Tuesday, July 31, 2007
ODM BICKERING IS NOT HEALTHY FOR OPPOSITION
The conscience of the nation has been held hostage by the incessant bickering and boardroom dealings of the ODM leadership. There is no doubt that ODM commands a considerable following, this is political capital that should be utilized with magnanimity and candor. The ODM presidential hopefuls are keen to present a picture of unity to the public while they roll their sleeves to slug it out the moment they lock themselves in the boardrooms. There seems to be a believe that all that is remaining is the choosing of a candidate and the next thing is a march into state house. The bickering and back stabbing does not augur well for the much taunted unity.
Kibaki in the meantime has continued to avoid playing politics. In his public pronouncements he continues to extol economic development and exhort hard work and ingenuity. Kibaki has evaded talking about political parties and continues to direct the conscience of the nation on matters affecting the people in their daily lives. The president does not deem it worth his time to comment on the opposition’s bickering. He merely directs the nation to concentrate on issues that have a direct bearing on their lives.
As elections draw near, the talk of the nation will inevitably shift to matters electoral. Right now the obsession with the choice of candidate on the part of the opposition and choice of a party on the part of the incumbent continues to dominate the media. But we need to change focus to substantive issues. The mission of the ODM right now is limited to removing Kibaki from state house. The tempo of the referendum has slowed down, that was a straight Yes/No choice. The presidential elections will not be run on a Yes/No basis. We will have to scrutinize the candidates, their credentials, their vision, their capabilities and their potential at achieving what they set out to do. We must be focused on the future of the nation, our sustained economic development, international relations, our security, our health, our education, our infrastructure, agriculture and culture and at who is best placed to take lead us in these ventures. ODM is not giving us this chance.
While the ODM continues to fight over who will hold the knife, Kibaki who currently holds both the yam and the knife continues to solidify himself in the conscience of the nation. ODM leaders come out as a group that cannot agree among themselves, they come out as group guided by selfish interests, a group where holding the knife is more important than planting the yam, all that bickering is about who will sit where at the banquet and nothing about who will make the banquet.
As a group, ODM has failed to focus on the future of the nation and has decided to focus on the future of the individuals. The cracks in the ODM are becoming valleys and pretty soon the chasms will be impassable. The various corporate members will be standing on their own islands hailing the boat of unity which is fast drifting away with the ebbing tide. As I have argued in an earlier treatise, the hunt is not yet over. Let the ODM strategize the hunt, get all the hunters together, sharpen the spears and the knives, whet the hunting dogs with the scent of the catch, then go catch the hunt and place it on the table to share out. Right now they are sat at the table with forks and spoons ready to eat what is still in the jungle.
Kibaki in the meantime has continued to avoid playing politics. In his public pronouncements he continues to extol economic development and exhort hard work and ingenuity. Kibaki has evaded talking about political parties and continues to direct the conscience of the nation on matters affecting the people in their daily lives. The president does not deem it worth his time to comment on the opposition’s bickering. He merely directs the nation to concentrate on issues that have a direct bearing on their lives.
As elections draw near, the talk of the nation will inevitably shift to matters electoral. Right now the obsession with the choice of candidate on the part of the opposition and choice of a party on the part of the incumbent continues to dominate the media. But we need to change focus to substantive issues. The mission of the ODM right now is limited to removing Kibaki from state house. The tempo of the referendum has slowed down, that was a straight Yes/No choice. The presidential elections will not be run on a Yes/No basis. We will have to scrutinize the candidates, their credentials, their vision, their capabilities and their potential at achieving what they set out to do. We must be focused on the future of the nation, our sustained economic development, international relations, our security, our health, our education, our infrastructure, agriculture and culture and at who is best placed to take lead us in these ventures. ODM is not giving us this chance.
While the ODM continues to fight over who will hold the knife, Kibaki who currently holds both the yam and the knife continues to solidify himself in the conscience of the nation. ODM leaders come out as a group that cannot agree among themselves, they come out as group guided by selfish interests, a group where holding the knife is more important than planting the yam, all that bickering is about who will sit where at the banquet and nothing about who will make the banquet.
As a group, ODM has failed to focus on the future of the nation and has decided to focus on the future of the individuals. The cracks in the ODM are becoming valleys and pretty soon the chasms will be impassable. The various corporate members will be standing on their own islands hailing the boat of unity which is fast drifting away with the ebbing tide. As I have argued in an earlier treatise, the hunt is not yet over. Let the ODM strategize the hunt, get all the hunters together, sharpen the spears and the knives, whet the hunting dogs with the scent of the catch, then go catch the hunt and place it on the table to share out. Right now they are sat at the table with forks and spoons ready to eat what is still in the jungle.
