Monday, August 30, 2010

Shifting goal posts

When Omingo Magara was trying to seek re-election after a court annulled his 2007 election to parliament, his sponsoring political party, then ODM, made it clear there would be no automatic nomination for its treasurer.

In the view of many party activists and loudmouths, it would be criminally undemocratic to award Magara direct nomination because that would circumvent the will of the power. This view was shared and repeated by the party’s high command.

But months later, the same democratic movement has just given Reuben Ndolo and Bishop Margaret Wanjiru direct nomination – just like their PNU counterparts. Ironically, this happened barely on the promulgation of the New Constitution – a document that promises order, justice, integrity and everything that a just society is made of.

So it appears that while rules exist, the political class only follows them when it suits them but bends them with alacrity when it doesn’t. If they loved Mr Magara, they would have bent every rule in the book to ensure he stayed in the ‘movement.’

Is it any wonder then that voters demand to be bribed before casting votes? They know it’s just a big joke after all.

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