Party-hoppers show contempt for those who elect them
Deputy President William Ruto at Ngala grounds, Malindi during campaigns for Jubilee candidate Philip Charo ahead of March 7, 2016 by-elections. PHOTO | REBECCA NDUKU | DPPS
What you need to know:
- Political leaders easily switch parties because they are not bound by a common conviction or ideology. They are for sale to the highest bidder.
- Party-hopping is a cynical game that makes a mockery of people’s choices which, if truth be told, have absolutely nothing to do with issues such as integrity, ideology, or campaign promises, but with tribal affiliation.
The stakes in Monday’s by-election in Malindi are expected to be high for both the Jubilee and Cord coalitions. Jubilee has been going on a charm offensive to woo this traditional opposition stronghold while Cord has been telling supporters to stay loyal to the Opposition, particularly the ODM party, which has a big following here.
It is going to be a heated contest because neither coalition can claim to have performed brilliantly in Malindi. Residents have not experienced any significant improvements in their quality of life since they elected ODM’s Dan Kazungu, whose appointment as Cabinet secretary led to this by-election.
On the contrary, with a decline in tourism, the fortunes of Malindi residents are diminishing. And with all the scandals that have marred the Jubilee administration, it is difficult to make a case for why Malindi should vote for someone from the ruling coalition. If the Jubilee candidate, Philip Charo, wins, it will be a victory for Kilifi North MP Gideon Mung’aro, who has ditched his own ODM party to root for Jubilee. If the ODM candidate, Willy Mtengo, wins, then Cord will be vindicated.
The Malindi by-election is a microcosm of what ails political parties in the country and could be an indicator of how the 2017 General Election might play out. Nothing signifies this better than the campaign slogan of Philip Charo, which reads “Malindi Tumehama” (Malindi has left/moved on). If you read between the lines, the slogan is suggesting that, like Mung’aro and Kazungu, the residents of Malindi have left Cord and joined Jubilee.
The question no one is asking is what gave Mung’aro and Kazungu the right to shift alliances in the middle of their terms. Both were elected on ODM tickets and so technically and legally should be representing the ODM party in the region.
If for personal or other reasons they decided to join the ruling Jubilee coalition, they should have first sought the permission of their party leadership and the voters who elected them.
BETRAYAL OF TRUST
Leaving their own party in the middle of their terms is a betrayal of the trust that the electorate vested in them. I do not know if Kazungu sought the permission of ODM leader Raila Odinga before he was appointed Cabinet secretary for Mining in the Jubilee administration, but if I was the party leader I would have asked him to resign from the party before taking the job.
As for Mung’aro, he has shown the people of Kilifi North that, given the right incentive, people can easily switch sides. If Mung’aro is now a staunch supporter of Jubilee, then he should step down as MP for Kilifi North and let the people of his constituency decide afresh who should represent them.
Party-hopping is nothing new in Kenya. It happens before every election. Let us not forget that William Ruto was once a leading member of ODM and Uhuru Kenyatta was Kanu’s flag bearer.
Political leaders easily switch parties because they are not bound by a common conviction or ideology. They are for sale to the highest bidder. Politics in Kenya is a form of prostitution. Whoever buys you owns you.
The difference this time is that elected leaders are abandoning their parties before their term has ended. This has left the electorate confused. What if I vote for a candidate from one party today and tomorrow he moves to another party? What does the Constitution and the law have to say about this?
Party-hopping is a cynical game that makes a mockery of people’s choices which, if truth be told, have absolutely nothing to do with issues such as integrity, ideology, or campaign promises, but with tribal affiliation. While most of the six candidates vying for the Malindi seat are Giriamas, their affiliation to the bigger tribes is what will determine the outcome of this election.
The general contempt our leaders have for the people who vote for them was illustrated a couple of weeks ago at a sponsored public debate for all six candidates that was held at Malindi’s Cleopatra Theatre.
Only four of the candidates turned up. Significantly, the ODM and Jubilee candidates did not bother to show up or even to send any apologies.
