ODM POLITICS AND THE CANNIBALIZING SPIRIT OF EXCLUSION My attention has been drawn to the discourse on social media over remarks attributed to the party CEO in Nakuru that ODM is dead. As a member of the party, I am disturbed!! We do not have evidence that the CEO actually said so. Even if the words were uttered, then we have to ask or explore the context and intended meaning. It is ironical that many social media commentators with left and center-left political leaning have always taken media coverage of ODM with a pinch of salt, especially when it touches on the Party Leader Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga. The big question is: Why should we then choose to believe what the ‘The Star’ carried without any critique of the same? ODM was built on the idea of socio-economic inclusivity - to spread the benefits of our togetherness to all Kenyans. It is an attractive, just and addictive ideology that has kept me glued to this Orange party. That said, there is a nagging trend that keeps gnawing away at this solid foundation leaving the party treading on the borders uncertainty. As I have commented elsewhere, it is an invisible hand that that has time and again fought off attempts to inject order, colour, and proactive engagement with the rank and file of the party. We ‘saw’ it during the OYDL and OWDL elections, nominations for 2013 elections, the lackluster performance at the 2013 presidential elections and the Kasarani fiasco. The invisible hand relies on diversion and subversion to drain collective party energy. To cut a long story short, those calling for the removal of the party CEO are focusing on a small hare, the real antelope is out there. Let us not continue chopping off our body parts simply because we do not like the way they look or where they are appended. Let us refocus our energies into promoting diversity and inclusivity. We will reap the rewards into this forward-looking attitude. Just for the record, ODM remains the biggest, most democratic and diverse political party in Kenya. We owe it to our party ideals and the dream of a united country to be inclusive in our exchanges, especially when doing so in public spaces. I continue playing my roles as an ordinary member of the party even if it is as basic as shouting ‘BABA’ in my drunken stupor. Thank you. Signed: His Highness, His Excellency Right Hon. John Kibor, Honorary Professor, goat herder and party enthusiast.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 11:25:47 +0000
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