Why should Government use leaflets?

THINGS MUST BE GETTING desperate when the Government opts to communicate with its people through pamphleteering.

I’m not kidding, the streets of the Nairobi city centre on Monday were littered with leaflets, courtesy of Government Spokesman Alfred Mutua, trying to explain the Government’s position on the anti-media law.

Now, long gone are the days when leaflets had to be strewn furtively on the streets.

In my memory, the last time such methods of communication were commonplace was during the one-party dictatorship, when various dissident groupings, denied legitimate channels and threatened with arrest and long prison terms if caught sharing their seditious thoughts, resorted to leaflets.

Things have changed a great deal since then. Kanu is not the sole legal political party; indeed Kanu is no longer in the power equation. The former opposition that used to be targeted for brutal treatment now runs the show.

Some fellows — then classed “enemies of development” and “disgruntled elements” — who used to be constant guests of the State for spreading seditious anti-Nyayo thoughts through underground literature, now enjoy state motorcades and security as members of the Cabinet and decision-making organs.

They smoothly made the transition from impoverished dissidents to members of the wabenzi tribe, and had no problem learning the ropes on where to cut the best deals in the oil business, maize trading, security procurement, sugar imports, privatisation and anywhere else one in Government can make a quick buck even if the rest of the country starves.

And they still favour pamphleteering as a means of communications? I suppose you can take a villager out of the village, but taking the village out of the villager is another proposition altogether.

But there may well be some logic to it, all. It takes a Government filled with self-doubt and insecurity to craft laws that are designed to kill the free and independent media, never mind that it rode on that media before it got to power.

A peculiar feature of African governments is that the more they feel threatened, the more they turn to repression and anti-democratic tendencies; and the more they turn to grabbing and looting in the vain hope that they can amass enough wealth to buy off the opponents they cannot otherwise vanquish.

THE MORE THEY GRAB, THE MORE they must turn to oppression and repression to keep their foes at bay, and the more they must silence all independent voices, starting with the media.

The vicious circle is complete when the Government resorts to strewing leaflets all over the place; afraid that even with all the means of communication at its command — including the public broadcasting service and the power to invade independent broadcasters and smash their equipment — its voice is still being ignored by the people.

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There is another peculiar thing happening around this contentious anti-media legislation. President Kibaki’s coalition partner, Prime Minister Raila Odinga, is crying foul and suggesting that the very existence of the coalition is endangered.

After playing mute during the entire process when the Kenya Communication (Amendment) Act was steered through Parliament, ODM is now saying that it was not party to the proposal and holding it up as another example of how they are being sidelined from the Government decision-making process.

There is, of course, little evidence that ODM legislators were opposed to the legislation. If anything, they were complicit by staying away from Parliament on the day and allowing such a critical law to be passed by some two dozen MPs.

Anyway, we are now being told that ODM will sponsor a Bill seeking repeal of the offensive clauses. How a political party that is part of government sponsors proposals likely to be opposed by the Government presents intriguing possibilities.

Let’s see how that pans out.

But still, there is the other issue of how the Grand Coalition functions. We have a President who retains executive power and a Prime Minister who is supposed to exercise general supervision and co-ordination of government.

Head of public service Francis Muthaura is the one who actually exercises supervision and coordination, making the post of Prime Minister superfluous.

So apart from enjoying the trappings of power, why would Mr Odinga, want to remain in government?