ODM’s woes a true reflection of our politics

Much has been said about the incessant wrangling in the Orange Party.

However, there is one thing that we all seem to have forgotten: that what is happening in ODM represents Kenya’s political reality and identity.

A few days ago, I got into an argument with a friend who strongly holds the opinion that the ODM crisis is a reflection of poor leadership.

I disagreed. I hasten to clarify that I do not belong to any political party.

The argument that I put to my friend was that what is happening in ODM is merely a continuation of what has been happening to political parties in Kenya since independence once they are out of power.

Look at the independence party, Kanu. When it lost power in 2002, it shrunk like a deflated balloon. Today it hobbles along the rough political road like many other small parties.

Narc wrested power from Kanu and for five years it enjoyed the status of a formidable political movement.

But, alas, all that changed once its leaders went their separate ways and started new parties.

Mwai Kibaki sought a new presidential term as a Party of National Unity (PNU) candidate. He scraped through the botched 2007 elections and like Narc before it, PNU enjoyed the status of a ruling party for five years.

After that, it also went the Kanu way. Now we have The National Alliance (TNA), the United Republican Party (URP), and others.

What will happen once their owners have served their terms in office is quite predictable.

ODM started off as a powerful opposition movement that challenged the PNU leadership. After the chaotic 2007 elections, a power-sharing deal was struck between ODM and PNU.

The problems afflicting the party today are related to its having lost the contest for power after the last General Election.

One hopes that it does not sink into oblivion like its predecessors. Such an eventuality would be tragic as we cannot have a democracy without a strong opposition.

ARE NOT GENUINE

This brings us to the question of why our political culture produces so many parties and proceeds to kill them.

One of the obvious reasons is that they are not genuine in the first place.

A political party is defined as an organisation that brings together people who have a common ideological orientation and who share political aims and opinions.

If you look at most of the outfits that litter our political wasteland masquerading as parties, you will not fail to realise that their owners have no shared ideology.

In fact many of them are registered purely for monetary gain.

What is even worse is that most of those who launch parties do so only to use them as vehicles to ride to power.

They are not interested in building strong institutions that can have a positive and lasting impact on the country’s political culture.

Until we stop the business of registering parties for short-term and other despicable interests, our democracy will remain stunted.

ODM can contribute to the building of a better Kenya by consistently articulating an alternative political ideology that meets the aspirations of most Kenyans.

A few strong and genuine parties can heal our sick political culture.

Prof Mbatiah is a creative writer and scholar based at the University of Nairobi. ([email protected]).

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