By Ken Opande
As the list of presidential aspirants grows larger and larger each day, there is an imminent threat of further disintegration and conflict among the country’s communities.
And given the mudslinging being expended by rival presidential aspirants against one another, chances of communities drifting into this battle by the politicians are real.
This can be illustrated by the nasty exchanges we have witnessed recently between Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi’s supporters; and if this is anything to by, then the country had better prepare for a more gruelling confrontation in the coming days as we move closer to the general election.
Potentially, the country’s stability is in a shambles, for communities hardly view others as friendly neighbours. Unless the ethnocentrism, prejudice and stereotypes levelled against other communities are not controlled, reconciliation will ever remain a mirage.
Granted, confrontation between political leaders is not only unhealthy for the nation but also detrimental to the upbringing of a moral society. This is because political leaders are opinion shapers and role models in the community, and any fighting between them will only exacerbate disintegration and polarisation that continues to tear our communities apart.
The Kenyan politician is the most rustic and callous monster who does not care whether a peasant’s child has gone to school or whether the hawker’s child has had something to put in his/her stomach.
But worst of all, political fights have monumental effects on the integrative ability of our societies to accommodate others who are different from us. Besides heightening ethnocentric feelings that separate our communities, this action renews feelings of bigotry, hate, chauvinism and prejudice.
In fact, our dominant communities are bubbling founts of individualism, what with increased acts of discrimination, exclusion and marginalisation of minority communities from the country’s public affairs, national resources and public employment and representation.
Understanding these threats should spur innovativeness in our leadership; encourage them to come up with new ways of confronting these challenges for the betterment of our societies. However, a creative leadership is all the country lacks.
Historically, integration has always meant assimilation into the dominant culture. That is why past leaders who held power viciously suppressed opposition, always seeing this opposition from other communities as a threat to their intended subjugation. But the truth is that integration can still be achieved without necessarily coercing minority communities into subscribing to the dominant ethnic practices.
To date, exclusion is still perpetuated through discrimination of certain communities in accessing public appointments, starvation of certain communities with national resources, entrenchment of favouritism and nepotism in making professional appointments.
councils of elders
National Cohesion and Integration Commission for all its good intentions has proved ineffectual in the process. For besides its jerky response to challenges of reconciliation, the commission has notoriously spewed alarmist remarks that could precipitate ethnic animosity.
But condemning the commission is not the wisest thing to do at this moment. All it needs to do is identify relevant stakeholders in society such as the media whom they can engage for meaningful and sustainable partnership.
As it is, the commission’s dalliance with the country’s ethnic groups’ councils of elders has proved costly. Since these councils are not only compromised but have also become puppets of politicians.
But have the media been fully incorporated in the campaign to foster reconciliation and integration? I am afraid not. Yet this is a key and powerful social institution that influences how people are socialised and subsequently behave.
At the height of post-election violence in 2008, the media played a crucial role in putting pressure on the warring leaders — ODM’s Raila Odinga and PNU’s President Mwai Kibaki — to dialogue in order to resolve the stalemate that had led to a lot of pain and suffering.
Radio and TV stations played nationalistic and patriotic songs that reminded Kenyans of the importance of maintaining peace, exercising ethnic tolerance and co-existence among communities.
So going by available evidence, integration and reconciliation is hampered by the fact that the media have not come out forcefully to lead reconciliation agenda in the country. Just like they have spearheaded development programmes, media can inculcate tolerance by encouraging communities to appreciate and celebrate our rich diversity. Writer is a Business Executive, Kisumu Bureau, for Standard Group.
kopande@standardmedia.co.ke
