Sunday, June 9, 2013

For Raila to stay relevant, Nyanza MPs should invest in strategy

For Raila to stay relevant, Nyanza MPs should invest in strategy
By David Wanjala
The Jomo Kenyatta International Airport incident in which it is alleged former Prime Minister Raila Odinga was denied access to the VIP lounge deserves condemnation in the strongest terms possible. The officials who executed this embarrassment against the former Lang’ata MP and opposition politics icon are said to have been effecting “orders from above”.
This orders-from-above platitude has historical connotations in independent Kenya and one only hopes that we have come far in terms of constitutional and political reforms to have evolved from this uncouth manner of running government business. There may be, as has been alleged, calculated moves to taint Raila’s reputation and finally lock him out from ever participating in active politics.
Whether that is false or true is not the matter. What is appalling is how the ODM and entire Cord fraternity fails to capitalise on such incidents to advance their course. In fact, it is rather disgusting to see how they blow up the rare opportunities that would help them win sympathy with the masses and stay relevant all the way to the next polls.
They mishandle these situations in a fashion that has now become synonymous with them, to the extent that they come out losers. When the matter on the VIP lounge saga came up for discussion in the National Assembly on Thursday, it was the Luo National Assembly members that lined up to prosecute the discourse. From John Mbadi, the eloquent MP for Gwassi, the button was passed to Nicholas Gumbo of Rarieda from whom it passed to Mr Dalmas Otieno of Rongo and the trend went on.
Legally and morally, there is nothing wrong with Luo MPs coming out strongly to speak for Raila. It is, however, politically suicidal. It narrows to a region, what should have been a national outcry, fizzling out the steam and indeed working for the other side. Raila is a national leader. When he is aggrieved, it should be the concern of the nation, not the Luo Nyanza leaders.
Indeed the loudest protestors against the JKIA saga in the social media are not even from the Luo community. However, when the matter is taken to a stage where it should attract national attention such as the National Assembly or even the Senate, the Luo leaders hijack the stage in the loudest of manner and completely make it a regional issue. What happened to strategy?
One would have thought that the members do meet on such matters and strategise on approach and execution before coming out. ODM is not a Luo party. In it, there are many MPs from the Western region, Kisii, Coast and Turkana and Maasai communities of the Rift Valley. In its Cord coalition, there is the Wiper party of former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka with a huge representation in both the Lower and Upper Chambers of Parliament. For Raila to remain relevant to the next polls, his right hand men will have to style up and invest more in strategy rather than emotion and reactionary stints.
The writer is a journalist and social commentator.

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