Do not allow ‘shadows’ to control State House

By Okech Kendo

They are sneaking age as a campaign platform for the March 4 General Election. Which is not surprising because some presidential aspirants may be claiming your vote on account of how old or young they are. Some of them have stayed young for as long as those who do not suffer from selective memory can recall.

Those who ducked the struggle for reforms in the 1990s because they were too young to join the race for a just society are still caught up in a youthless time warp.

Long life or otherwise, without a strong backup of vision, principle, and integrity, count for nothing in the eyes of right thinking citizens.

But because some politicians assume wananchi are not right thinking, they waggle prejudice to compromise decisions.

Such naiveté is inexcusable when right thinking Kenyans expect to hear real issues a presidency will address, and an account of how applicants for State House tenancy have lived their lives – so far.

It was Ronald Reagan’s wit and ability to think on his feet that blew off presidential ambition of a then ‘youthful’ Democratic presidential candidate, Walter Mondale, in 1984. Mondale had then served as the 42nd Vice-President of the US under President Jimmy Carter. Supporters of the younger Mondale had thought his ‘youthfulness’ would be a plus over Reagan’s seniority. Reagan was then 73, having worn his first term in 1980 on a Republican ticket at age 69.

Admirers of Mondale’s ‘youth’ did not know how to code the message. They also did not know how an informed public would decode their message. The message was treated with just contempt as raw prejudice. Age is never a campaign issue in right thinking societies, where ideals and ideas compete for public acceptance.

Reagan told a 1984 presidential debate: “I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience. [Laughter and applause] If I still have time, I might add that it was Seneca or was it Cicero, I don’t know which, that said, “If it was not for the elders correcting the mistakes of the young, there would be no state.”

Mondale retracted: “No. And I have not made (age) an issue, nor should it be. What’s at issue here is the President’s application of his authority to understand what a President must know to lead this nation, secure our defence, and make the decisions and the judgements that are necessary.”

Hillary Clinton also flunked the public appeal test in 2008, when she claimed Barrack Obama was too ‘young’ to be commander-in-chief of the US. Hillary lost the Democratic primaries for dragging non-issues into the serious business of campaigning for the US presidency.

Reagan was a two-term president in spite of his elderly status compared to ‘youthless’ competition.

The former Hollywood celebrity implemented sweeping political and economic initiatives, which were not expected under the leadership of an ageing artiste.

It was ‘Reaganomics’ that changed the face of the US in the 1980s.

Reagan advocated reduction of tax rates to spur economic growth, controlling money supply to reduce inflation, deregulation of the economy, and cuts on Government spending.

Irrational fear

He had a landslide victory for his second term in 1984 with a proclamation ‘Morning America!’

Prejudices such as tribe, age, and irrational fear of change should not undermine the new constitutional dispensation.

They should not arrest the future.

The Coalition for Reforms and Democracy and Jubilee have a fair chance to sell their visions without blurring public perceptions with lies, prejudices, bitterness, hate, and personal indictments. There is simply no room to ‘nationalise’ personal sorrows. The nation is much more important than individual plight – no matter their pedigree or accumulation of proceeds of impunity.

CORD promises social justice, and redress of past inequities to reconstruct the future. These include redress of historical injustices to grow a just society. Jubilee promises peace and youthful leadership, with a motto Kusema Na Kutenda, never mind the message from the falling out between URP-TNA and UDF. A failure to respect personal ‘signature’ is not a pillar of peace. Breach of trust is normally treated as high betrayal.

It is also not enough for Jubilee to promise to unite communities to pre-vent post-election violence. Kenyans did not fight in 2008 because of bungled presidential elections. There were triggers more ferocious than conspiracies to acquire or retain power. Land ownership and land rights need redress, so is giving Kenya a true face of Kenya.

The Year of the Jubilee demands much more. Anyone who makes a claim to regeneration should confront the elephant in the room. Right thinking Kenyans can see the elephant and they know the solution.

Looking for a compromise presidential candidate to compromise has backfired. The electorate won’t allow “dark forces” to rent out State House.

Buying MPs won’t help because those agents of mendacity have lost the game before the match begins.

Tempering voter decisions with fear of violence won’t help. You the voter must decide, with reason, what you want for your country. Knowing bad governance, international isolation and sanctions are tribeless and ageless.

The writer is The Standard’s Managing Editor Quality and Production.

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