Post by OK on May 17, 2007 8:38:12 GMT 3
ODM is not acting like a government of the future
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Okech Kendo
When you hear some ODM-Kenya would-be presidents pleading for a national elections board, you might imagine another inlet for democracy has been blocked.
For the casual observer, the first suspect would be the Government. This is because mendacious governments are known to deny the opposition goodies that could advance democracy.
But in this case, it is not the Attorney-General, the Justice and Constitutional Affairs or Internal Security ministries that are denying the competition the right to an independent election board.
No, the usual punching bags of democratic forces are innocent on this account. It is ODM itself that is confusing its constituency, popping up with issues every too often, throwing tantrums and demanding answers or sympathy from the wrong publics. When the leaders complain, they expect the public to be part of the solution to problems that have nothing to do with citizens.
Crybabies
These are issues they can resolve in-house, without having to behave like what Justice minister Ms Martha Karua would call ‘crybabies’. The electorate merely wants better, focused, resolute, corruption-baggage free, prejudice-free, decisive and equity-driven leadership.
But ODM, even with its constellation of potentially good leaders, is yet to show it is better or can be relied on to develop institutions that advance democracy. Not when they cry about issues they alone can resolve. Just recently, some ODM leaders were running riot about the requirement that presidential aspirants pay Sh2 million on returning nomination forms.
From the way the case was presented, one would have thought some outsider was imposing an unwanted levy on ODM. But the Kenya Revenue Authority is yet to impose value added or withholding taxes on leadership services. Neither has City Hall levied service charge on presidential aspirants.
Nomination fee and an elections board are ODM issues that the party can resolve without recourse to public sympathy and pity. Moreover, the party’s own rules define who is supposed to constitute an election board. The rules indicate that the presidential aspiration fee is Sh1 million.
How Sh2 million came about is for the aspirants to tell the people. It can do this without demonstrating to the public that ODM is as disjointed as the Government it intends to succeed.
Or as Narc-Kenya, a party that decided it could do with 58 officials in the national executive committee because it is afraid of the future. So it has a chairman in charge of fishermen and farmers, but none for boda boda taxi operators, quarry workers or vigilantes.
Greed
If Narc-Kenya and Government are fumbling, ODM is bumbling. But a government-in-waiting should strive to appear like it has answers or the potential to address the nation’s challenges. But ODM, or a section of it, seems like it does not even have answers to its internal problems, including simple things as establishing an elections board.
Certain issues stick out as proof that ODM leaders are yet to learn to dialogue and understand one another. Wrangles and greed of ‘me, myself and I’ killed the National Rainbow Confusion. The people may not be ready for another death of hope within so short a time.
One lesson is this: There can only be one President at a time. Another is that the people want ODM-Kenya, Narc-Kenya and other mules to compete on the quality of their visions and promise. Any other criterion is mundane. There should be no room for demonstrated and hands-on incompetence. But you do not form a government by bumbling, fumbling, trembling and doublespeak.
Of these, Kenyans are only too familiar and would not want to place their hopes in the wrong basket again. They may not want to put their future in the hands of people who fumble too much and love to pass the buck even on issues they should resolve.
In 2002, the electorate diced with doubt, and made panic decisions that undermined attempts to reconfigure the country.
Voters know there are leaders they cannot trust and should not have trusted.
Another load of indecision and contradictions for another five years of experiment would be a throwback 44 years. Wake up, and do not allow yourself to be dragged backwards in defence of a mendacious power elite or its likeness.
The writer is The Standard Managing Editor, Quality and Production
kendo@eastandard.net
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Okech Kendo
When you hear some ODM-Kenya would-be presidents pleading for a national elections board, you might imagine another inlet for democracy has been blocked.
For the casual observer, the first suspect would be the Government. This is because mendacious governments are known to deny the opposition goodies that could advance democracy.
But in this case, it is not the Attorney-General, the Justice and Constitutional Affairs or Internal Security ministries that are denying the competition the right to an independent election board.
No, the usual punching bags of democratic forces are innocent on this account. It is ODM itself that is confusing its constituency, popping up with issues every too often, throwing tantrums and demanding answers or sympathy from the wrong publics. When the leaders complain, they expect the public to be part of the solution to problems that have nothing to do with citizens.
Crybabies
These are issues they can resolve in-house, without having to behave like what Justice minister Ms Martha Karua would call ‘crybabies’. The electorate merely wants better, focused, resolute, corruption-baggage free, prejudice-free, decisive and equity-driven leadership.
But ODM, even with its constellation of potentially good leaders, is yet to show it is better or can be relied on to develop institutions that advance democracy. Not when they cry about issues they alone can resolve. Just recently, some ODM leaders were running riot about the requirement that presidential aspirants pay Sh2 million on returning nomination forms.
From the way the case was presented, one would have thought some outsider was imposing an unwanted levy on ODM. But the Kenya Revenue Authority is yet to impose value added or withholding taxes on leadership services. Neither has City Hall levied service charge on presidential aspirants.
Nomination fee and an elections board are ODM issues that the party can resolve without recourse to public sympathy and pity. Moreover, the party’s own rules define who is supposed to constitute an election board. The rules indicate that the presidential aspiration fee is Sh1 million.
How Sh2 million came about is for the aspirants to tell the people. It can do this without demonstrating to the public that ODM is as disjointed as the Government it intends to succeed.
Or as Narc-Kenya, a party that decided it could do with 58 officials in the national executive committee because it is afraid of the future. So it has a chairman in charge of fishermen and farmers, but none for boda boda taxi operators, quarry workers or vigilantes.
Greed
If Narc-Kenya and Government are fumbling, ODM is bumbling. But a government-in-waiting should strive to appear like it has answers or the potential to address the nation’s challenges. But ODM, or a section of it, seems like it does not even have answers to its internal problems, including simple things as establishing an elections board.
Certain issues stick out as proof that ODM leaders are yet to learn to dialogue and understand one another. Wrangles and greed of ‘me, myself and I’ killed the National Rainbow Confusion. The people may not be ready for another death of hope within so short a time.
One lesson is this: There can only be one President at a time. Another is that the people want ODM-Kenya, Narc-Kenya and other mules to compete on the quality of their visions and promise. Any other criterion is mundane. There should be no room for demonstrated and hands-on incompetence. But you do not form a government by bumbling, fumbling, trembling and doublespeak.
Of these, Kenyans are only too familiar and would not want to place their hopes in the wrong basket again. They may not want to put their future in the hands of people who fumble too much and love to pass the buck even on issues they should resolve.
In 2002, the electorate diced with doubt, and made panic decisions that undermined attempts to reconfigure the country.
Voters know there are leaders they cannot trust and should not have trusted.
Another load of indecision and contradictions for another five years of experiment would be a throwback 44 years. Wake up, and do not allow yourself to be dragged backwards in defence of a mendacious power elite or its likeness.
The writer is The Standard Managing Editor, Quality and Production
kendo@eastandard.net