KENYA

KENYA
Daily Nation, Nairobi, Nov. 23: Three months of hard and aggressive referendum campaigns finally ended on Monday. Kenyans cast their ballot to put the constitutional debate to a peaceful end. And they made their verdict loud and clear and, most importantly, did so calmly and with dignity.
In all this, it is the voters -- the ordinary Kenyans -- who deserve commendation. They turned out in large numbers to express their views and ensure that the national task was discharged successfully.
Now that the Electoral Commission of Kenya has declared Orange the victor (with 3.5 million votes against Banana's 2.5 million) and Banana has conceded defeat, it is time for reconciliation and nation-building.
What is critical is how to proceed in the search for a new governance charter. It is a moment at which to look back and reflect on the long path to the referendum and to draw some valuable lessons.
Political demagoguery
Any decision that touches on the people's lives must be discussed with the people, not pushed down their throats. Brute force, political demagoguery and abuse of financial might will no longer guarantee results.
But, after the polls, the big question remains: Where do we go from here?
The country needs a constitution that is all-inclusive, one that serves and protects everybody's interests, one that unites the people and, at the same time, celebrates diversity while fostering economic prosperity. The referendum was not a competition just between Orange and Banana. It was a call to the government to heed the people's voice on how they want to be governed.
CANADA
Red Deer Advocate, Alberta, Nov. 22: It's hard to imagine how nine police officers are going to turn around a trend of violence and gang warfare on the Hobbema reserves, but all of Alberta certainly wishes them well in their efforts.
You'd pretty well have to leave Canada to find a self-contained community that is more overrun by criminals.
There are only about 12,000 people on the four reserves, and more than half of them are under the age of 18. But last year, there were almost 900 assaults reported ... and it would be safe to say that drugs or alcohol are connected to almost all of them.
Rampant drug use
When some residents can pick up a cheque worth more than $80,000 at age 18, with guaranteed payments to follow, rampant drug use can be the only explanation of how poverty manages to keep such a stronghold in the town.
If a young person could be persuaded to put sudden wealth out of reach, as an investment in education or to start a business or to own some real property, then it wouldn't be available to be squandered, stolen, wasted or given to criminals for crack cocaine.
In the meantime, we have to back up the authority of the law on the reserves, until a better understanding can take hold.
BRITAIN
Daily Telegraph, London, Nov. 23: Germany yesterday swore in its first female chancellor, after two months of horse-trading following an inconclusive election. Angela Merkel is also the first head of the federal government from the former Communist east of the country.
Yet these historic achievements are clouded by the economic legacy inherited from Gerhard SchrJoder and the nature of the new governing coalition. Unemployment, at over 11 per cent, is near the post-war high. Growth this year is expected to be under one per cent, and the budget deficit continues to breach European Union rules. Booming exports constitute the only bright note. In seeking to revive the domestic economy, Mrs Merkel is hampered by a grand coalition with the Social Democrats, who, after seven years in power, had made only modest moves towards loosening a sclerotic labour market and had twice broken electoral pledges to reduce joblessness.
Tough
Yet through these upheavals, and the earlier disgraceful attempt by Mr SchrJoder to claim an election victory, Mrs Merkel has kept her head. She may lack the media presence of her predecessor, but she is undoubtedly tough and has a clear idea of what is needed to restore German economic health.
The new Bundeskanzlerin, to give her official title, campaigned on a programme of labour and fiscal reform. She deserves a shot at implementing it without the baggage of her predecessor's legacy.