Partisan belligerence within government forces only confirms political positioning between the grand parties,ODM and PNU. Ordinary Kenyans are made to believe that Raila Odinga,appears a successful party leader and unofficial reform activist bu a failed Prime Minister. On the other hand, the ODM party is being made to appear as ‘soft on reforms’ that are desperately needed by the entire nation. Even when the maize saga hits the road bouncing the PNU side of goverenment feels that the Prime Minister is only trying to cross the road to pick a fight when leadership comes a forte.
The maize saga and politicization of the civil service are tools being used to portray the Prime Minister as the one lacking a follow-through machinery when it comes to supervising ministries.
Parliament has since made the PM to be remembered principally for his tackling words and never his deeds. His political vanity is curved on the premise that he is single-handedly trying to change the fate of the nation for his own good. The PM’s reform ‘policies’ have been cobbled together only to produce headlines in the newspapers and with a self-biting effect.
Many in government have been made to believe that when the PM pulls a lever here and pushes a button there, his own bureaucratic machinery in government backfires on the head of state as he in turn delivers homegrown points that are accustomed to what the electorate want. This ploy of turnishing the PM’s name is programmed,measured, thoughtful but damaging, to to Raila, but majority of the electorate.
It is also believed that the ODM side of the placebo – controlled coalition government is in the process of planning to bring reforms in government through parliament by mid- next year. It is argued that the current PNU led government has been on power since Kofi Annan brokered talked early last year through coalition government (GCG) and no major reforms seem to have taken place.
Some ODM politicians believe that it is time parliament focused on demanding reforms before the month of July, 2010. This would enable ODM to lead the reform process until when the elections are called in December 2012. Currently, the country has been derailed from key agendas of constitutional reforms secondary to the ongoing tussle between the grand coalition partners. As a party, ODM’s convoluted political journey seems to carry a reformist agenda for the nation. Therefore, the party believes that it is best suited to also lead the nation for two and a half years, from mid-July 2010until when the 2012 presidential contest would be held. This goes by the dictates of the National Accord and Reconciliation Act that institutionalized the 50-50 real power sharing. The proposed transitional process that has since accorded the House speaker Kenneth Otiato Marende, the interim chair of the House Business Committee and suspending the role to be played by the leader of government business, is to be effected by parliament before real power is given back to the people. The application of sections 3 and 4 of the National Accord makes ODM a beneficiary of the position of chairman of the House Business Committee and the Leader of Government Business.
In parliament, backbenchers seem to seek leave to introduce new Standing Orders that would allow the Prime Minister put through the reform agenda in parliament. The first move would be to re-constitutionalize the National Accord and Reconciliation Act of 2008 and the Constitution that the PNU side of government is aligned to. ODM, courtesy of the National Accord see it as the only way the running of government would be put under the control of Kenyans. Now that ordinary Kenyans ‘control’ leadership through parliament and he legislature is only but the primary level of reforming and empowering Kenyans and their systems of running government.
Even as the chances of a middle ground appearing remote between PNU and ODM the three-way PNU, ODM-K and the ODM split though in ‘coalition’, would transform our leadership from a presidential authoritarianism to parliamentary and later to a citizenry democracy. This may appear contrary to the tradition in most of the commonwealth countries but a sure way of making overall leadership accountable to parliament as the ultimate representative of the people.
The white- collar political offense on the side of ODM may be a well calculated onslaught since the inauguration of the 10th parliament. Prior to this move, ODM had felt the need to help unlock parliamentary business. The Orange Democratic Party facilitated the acquisition of the temporary chair of the House Business Committee by the speaker, who came from ODM, to take control of all House Committees and with the help of reform minded back-benchers. Even with the absence of speaker Marende, his deputy speaker Farah Maalim (ODM) would chair the committee while being assisted by ODM’s chief whip Jakowo Midiwo and PNU’s George Thuo. ODM based agenda – setting parliamentary House Business Committee leadership would ensure parliament divorces itself from executive influence while facilitating room for reforms including allowing the National Accord to be entrenched in the constitution and not for it to be seen as a subsidiary legislation. The party appears to re-affirm that the National Accord introduced elements of a parliamentary control to ordinary Kenyans and not for the president to control the House. On the other hand use of frequent parliamentary group meetings would boost the overall performance of parliament and governance. Such appalling aberrations, on the side of ODM, may allow ordinary Kenyans through parliament to participate in budget making and in other reform processes. Even as reforms appear dim for now work on the new constitution is of importance and would put the nation first beyond party interests.
