News & Comment

In Democracy, Government and Opposition

are like two wolves battling over a prey

News:

For the past month in Kenya, Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) led by Raila Odinga and his co principles Senator Moses Wetangula and former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka has been organizing weekly countrywide protests aimed at pushing out the officials of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). CORD claims that the officials of the IEBC should quit office because they cannot handle the general election next year. In an exclusive interview with Aljazeera late last month, Raila Odinga insisted the coalition will not go to the polls if the Electoral body has not been properly reformed. ‘We will not go into the gallows. If the Electoral Commission is not properly reformed there would definitely be no reason for us to participate in the coming elections." He said. Meanwhile, the embattled IEBC commissioners have maintained that they will not bow down to pressure and step down as demanded by CORD. Leaders from the ruling Jubilee Government have been condemning the opposition for staging such demonstrations which have turned deadly as three demonstrators were shot dead by police in Kisumu. Adan Duale a strong figure of the Jubilee administration also the Majority leader of the Parliament alleges that CORD leaders do not know the importance of peace and that is why they amassed their supporters to take to the streets. Duale hinted that the government won’t sit with the opposition to discuss the matter.

Comments:

In 2011 former president Mwai Kibaki in consultation with Raila Odinga who was the then Prime Minister, appointed the current IEBC commissioners. After losing in the 2013 general election, Odinga pushed for constitutional amendments in his so-called Okoa Kenya Referendum initiative which was collapsed by the IEBC.

IEBC has been caught up in yet another controversy after an MP claimed it played a role in the botched elections in Burundi. Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo claimed IEBC provided at least 150 pieces of Electronic Voter Identification Devices (EVID) to Burundi's electoral commission were used in the disputed polls (http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000203365/iebc-in-a-spot-over-sham-burundi-polls).

In November last year, IEBC officials were named in a corruption racked over pocketing millions in bribes to award lucrative printing contracts to a British company over a two-year period, prosecution documents filed in a London court show. This shows how the democratic electoral commission is weak i.e. easily manipulated and influenced by the ruling elites.

Democratic politicians are best known in creating the conflict of interest purposely in pursuit their political interests. This is apparently clear, since in the circus of democracy there is no consistent position except the position of interest and its politicians have no permanent stand neither permanent friendship nor enemy. Their political stand revolves around their interest. Today is seen to support this issue and tomorrow denies it! Therefore it is not strange to see Raila and his camp waging war against IEBC because it appears a threat to his political interests. On the other hand, it is not surprise to see IEBC which is a state-employed organ bowing down to the desires of its boss i.e. the ruling coalition. What is apparent in the ongoing tug of war between the opposition and the Governments is nothing other than the evil criteria of interest in the democratic politics which emanate from the evil capitalist ideology.

As a means to deceive the naïve, Democracy has designed two political wings: the ruling wing and the opposition. Further, it claims that role of the opposition is to account the government and ensuring that all voices are heard so that the government can respond adequately and timely. But the fact of the matter is all political parties with in Democracy are representatives of the interests of few elites and not the common people. As for differences that emerge within political parties, these are just like two wolves battling over prey. This is the reality of political parties in Capitalism. In Islam, the work of all political parties is to monitor the fulfillment of the Governments’ duties and carrying the call to Islam to the rest of the world through Da’wa and Jihad as well as ensuring that the Ma’rouf (good) are established in the society and the Munkar (evil) removed.

Written for Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by

Shabani Mwalimu
Media Representative of Hizb ut Tahrir in Kenya