Deadly blow in the offing for political cult leaders

Throughout history, there are many well-meaning societies that found themselves caught in political extremism. Political extremism arises from the allure of sensational ideologies peddled by overzealous people in power who sell simplistic solutions for complex socio-political problems.

There are many examples of the dangers of unchecked ideologies that have gathered fanatics who willingly acted them out. On the extreme end of the spectrum is terrorism. Scholars are perplexed how extremist ideologies have the potential to corrupt even the sharpest of minds; how acts that were previously considered unthinkable, such as the mass murder of innocent people for a ‘cause’, eventually come to seem normal.

Violent extremism is just one form of political extremism. Think of slavery, which was justified by a belief in white supremacy. The ‘evidence’ for this ‘supremacy’ was offered by quoting religious texts and even ‘scientific’ experiments.

In other instances, political extremism manifested in the form of intolerance, where the identity of one political group relied on its opposition to another political group for survival. JM Berger, author of the book ‘Extremism’, has given the example of ancient Rome, which was at war with its neighbour Carthage. The war stretched out over a century from 264 BC.

First genocide

Over time, Rome gained the upper hand. However, there were elements within Rome who believed that mere victory was not enough, that for Rome to exist, Carthage had to be destroyed. Gradually, this extremist viewpoint gained popularity and eventually, Rome invaded Carthage, razed it to the ground and killed an estimated 150,000 people. Survivors were sold as slaves. Scholars often refer to this invasion as ‘the first genocide’. 

Picture the unchecked rise of anti-Semitism as well. At its peak, this dangerous ideology was acted out when Adolf Hitler was in power. Millions of Jews lost their lives as a result. Closer home, there is the Rwanda genocide of 1994, which was the result of an ideology of hate by one community against another. Isn’t it interesting that many forms of political extremism arise from systems that encourage personality politics where followers of a political leader unquestioningly stick to such a leader regardless of what they say or do?

In Kenya for instance, our history depicts an apparent obsession with larger than life personalities, some of whom have leveraged on ethnic mobilisation to create cult-like followings of die-hard adherents. In fact, in recent times, this obsession has spilled over into other sectors like the entertainment industry, where entertainers build personal brands whose foundation is controversy on top of controversy. 

It is easy to argue that not all forms of political extremism are acted out, but is it worth the risk to turn a blind eye at the possible dangers of such forms of political thought? When young people look at our society, what ideas of success do they internalise? When they look at the helm of our socio-economic landscape, do they see individuals who represent the aspirations of the people or do they see larger than life ‘untouchables’ who command a following of ‘fans’ and ‘followers’? 

Well suited

Perhaps there is a cure for this. The debate on constitutional change is gaining momentum. The BBI task force will soon present its report to President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

It is my hope that this report will explore the possibility of a proportional system of representation. In such a system, a political party gains seats in proportion to the number of votes cast for it. This means that if a political party wins 10 per cent of the votes cast, then that party is entitled to 10 per cent of the seats in Parliament.

The said party will subsequently decide who to send to Parliament based on the seats they got. Perhaps such a system will shift focus from personalities, and hence give a chance to the many men and women who may have been well suited to lead but have not had the chance so far because of their inability to create larger than life personalities.

Under a proportional system, everyone will have an equal opportunity to have their views represented in government. Such a system allows the establishment of strong parties and not just election vehicles to propel personalities to power. Political parties have to sell their ideas, not personalities. This reduces the possibility of the emergence of political cult leaders and larger than life personalities who thrive on controversy and sensationalism.

Mr Mokamba comments on topical issues