Most importantly ordinary Kenyans yearn to still take leadership from the legislature if in case no major developments would have taken place. The culmination of power take- over by wananchi may depend on the performance of parliament before the next election is called in 2012. Wananchi believe that they have a stake to claim their right to leadership. Although ODM’s contention is that affairs of the country should run in accordance with the standing orders in parliament and the constitution and which it is determined to enforce. The party also evinces its analogy that serious coalition matters ought to be handled by the permanent committee on management of the grand coalition as a way of ending governance wrangles in a country polarized by political instability equal political supremacy between the coalition partners is the most sure-way of ending the current mess in the country. With the Management Committee in place, resolving problems facing the coalition through a wananchi-based legislative agenda would help the coalition government to deliver its promises to Kenyans.
The ODM party and leadership, in the spirit of real power-sharing in the coalition government as enshrined in the National Accord and Reconciliation Act, want Parliament, the Executive and the Judiciary as the three pillars of a democratic government to respect and practice the doctrine of separation of powers. In this case the Executive to include the top coalition partners that, together, formed the coalition government. This two-phased transitional process that would eventually wield power from authoritarian presidency would promote citizenry democracy and bring reforms that ordinary Kenyans have been yearning to have since the end of the Moi dictatorial regime.
The coalition capsule that is ODM and PNU may be a blessing in disguise for now but a recipe for good future leadership for Kenyans though it is upon parliament to trigger the much awaited reforms as a major step in democratizing Kenya through a reform-led and inclusive process.
Some would compare the ODM party to a ‘compressed’ and ‘scored’ tablet that is now ‘bitter’ but still popular in the market. PNU appears to be a ‘coated’ tablet that cannot illustrate its true nature by its appearance. ODM-Kenya, on the other hand is a layered-based tablet with a generic part of PNU. Kenyans, on this political prescription, are ‘disintegrating’ agents that make the ‘singular’ gelatine coalition capsule to literally swell and burst and break up to release the ‘contents’ during campaigns and elections.
The current coalition government being the ‘singular gelatine’ capsule appears indifferent to the eyes of Kenyans. Ordinary Kenyans, it seems, need a ‘liquid based’ soft gelatine capsule that does not define its ‘external’ divisions and differences to the eyes. This coalition politics being administered to Kenyans in its pure, corrosive way to the complex Kenyan delivery system may be a bad political dosage for our growing democracy.
Parliament now seems to be ‘unsure’ but ready to to prepare a formulation designed to maximize the stability and usefulness of the coalition capsule.
Even with varied ODM and PNU code designations Parliament has a challenge of marketing a united proprietary trademark that is the coalition. Come mid-next year chances are that backbenchers are likely to break the capsule at the right time for the sake of ordinary citizens. But not in its current ‘original’ form.
The over-the-counter kind of politics being prescribed by sectarian politicians may partisan influence parliament by creating new laws instead of altering and reforming existing ones that are in a way malnourished.
ODM and PNU idiosyncratic coalition may be good for the ears but with tribalism, cronyism and corruption as adverse reactions. Though the selective nature of ODM and PNU ideologies may have a dependancy effect on their followers due to varied affiliations of a communal and ethnic nature. Secondarily the two giant parties may not be well and fitting receptors as agonists for unity and democracy but could be highly specific in the urgency of the ideology of future leadership.
Parliament as the core pharmacy for legislative and political prescriptions, without the influence of other arms of government, ought to help save the otherwise ailing leadership,citizenry and its economic status.
Mundia Mundia Jnr.
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Date: Wed, 20 May 2009 03:42:29 -0700 [05/20/2009 05:42:29 AM CDT]
From: mundia mundia
Subject: ODM-PNU WRANGLING CAPSULE…