Saturday, June 15, 2013

Raila’s travails ploy to distract us from issues


Raila’s travails ploy to distract us from issues
THOMAS Paine, the English-born American writer and political pamphleteer (1737-1809), once remarked, “It is impossible to calculate the moral mischief, if I may so express it, that mental lying has produced in society. When a man has so far corrupted and prostituted the chastity of his mind as to subscribe his professional belief to things he does not believe he has prepared himself for the commission of every other crime.”
When you ponder such hearty and profound words and consider the trials befalling Raila Amolo Odinga, you get a feeling all is not lost. On the one hand the international community has so far kept him busy seeking his views on various issues on democracy, politics and development where his views have been very promising. On the other hand, the Kenyan government has also kept him busy in the news with various aspects affecting him as a person through the prism of rights, privileges and responsibilities.
His busy schedules especially internationally have kept his supporters and adversaries on constant provocations especially on social media. Those who loath him have been laughing over his “diminished” status as mwananchi wa kawaida. Those who adore him have taken his new engagements with great pride and respect, brandishing his adversaries as myopic thinkers.
Such has been the environment which Raila has assumed since losing in the Supreme Court case. What has kept him in the news locally has been the treatment he has received at the airports from time to time in his local and international travels. Generally, his access to VIP facilities has been minimal or non-existent.
The blame has fallen squarely on Secretary to the Cabinet Francis Kimemia. He has the unenvious task of being the bad guy for the Jubilee government. For sure he acts on instructions of his boss, the President, but such is hardly brought up. Raila’s supporters have accused on him as an individual for their leader’s woes. In fact, some have even called for him to be sacked for showing disrespect for such a statesman.
What many fail to understand is that any government, especially in this part of the world, likes to do two main things. One is to find a way to divert attention from negative issues affecting the government. By doing this it can create another crisis so that the focus shifts to that as it sorts out what it feels will hurt its reputation and perceived good will. The other is to have someone who will take in all the abuses directed at the government.
It is an open secret that the Jubilee government needs to settle. It is about three months since it assumed office yet some Cabinet Secretaries are barely a month into their new jobs. Principal Secretaries have yet to be vetted.
In such a situation, and coming from an election in which some still feel they were defeated unfairly, a government will want the public to focus more elsewhere. It has to know the buttons to press at the time of need especially when crisis is at play.
Raila offers the perfect pawn.
The writer is a blogger. Twitter @shitemikhamadi

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