In pursuit of power NASA must make the people feel they too belong

All politics is about power. It is about the use of authority and influence to distribute and enjoy opportunities. It is, indeed, about control and management of resources and determination of who gets what, how, when and why. This is what the great thinkers of the Age of Enlightenment have taught us, from Thomas Hobbes, through John Locke, Michel Montagne, all the way to later political science giants like Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Paine and the American philosophers Ralph Emerson Waldo and his protégée Henry David Thoreau.

People go into politics because they want to have a significant say in how society is organised. But, beyond that, they want to have a say on how the wealth in their society is distributed – complete with the benefits that accrue from it. They want to organise the relationship between fellow human beings and the resources in their environment and the relationship among human beings relative to the resources. That is where laws come in. The laws determine how people get into power and leave it. It is hypocrisy of the highest order for a politician to accuse another one of pursuing power. Show me a politician not interested in power and I will show you a liar. Ever since this National Super Alliance (NASA) thing happened, the Kenya government has lost focus on its agenda. Where this government should be telling us about what it is doing and what more it could do for us, it is wasting far too much time on telling us about NASA leaders and their pursuit of power. Of course, Raila Odinga and his friends in NASA want power. It is also true that in order for them to stay together, they have had to craft a promissory power sharing formula of sorts. It is anyone’s guess whether this formula will give them state power or not. One thing remains, however. I want them to begin telling me what is in it for me as a citizen.

I am willing to give NASA the benefit of the doubt. Of course, they are not going to get my vote that easily. I have been disappointed many times in the past. I, therefore, treat every politician with suspicion, until they prove that I can trust them. I don’t think, in any event, that NASA can sort out all problems in my country today. Just about everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. We put in place a cantankerous government that has spent nearly five years haranguing everyone and imagining that state authority is about eating and showbiz. Jubilee has eaten the economy. Businesses are closing down. Others are dead. The cost of living has shot right through the roof. When I tell them about this, they throw up tantrums. They ask me what I think they are supposed to do. They have told me to my face that my security begins with me. They have borrowed extremely heavily and passed massive debts to the unborn. They have antagonised citizens along unnecessary ethnic lines. They use this antagonism to sustain corruption. Whenever a thief is about to be caught, they hide her in the tribe. The tribe protects and cleanses her. I don’t need this sort of government.

Biggest test

If I don’t know who I want to vote for, I certainly know who I don’t want to vote for. Let’s face it; this Jubilee government has failed the biggest test of all. That is the test of nationhood. The people called the National Cohesion and Integration Commission don’t like to hear us ventilate our frustrations. They call it “hate speech.” But if someone puts a plate of rot before you, how can it be hate speech to complain about the fact? The ethnic polarity that Jubilee is nurturing is not sustainable. It is in the best of the interests of all the communities that this government goes home.

The NASA people should not begin popping the champagne yet, however. They are not going to get my vote that easily – if I vote for them, that is. I want to understand what they stand for. What promissory note are they giving me? Yes, Jubilee has failed me. So why should I trust NASA? How are they going to be different? The fact that I reject Jubilee does not mean I am feverishly dying for a cuddle with NASA. They have three short months to convince me that we can be an item. Why should I not stay home in frustration on 8 August? I certainly know who not to vote for. But that does not mean I know whom to vote for.

Distribute the power among yourselves, therefore, gentlemen. If that is the price I have to pay for equitable, just and fair government, I will pay. I, however, want to begin hearing about your promises. I want to assess the sincerity and practicality in the promise. Don’t tell me about “Jubilee this” and “Jubilee that.” I crossed that valley long ago. Just tell me why you think I should vote for you. Tell me something positive, something that I can believe in. I want to be a part of this super alliance and to feel empowered. Yes, it is about power. Yet this power cannot be just about the leaders. It must also be about the people, – including those whom Jubilee likes lying to that this is their government. They too must be made to feel that they belong. Let’s share power and make Kenya great again.

The writer is a publishing editor, special consultant and advisor on public and media relations [email protected]