Aden Duale
Considering the events from as far back as the General Election in 2013, the question that Kenyans need to ask themselves is whether the Opposition Cord has lived up to the task of shadowing government. This question is fundamental because in a democracy like ours, the Opposition has a fundamental role to play.
In my honest, view Cord has failed completely in this onerous and critical role, choosing instead to dwell on sideshows. What government needs is an honest Opposition whose politics is driven by substantive issues that positively shape the destiny of this country.
When an Opposition plays its rightful role, government is kept on toes, and the result is that citizens get the services they deserve. Enlightened debates in Parliament enrich decision making and help shape policies and laws in a way that make them responsive to needs of the citizens.
This is where Cord has gone wrong.
First, it does not believe it was beaten in the last elections. However, whichever lenses one looks at the poll figures with, one realises that Jubilee won hands down. The composition of the National Assembly is the best demonstration of this.
Instead of accepting the cold reality that it lost the elections, Cord degenerated into a denial mode. While in that mode, it wasted a chunk of its time and resources complaining and grumbling at every turn about how it was short-changed by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission and the Supreme Court. It never got round to sitting down to chart the way forward on the role that the elections, which were widely acclaimed as free and fair, had accorded them.
Indeed, up to this minute, Cord seems not to have outgrown this denial given its woeful performance in the last two years in the National Assembly. I find it hard to remember any Bill brought before the House by an Opposition MP! Such is how dismal their record is. When challenged on this unmitigated disservice to Kenyans, they are quick to blame the so-called tyranny of numbers. How convenient!
Truth be told, the Opposition’s legislative agenda has been rudderless like a ship without the coxswain and whose wind has been taken off the sail. The co-principals Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetang’ula have spectacularly failed to give direction to their troops, yet these are the same leaders angling to go to State House. How, pray tell, will they steer the weighty national affairs of the nation when they have been unable to rally their brigade to originate and pass ingenious laws to benefit the nation?
Because of its inability to come up with any meaningful agenda for Kenyans, Cord has been just sitting idle waiting for the government to stumble. Thus every setback the government faces has been an opportunity for Cord to jump all over the town and shout from the rooftops, with fantastic proclamations that President Uhuru Kenyatta’s government has failed. From molehills, the Opposition has been quick and happy to create mountains that rival Mt Everest. If they thought this would resurrect their political fortunes, which have dramatically nose-dived, they had better think again.
Some of the allegations made by the Opposition against the government are completely out of proportion with the reality. It is simply mind-blowing the amount of lies that Cord’s propaganda machine has churned out regarding corruption, the state of the economy and Eurobond.
Yes, we in government have admitted that corruption is one of the biggest headaches facing us. However, the President has not been sitting pretty as this cancer devours the soul of our national fabric. He has taken decisive, solid and tangible steps such as sending a number of Cabinet secretaries and principal secretaries packing. Now the government has struck a deal to fight corruption with the private sector, the main purveyor of the vice.
The government has also underscored the centrality of the role independent institutions such as the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, the Judiciary, the auditor general and Director of Public Prosecutions can play in stemming the scourge. These institutions must put their best foot forward and perform their respective constitutional roles. The Executive cannot successfully wipe out this menace alone. It needs the support of these institutions, which are well-resourced for the purpose of carrying out their mandate smoothly and effectively. Â
While the government is burning the midnight oil strategising on how to deal with graft once and for all, the Opposition has been deriding these efforts by coming up with outlandish claims just to score parochial political points. If Cord were patriotic enough, it would have realised that the series of farcical claims it has been propagating do nothing to make this country a better place for all Kenyans. A more responsible Opposition would be guarded and avoid going public with outbursts that only serve to scare away investors and hurt our country’s wellbeing.
It is not difficult to see that Cord is desperate to win power in the next elections. All indications are that 2017 is Raila’s last good chance in the presidential race and the prospects do not look bright at all for him. This explains the rather unorthodox means Cord is using to woo Kenyans to their corner. This evident frustration is also driven by the fact that Jubilee is doing quite fine in delivering its promises despite a host of challenges. The only available option for them is to lie.
By putting its propaganda factory to work in overdrive, Cord is also deflecting attention from its failures and hypocrisies. It is the height of dishonesty for Cord to pretend that their 2017 flag bearer will be picked through a democratic process, for example. Which democratic process? We know Raila will grab the ticket by hook and crook, and Kalonzo and Wetangula will be his flower girls. If Kalonzo and Wetangula want us to take them seriously, then they should begin shopping for another party now.
Lastly, need I mention that ODM is a study on how not to run party polls? It is common knowledge the bizarre happenings that come to light whenever the party attempts to conduct internal elections. You wonder where Raila’s leadership is in these ugly scenes that border on anarchy. If he cannot maintain harmony in a tribal party, how will he run the country with diverse groups of people?
Writer is the Leader of Majority in the National Assembly and the MP for Garissa Township Constituency
Email your news TIPS to Editor@nairobilawmonthly.com, and to advertise with us, call +254715061658 anytime of the day
