Saturday, November 3, 2012

Jokers Should Now Quit Race



FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2012 - 00:00 -- BY DAVID MAKALI
My friend Fred Obachi Machoka has observed a strange phenomenon on the political scene. Every presidential candidate, it seems, is surrounded by overzealous attack dogs yearning to pounce on opponents at the slightest opportunity.
They will do everything and anything to endear themselves to their master. These handlers either carry out assignments on behalf of their principals or execute their own agenda.
Many are self-appointed while others have overt time wormed their way into a permanent place by the side of the aspirants. Like leeches, they are difficult to shake off and most vicious in their defence of the ‘boss’.
They are without exception vocal, calculating and manipulative. They are easily accessible to media people and quick to speak – often under cover of confidence.
They are responsible for most of the story leaks in the media about what their candidate or the rivals are planning, whom they have met and the outcomes of such meetings.
Whether they eavesdrop on the conversations or are privy to the proceedings as confidants, the truth is that nearly sixty percent of the political reports in the media and spiraling rumors are traced to these motor mouths.
In some instances, and on a dry news day, they simply spin stories to ingratiate themselves and boost their standing as news sources. They also engineer conflict and go to extremes of generating information with burdensome telephone and entertainment bills.
Never mind that these are not settled by their principals sometimes, the pleasure of just having broken a story here or influenced one there is fulfillment enough to cherish. At the end of the day, they report to their masters the results of their hard labour.
Now, make no mistake. These are not some downtrodden vermin of the earth. Some of these hangers of are Members of Parliament, professional or business associates, or practiced political fixers. Consultants, they say. They can afford a decent living because they have excelled in the art of brokerage – political and business. This is their peak season.
But from December, many will either be jobless or their services will no longer curry favour with their “clients”. Their fortunes and careers are tied to those of the presidential candidates they purport to represent or associate with.
Agreements or political rapprochement spell doom for their careers. Think of elected MPs without whose abiding presence by the side of some presidential aspirants makes them incomplete.
They are the ones who are shouting loudest and urging their benefactors to contest the presidency, even when it is clear they are only pursuing self interest. They know they can cling on to their coat tails and find their way into parliament, even if their presidential candidates are vanguished.
Yet statistics show that on average about 70 percent of sitting MPs never make it back to Parliament. The handful that do are forced on the electorate in places where the political chieftain’s word is revered.
Count Nyanza, and now central Kenya and Rift Valley which are on the verge of joining the political kingdoms. But even that is not assured anymore with each presidential candidate insisting they will subject their supporters to the party rules, respect the people’s choice and follow the constitution. Many loyalists are bound to fall by the wayside as the electorate turns up the fury.
Which is why it is amusing listening to the strident calls of some vocal politicians who have defined themselves by the unwitting defence of their party leaders in URP, TNA, ODM, UDF or WDP.
Any suggestion that Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka, Uhuru Kenyatta, William Ruto or Musalia Mudavadi will not be on the ballot paper is attacked with the viciousness of a viper.
Yet, few aspirants have a fighting chance of becoming president of Kenya at next year’s election. While their campaign teams could know more than the rest of us, isn’t it becoming rather obvious who are the serious candidates and the jokers in this race? For how long will they string their supporters for selfish ends?
One month from now, the chickens will come home to roost and all that boisterous talk and pretence will evaporate when the final shortlist of candidates for March 4 will become apparent.
Then reality will set in; the road will become narrower and lonelier for presidential aspirants as their cheerleaders scamper back to their constituencies for their own survival.
Woe unto to those who will not have assembled resources and professional campaign teams to battle for the vote nationally. The hordes of defectors joining their camps now are delusionary.
Their deafening support and adoration for the aspirants will fade into a mirage in a month’s time. Oh, the hypocrisy of our politics can be delirious!

Makali is a journalist and political commentator. dmakali@yahoo.com

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