Rachel Shebesh Says
I wish to set the record straight on why I will contest the forthcoming elections on a TNA ticket. Plenty has been said including malicious, fallacious and in some cases genuine attempts at objective analysis on why I am leaving ODM – a party that sponsored me to Parliament in 2008.
From the word go let me state that any political decision I have made in my life has been guided by my values and principles-which I will continue to firmly cherish. Firstly I believe in the principles and practice of democracy- the right to choose leaders in a free, fair , open and transparent process whether within or without party boundaries.
Secondly i believe in the right to uphold in letter and spirit the principles enshrined in our constitution including the freedom of association and non discrimination on any basis. Being principled also means making tough decisions as often as is necessary which will not always please some sections of society. For this I draw inspiration from my mentors hon. Martha Karua, hon Charity Ngilu and hon Mumbi Ngaru who have at various stages in my political journey held my hand and offered valuable political guidance in the face of adversity besides displaying admirable leadership qualities of courage, strength and decisiveness
With that preamble let me thank my current sponsoring party ODM for having given me the opportunity over the last couple of years to articulate and ventilate at almost any fora the need to promote adherence to the rule of law, promote equity, and equality, fight impunity and check excesses of the executive- a role I will continue to vigorously play if Kenyans endorse me as a TNA Nairobi womens representative.
Considering the founding principles and policies of ODM well captured in its manifesto, protecting these critical tenets necessary for good governance and democracy come easily and with unswerving consistency from me. To some, this consistency made me a hawkish defender of the party and for which I make no apologies because it was in sync with my personal and political convictions.
Needless to mention including in various articles penned to the media over the last couple of years I consistently implored that after the constitution, the next frontier for a true third liberation was internal party democracy. Personally I have never been convinced that party nomination processes in Kenya meet the standards for best democratic practices, whether it is because of managerial, logistical, financial or self serving gatekeepers.
Without belaboring the point I have been victim to these machinations, stood up to them openly, consistently and now reached decision time. Notwithstanding, I am a reliable team player and to the extent that team harmony, cohesion and focus on key deliverables is maintained I can be counted on even from the substitutes bench to play my part.
Going forward ,I choose to contribute to nation building within a political context and would rather lose an election any day in an environment where all the variables are known in a predictable party environment and within a cohesive team unit .It is also pretty obvious that political decisions like many other corporate or even personal decisions are strategic in nature i.e meant to position oneself for competitive advantage, maximize gain or minimize loss.
It is therefore a moot point for those who castigate and argue sneeringly about political “self preservation “, “survival” or “selfish” in reference to those who choose to claim a stake from a given position. For this I draw inspiration from others who came before me including the Prime Minister Raila Odinga who formed NDP when his stay in Ford Kenya became untenable and subsequent engagement in other parties. A painful reality and probably the bane of many organizational forms and especially political parties in Kenya’s dynamic constitutional framework today is that their structures and systems must be dynamic yet supercede the personalities that subscribe to them.
My preferred political vehicle TNA is a party that has demonstrated in its nascent stages that it is willing to put its money where its mouth is – i.e democratically speaking .Firstly, having focused my energies promoting and defending the ideals of one side of the coalition I never really had the opportunity nor wherewithal to seriously engage Uhuru Kenyatta socially or politically at a personal level.
However in forming TNA at a time of great personal challenge, with the ICC trials and his refusal to be funneled into a sponsored party hon Uhuru Kenyatta has demonstrated courage in adversity- that he is ready to chart his own course free from handlers and other gatekeepers .This to me is an admirable quality and more importantly represents a parting with the status quo. Secondly having now engaged hon Uhuru Kenyatta more intensely I see a genuine interest and desire from a man keen to provide a transition vehicle for delivering on the youth agenda – a much touted but very elusive mandate.
To demonstrate this, one only needs to look at the makeup of the TNA secretariat to appreciate the youth factor in the top echelons of party leadership. Thirdly with the space and singularity of purpose afforded by TNA , I want to play my part in nurturing the women agenda with the benefit , hind sight and relatively moderate experience in grassroots mobilization activities under “wamama na uhuru” initiative. Fourthly, UK has on several public occasions pledged that TNA will aspire for democratic best practices and will not have any preferred candidates in the party electoral processes- a clarion call that is already witnessing a heightened influx of believing competitors into the party.
In its formative stages, I don’t delude myself that the challenges TNA faces in being a truly democratic national party don’t exist but it goes without saying it is starting on a clean slate with the hallmarks of being transformational . To that extent, I will not dignify those who choose to see through narrow ethnic or material/financial blinkers and in no way am I compromising my principles .I believe this countrywide consolidation will continue as TNA partners URP and other affiliated parties keen on creating a formidable national juggernaut.
On the ICC trial of 4 kenyans at the hague, let me reiterate my position which is in the public domain and with due recognition of matters pending before the courts relating to the same. Firstly I was never for the Hague process and voted in parliament for a local tribunal well before reforms in Kenya’s judicial system began.
My primary motivation for voting a local tribunal was and is to ensure that as many victims of the post election violence access justice and participate in the court process conveniently. Secondly, with the current judicial reforms bearing fruit under Chief Justice Mutunga who enjoys my confidence and that of many other Kenyans , a mechanism that transfers hearings from the Hague to our local jurisdiction can only serve to emphasize Kenya’s sovereignty and rebirth of independent governance systems in a robust constitutional dispensation .
His excellency president Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania echoed this position aptly by that ultimately Kenyans must be masters of their own destiny. In that regard, the distinction between judicial and political processes must be crucially emphasized .These are parallel processes which must occur independently of each other.
No less a personality than Fatou Bensouda, the ICC prosecutor reiterated that principle of separation when asked about the eligibility of hon Uhuru Kenyatta and hon William Ruto s candidature for the presidency in view of the ICC court case. Clearly, determination of the political processes must be one that is subject to democratic exercise by the Kenyan people.
Thirdly, we must say no to coercive lobbying and backdoor influence peddling such as witnessed recently by the utterances of Kofi Annan and US secretary of state which are tantamount to national blackmail and dangerously skirting the contempt of court edge considering the pending supreme court case seeking to bar hon Uhuru and hon Ruto from contesting the presidency on grounds of the chapter 6 integrity clause.
Notwithstanding what others interpreted as judicial activism and without prejudging Chief Justice Mutunga’s take on the case, he reiterated under media questioning recently that he cannot influence its outcome as he only had one vote on the supreme bench of five judges. Let us respect the judicial process without fear, favor and prejudice.
Ultimately, I plead that complementary to the judicial and political processes at play, we rise above the fray and let the collective will of the Kenyan people determine their destiny.
Meanwhile all who wish to engage me seriously in social media may contact me on my Twitter handle and treat any existing facebook accounts and related posts purporting to be mine as fake and for which violations have been reported.
(Rachel Shebesh, is a nominated MP (ODM) in the 10th Parliament.)
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