Probably, it would be expedient to comment on events in ODM-KS as a way of answering some basic questions that have been raised by concerned individuals watching events from different pedestals. ODM-KS is not a religious organization or a Church so it is impossible for Party or Committee members to agree on everything or to say “Aimena!” whenever a Party member says “Haleluyah”.
In a Political party, a member doesn’t have to agree with every item in the Party’s Program. An 80% agreement with a Program of a Party should be enough for one to support the Party. A Party member can even remain a “critical supporter” ie agree with the basic principles but disagree with different positions taken by the Party on critical matters. However, there should always be channels for ventilation in cases of disagreements.
If a minority group of members disagree with the majority over Party policy on a certain issue, it should be the responsibility of the minority to try and win the majority in order to change policy. During the period of discussions, members (be they ordinary or Committee members) have to agree with what has been decided by the majority as they go about arguing their case within the Party.
Any serious Party must have a Constitution which gives direction especially on the structure of the Party. The Constitution outlines the decision making process within the Party both by members and its leadership. Committee members have the possibility of discussing issues within the Committee while members have the possibility of doing so through member’s meetings. The Committee should have a machinery of calling a member’s meeting if disagreements within the Committee become irreconcilable in a way that threatens the running of the Party.
In almost every political Party, there are normally differences be they organizational, Programmatic or policy oriented. Back in Kenya, ODM-K has very serious differences especially on the question of nomination of the Party’s Presidential candidate. KANU has differences that are almost tearing the Party apart. According to latest Press reports, Mr. Uhuru Kenyatta, the Chairman of the Party, has formed a Committee to discuss and settle differences within the Party. Even if a Party is in power, internal differences could escalate and force the Party to go for early elections. It is in this light that differences that emerged recently in ODM-KS Committee needs to be seen.
A unique factor in the case of ODM-KS is that several assumptions were made at the time when the Party was set up. Individuals who had never worked together in a political Party suddenly joined forces to set up the Party because doing so was considered by the initiative takers as a matter of urgency.
There were people whose main agenda was to do anything possible to ensure that the corrupt regime of President Mwai Kibaki was removed from power. Another group saw the setting up of the Party as an opportunity to become an official of the branch of a strong Party which had the capacity to take power in Kenya. Some individuals simply wanted to bask in the publicity while others were changing “Professions” and simply wanted to use the Party to begin building political profiles. Better still, others came to gain experience while others came to be noticed.
The bottom line was that everybody had good intentions because everybody believed that the Party was in the right position to make a difference in the politics of Kenya. There were no disagreements on the Party program when it was drawn neither were there any major problems in the Constitution.
ABSENCE OF A “CODE OF CONDUCT” LED TO ERRATIC BEHAVIOUR
The Party program was drawn out of the understanding that ODM-KS would not just support the mother Party in Kenya blindly but would do so hoping that there were certain issues the Party would address once it seized power. These issues included corruption, tribalism, appointment of civil servants on ethnic lines, marginalization of minority ethnic groups, the issue of dual citizenship, voting from abroad just to mention but a few.
Party members did not agree on any ideology ODM-KS would adopt because this was not necessary. ODM-KS was not seeking to seize power in Kenya but to operate as a “back-up” to the mother Party in Kenya so that the government of President Kibaki could be brought down. For this reason, Left leaning groups like KESDEMO led by Mr. Martin Ngatia joined the Party because from the point of view of revolutionary theory, ODM-K stood out as the only Party that could advance the democratic struggle in Kenya despite the rag-tag of politicians who populate it.
However, theoretical discussions were never taken up by individuals who teamed up to form the Party because the main objective of removing Kibaki from power had been agreed upon by everybody regardless of their political persuasions. The absence of a “code of conduct” for the Party due to assumptions of “good will” could have been the Party’s undoing. The consequence of this omission was erratic behavior by some Committee members. ODM-KS Program acted as the main document upon which members agreed to form the Party but the conflict has exposed new loop-holes which have to be sealed in the future.
When the Committee was set up, there were Committee members who were meeting one another for the first time. Nobody bothered to check the political backgrounds of individuals who took over the leadership of the Party although majority of these individuals already knew one another out of years of joint work. Some individuals had vast experience in running a Party while others were getting initiated.
The current differences within the Party erupted after the Party nominated Raila Odinga as the Party’s choice for Presidential candidate. Prior to this, there were minor differences like affiliation to the Party back home and other matters but these differences were not so serious so as to explode out into the open. Two Committee members resigned from the Party but these resignations were treated as normal because they happen from time to time in every political Party. For example, Narc-KS has had four resignations since it was set up and nobody is crying wolf.
Differences on the Raila nomination escalated into a conflict within the Party after some Committee members started violating the Constitution. Majority of Committee members were shocked. The whole disagreement on the Raila nomination was set aside as Committee members who found the violation unacceptable moved in to defend the Constitution and to call for an Annual General Meeting to resolve the issue. The war that erupted in ODM-KS was not a war between individuals but a battle for control of the Party to enable the Committee to call members at an AGM. It is during the conflict that the Committee came to know the real characters that were sitting in ODM-KS Committee.
ODM-KS AGM has been set for 19th May and all members will have an opportunity to have their say. Enemies of ODM-KS have been feasting on the public exchanges of Committee members – thanks to the conflict. Others who have quit the Committee and are now writing under pseudo names have already drawn “twisted Lessons” from the “ODM-KS experience”. At the end of the day, the footprints which will remain in the sands of history will be the political work ODM-KS will be able to do to ensure that there is a regime change in Kenya after the December elections.
The biggest issue about the AGM is not the conflict itself but the character of the leadership that will take over the Party after the AGM. Because of the level of political maturity of current ODM-KS leadership, there is enough guarantee that democracy will prevail at the AGM.
Regardless of who sits in the new Committee, the new leadership should not lose sight of the fact that the Party’s original agenda was to remove Kibaki from power regardless of who is nominated to run for President under the Party’s ticket. The issue of nomination is tiny compared to the gigantic task of facilitating the defeat of Kibaki. ODM-KS should be able to support any candidate nominated by ODM-K because that is how democracy works.
Okoth Osewe
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