Summary
·
It is
something extraordinary how the man has battled four heads of state, beginning
with Daniel Toroitich arap Moi right up to William Samoi Ruto
Raila Amolo Odinga is doing what he does best - that is leading mass action against the
government. It is something extraordinary how the man has battled four heads of state, beginning with Daniel Toroitich arap Moi right up to William Samoi Ruto. That is a very high number of leaders.At his age that is approaching 80, I
wish I could see Odinga performing a different type of political role to the
one that he is currently playing. I find it striking that his late father,
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, the so-called doyen of Kenyan opposition politics, was
not far off Raila's current age when he embarked on a fresh course of action at
the fiftieth minute of the eleventh hour of his life.
Quoting from Raila's
autobiography, TheFlameofFreedom, "Towards the end of his
life, Jaramogi had opted to embrace a policy of limited co-operation with the
ruling KANU government...many of Jaramogi's followers were shocked, doubtful
and worried, with the less thoughtful and perceptive among them automatically
considering him a sell-out.
"But Jaramogi was a consummate
politician, and he knew that the role of a loyal opposition was not to engage
in daily confrontation with the government but to work with the government to
implement good policies, and to oppose the government only where it was obvious
that danger lay ahead or where dishonesty and corruption played roles. He told
me that it was not possible to keep the public in a state of permanent
agitation for five years. He knew fatigue would set in, hence his view that
cooperation was necessary to ensure and facilitate development in opposition
areas. He knew there was no point at that stage in opposing the rigged 1992
elections. He had decided on a different strategy.
"Jaramogi's ideas were sound
and well-intentioned, although I still did not fully approve of them at the
time. And I am not sure KANU responded in kind. Moi welcomed the overture but
no doubt in his own self-interest. He thought the move would reduce Jaramogi's
standing with the rest of the opposition, thereby fragmenting it further.”
It is vitally important to point out
that a point of departure between the era of Jaramogi and Raila is the coming
into being of the 2010 Constitution. It was even described back then as the
Second Republic - a major constitutional leap forward.
With the existence of the old older,
areas that were considered opposition strongholds would easily suffer all
manner of skewed allocation of resources. Some politicians could find
themselves caving into a repressive system so as to enjoy a few development
goodies. Kenyan politics inexorably came of age and Raila Odinga's contribution
to the birth of the new constitution is firmly engraved.
The troubling aspect now is that
some of his ways are not consistent with those political triumphs.
Odinga has no doubt tested to the
limit the 2010 Constitution by seeking electoral justice three times at the
Supreme Court. It adjudicated in his favour in 2017 - a historic ruling on the
continent -though he boycotted the repeat election.
In 2022, the Supreme Court dismissed
with some contempt Odinga's petition. What would follow was Odinga hurling a
stream of invective against the apex court of the land. To me, this was a very
low moment in Odinga's public life. However one is aggrieved against a ruling,
the respect of the judiciary must be protected at all costs. Which is the other
means of legal recourse?
The behaviour of Odinga has gotten
me thinking about what to expect in Tanzania when the opposition political
players will be able to file presidential petitions. Will they resort to the
undignified language after a ruling goes against them?
Some readers will recall the
fiercely contested poll between George Bush and Al Gore in the United States.
Gore was highly injured in the process but never rubbished the judges.
A flaw that pronounces itself is how
Odinga is made up of double standards. This was exhibited by how he related to
John Magufuli. It is absolutely mind-boggling how Raila as a liberation fighter
could be a bosom buddy with a sworn enemy of liberty. They say politics makes
for strange bedfellows but surely not of this kind!
It is my opinion that where Raila is
today, he better heed his father's words. How do you keep the public in a state
of permanent agitation without more economic pain for the ‘hoi polloi’? It
is a joke to hear that the high cost of living also forms part of the mass
action. The Ruto government has not even been in power for a year such that to
project a situation of “danger lying ahead” to borrow from Jaramogi is not
playing the role of a “loyal opposition”.
The nation must trump egotism.
The Second Republic demands much
more responsible politics from across the entire gamut.
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