion on each of the afore-outlined agenda. Thank you". He resumed his seat as one of the Principals arose to speak.