There’s Much More To ODM Than Internal Elections

FRIDAY, 09 DECEMBER 2011 00:13 BY RACHEL SHEBESH

One would be excused for imagining that after the watershed moments following the bungled general elections in 2007 and subsequent post election violence, stakeholders in the political arena would be keen to ensure the principles and practice of democracy firmly entrench themselves in all spheres of our political and national organization.

Whilst progress is being made at the national level in line with agenda 4 of the Kofi Annan brokered post election deal , the ghosts of the acrimonious and infamous 2007 ODM party nominations have returned to haunt and undermine the tenets of democracy. I have argued in this column before that the real frontiers for entrenching democracy lie in the credible and transparent practice of party political processes. I will disregard the provisions of the Political parties act for the moment as its enforcement is mired in amorphous interpretation

The timing of the ODM party elections could not have come at a better time. With a year to go before the next general elections, it is crucial for the party to clean house, build strong grassroots structures and endear itself to the voting public. As committed members we should not delude ourselves of the enormity of the task ahead in rebuilding the ODM to be the party of choice. It is also foolhardy to pretend that internal rebellion from a section of the party membership has not undermined the potency of ODM as a national force.

The current ODM elections are at various stages of completion for myriad yet avoidable reasons. The practice of electioneering in democracy is neither whimsical nor optional. It is fundamental. ODM must not pay lip service or tokenism to democracy. With the whiff of change now pervading our national governance organs, the party should be alive to the fact that the shenanigans which characterized the 2007 nominations exercise have no place today. I want to believe that those members, who have stuck with ODM since then, did so because of a shared belief in its founding ideals and values. Winning or losing in competition for various party positions is only a secondary consideration if internal party processes are fair and seen to be open and transparent .

As the party seeks to conclude its grassroots elections in various parts of the country, let it be wary of the following;

Firstly, as an entity the party should remain the focal point beyond the individuals constituting it. It has always been politically fashionable and propaganda fodder to associate political parties with their leadership. Almost all mainstream parties without exception are symbiotically linked to their leaders.ODM should not lend credence to this notion by invoking the Party leader to intercede every time political processes and structures fail in house. The new constitution has systematically dismantled the imperial exercise of power by the Executive and political parties should doubtlessly take heed. If the party organs self correcting mechanisms are inadequate we either modify them, lose members or forever let the courts arbitrate

Secondly, ODM must strive to deliberately reflect the face of Kenya in all spheres of representation. For a party consistently rated as the most popular, diversity and inclusivity must be a logical and natural imperative. With our nascent democracy especially in respect to elections, it is possible to yield winners from one community, gender, religion, tribe etc depending on the demographics of a region. The challenge for political leadership is to define a process for representation based on a balanced scorecard. However desirable the one man-one vote universal suffrage principle is, it must be weighed against the negative connotations of exclusion. The party must be alive to negotiated democracy in a transitioning society.

Thirdly the party must rise from its lethargy of exercising best practices in democracy. Who said democracy is cheap? Whereas electioneering processes and tools are not universal, the party that equates itself to South Africa’s ANC must embrace and promote the right to vote, secrecy of the ballot and allow independent oversight of the process. It is shameful that the establishment of credible party lists has become a study in rocket science. How else can the validity and reliability of election results pass the tests of transparency and accountability? Attributing logistical or administrative challenges as contributory factors to the fiasco in the contested areas is out rightly lame considering the number of times the elections were postponed. Granted, queue voting and acclamation are also recognized forms of exercising choice but they are overt reminders of the anti democratic excesses of the past. ODM, a party victimized by a disputed election in 2007 should never contemplate turning the clock back on democracy. It is unfathomable to contemplate the endorsement of officials who have negotiated party positions in private offices simply because the party was too lazy to do its work.

Fourthly, without verified party lists, ODM must be alive to the unsustainable “cartel” politics especially in cosmopolitan areas. The deception and false sense of comfort that comes with the proclamation of having conducted successful elections will surely haunt it in later days on the realization that “professional hirelings” are a factor in Party politics. The ability to mobilize unemployed youth, cause a furore and intimidate opponents does not define democracy nor is it an excuse for the abdication of party vetting processes.Those of us who believe in the ideals that ODM stood for have a moral obligation to raise the red flag from within however unpalatable it may be. ODM must rise to the challenges of internal party democratization and not succumb to blackmail for short term expediency. There is more to ODM than party positions.

Rachel Shebesh is ODM Nominated MP