Is Raila caught up in no-man’s land?

By KWENDO OPANGA

Saturday, June 8  2013 

 

 

In Summary

• It is my humble submission that the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Cord) must set itself specific objectives to be attained before the next General Election. Their aim will be to wrest power from Jubilee at the earliest opportunity.

I know my place. I wait in the queue for my turn. I know where to find the VIP Lounge at our airports but, if I strayed in there, I would immediately look for the exit. I do not belong there.

The only reason I would hang in there is if some VIP – Very Important Person – summoned me over to accuse me of being a VAP – Very Annoying Person.

But when I have a junket, I know where economy class ticket holders wait to check in and for advice to proceed to the designated boarding gate. Certainly, I step aside to let wakubwa, ladies and mothers with children pass. I let muscular, ipad-scanning, digital generation youngsters swagger and slouch ahead of me.

Of course, politically I am a VIK – Verified Insignificant Kaperson. But then, I am nobody from nowhere only that by virtue of my vote and station, I make others VIPs.

As I say, some things I know and some things I do not know. But this I know for certain: Mr Raila Odinga is an unrivalled paragon and veritable champion of Kenya’s rights struggle.

He has sacrificed massively in the unending fight to expand Kenya’s democratic space. But, I also know, he is no longer Kenya’s Prime Minister, having lost the March 4 presidential poll. Therefore, when some folks began a campaign to get him into Parliament or Senate, I humbly voiced my total disagreement and submitted my considered alternative.

When President Kibaki began to fight Ms Mary Wambui’s bid to succeed him as MP for Othaya, I argued that he had picked the wrong battle on the eve of his exit from the political arena. I said his preferred candidate would lose.

Now, Mr Kibaki is certainly in retirement, but Mr Odinga appears to be in transition or retrospection or, worse, caught up in no-man’s land.

When the story broke last week, many were incensed that Mr Odinga had been denied access to the VIP Lounge at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. That would be incredible and unacceptable.

Mr Odinga is entitled to use VIP Lounge II. The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) explained that Mr Odinga was not denied access to the VIP Lounge but that he could not be allowed to drive to the airside.

As PM, Mr Odinga would be driven to the airside from where he would leap onto the gangway and onto his plane.

But now Mr Odinga is not PM and that restricts him to certain amenities. If, for example, Mr Odinga walked into VIP Lounge III, he would be firmly reminded that the facility is reserved for the Deputy President, visiting deputy presidents and retired presidents.

Of course the State Pavilion is reserved for the President and any visiting head of state or government and the UN Secretary General. As PM, Mr Odinga was a co-principal in the coalition government and would have used the pavilion. But there are many who argued fervently that the PM was not head of state and was not, therefore, qualified to use the facility.

If such opposition raged when Mr Odinga was in power, will it stop now that he is out of it? No.

First, because Mr Odinga is still a potent political force and second because those in government believe he is determined to make life difficult for them.

For example, it is widely believed in government that it was Mr Odinga’s allies who leaked the scandalous information about Mr William Ruto’s hire of a private jet.

Again, in government it is believed that Mr Odinga is looking for every opportunity to court public sympathy for himself and, by the same token, elicit public disfavour for the government by his actions.

This is, of course, legitimate political business, but how far does it ground, enhance and advance the cause of the political opposition in Kenya?

In my view, Mr Odinga must ground opposition politics in forming and fronting a credible and formidable alternative to the Jubilee government.

It is my humble submission that the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Cord) must set itself specific objectives to be attained before the next General Election. Their aim will be to wrest power from Jubilee at the earliest opportunity.

Does Cord or the member parties sit down and study audits of their performance at the last General Election with a view to setting or reviewing agenda for addressing and redressing the challenges they faced and charting and focusing the strategies for the next General Election? This will focus Mr Odinga.

Kwendo Opanga is a media consultant opanga@diplomateastafrica.com