Discontent in ODM casts shadow over fight for political reform

ODM leader Raila Odinga after a past National Governing Council meeting. [PHOTO: FILE/STANDARD

By JUMa KWAYERA             

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They once held the promised Africa’s renaissance, but two decades down the line, the political parties and actors that engineered the removal from power of independence administrations are themselves in the throes of self-destruction.

Whether by coincidence or design, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), which is still home to a sizeable chunk of a generation that played a critical role in restoration of political pluralism, is struggling to hold together like its ‘satellites’ or ‘Friends of ODM’ in the region. Party insiders and political experts say the discontent is part of wider perceptions that no one is prepared to “harvest” in Luoland, where party leader Raila Odinga’s political clout towers over the rest.

The massive support ODM commanded in the last elections is in a flux triggering calls on Raila to retire. The Orange party, which aligns its philosophy to similar ‘movements’ in Tanzania, Zimbabwe and South Africa, is like an eagle struggling with pangs of renewal.

Former Deputy Speaker of Parliament Farah Maalim Mohamed delivered a shocker last Thursday on KTN Talk-show, JKL, when he claimed his party (ODM) was dead because of intransigence and greed.

Mr Maalim, a former Lagdera MP, accused Raila of failing to monitor developments in parties that ODM is modeled on. He argues that movements do not elect leaders, but they just emerge to take their rightful positions in the party.

The former Deputy Speaker says he had advised the ODM leader and whoever cared to listen more than 100 times about the need for the party to meet monthly to review it’s performance, but the former Prime Minister would not heed word.

Maalim points out that regular meetings would have forestalled the disintegration of ODM and upheld Raila’s credibility as one of the key pillars of political pluralism.

Difficult

A question that is yet to be plausibly dealt with is why these parties that inspired political reforms in their respective countries now find it difficult to retain traction with the electorate.

Raging succession battles in these parties threaten to wreck Opposition politics, while those in power are reeling under the burden of conservativeness, according to Dodoma University political science lecturer, Amukowa Anangwe.

Prof  Anangwe, an instrumental figure in setting up ODM party structures, explains that Zimbabwe’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC) and Communist Party (CP), which influenced the Orange party’s ideological orientation and party structures, besides Britain’s Labour Party and US think-tank International Republican Institute (IRI) are equally experiencing internal turmoil.

IRI, which has in recent years suffered a series of setbacks internationally, drew up ODM strategic plan that expired in 2012. Anangwe says ODM’s internal discontent is common in political parties that were once seen as progressive in agenda and ideology, but now reeling under a series of failed attempts to wrest power from rivals, or failure to deal with apathy when they are in power.

Resistance

“Unless there is a new leadership and the former Prime Minister of Kenya and Zimbabwe (Raila Odinga and Morgan Tsvangirai) continue with their modus operandi, their parties will die,” he says. Raila and Tsvangirai exhibit tendencies of resistance to internal democracy like the regimes they have been struggling to wrest power from.

ODM’s constitution is generic and was inherited from its predecessor, the Liberal Democratic Party that borrowed heavily from CCM, MDC, ANC and CP.  These parties have cadres of Women’s League and Youth League in their national executive councils that nurture leadership.

These are structures Kanu attempted to create at independence, but the Youth League was later disbanded after it became too powerful while the Women League morphed into Maendeleo ya Wanawake Organisation. Presently, other than ODM, parties in Kenya do not have such active structures that specifically target women and youth leadership.

A member of Raila think-tank acknowledges the pressure the former Prime Minister faces.

“ODM is in transition and we know that democracy in politics applies to everybody, including the party leader. Therefore, we cannot allow the party leader to impose his will on the membership. Raila will be out of politics in less than 10 years. His impending exit will create a vacuum in the party and Opposition politics, a void that has triggered vicious succession politics in the party and country.

For instance, relations between Raila and Siaya Senator James Orengo have chilled while the likes of Mr Kalonzo Musyoka and Mr Moses Wetang’ula are sensing an opportunity to take over from him,” says the advisor.

 There is also the Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero and Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua who are seen as potential beneficiaries of Raila’s departure from politics. Musyoka and Wetang’ula are co-principals in opposition, CORD, while Raila is the leader.

The source, a reputed scholar, says Jubilee coalition lacks similar internal dynamism to trigger the level of interest ODM has as it prepares to install a new office ahead of the 2017 elections.

The ebbs and flows in ODM is narrative that is now familiar in its ‘cousin’ parties outside Kenya.

Save for former Tanzania President Hassan Ali Mwinyi, who took over from Julius Nyerere, retired President Benjamin Mkapa and serving Jakaya Kikwete are products of CCM’s Youth League.

In South Africa, ANC has been able to manage succession in the party that saw Jacob Zuma oust former President Thabo Mbeki from power. However, ANC, like CCM in Tanzania and MDC in Zimbabwe, is struggling to stem internal rebellion.

According to Raila’s advisor, “ANC under Mr Mbeki became right-wing. It welcomed the World Bank and IMF to dominate South African economy. Mbeki’s father Govan Mbeki, who was detained with Nelson Mandela, was instrumental in arranging ANC succession. After Mr Chris Hani, Tokyo Sexwale and Mr Cyril Ramaphosa were bypassed; they regrouped and ousted Mbeki from ANC echelons and power. Now they want Zuma out for the same reasons,” he says.

It is no different in Zimbabwe, where MDC members want Tsvangirai to retire after failing to clinch the presidency three times.

Haggling for leadership

This is how Raila’s advisor explains such haggling for leadership: “In developed democracies when you fail to win a presidential election you exit the scene. It is like a war. In Asian countries when a general leads his troops and loses it, he is killed. Likewise when someone loses an election the pressure to retire is immense. Raila and Tsvangirai have lost presidential polls three times.”

Asked about the developments in ODM’s ‘role models’ have a bearing on what is going on, the party’s former head of presidential campaigns Eliud Owallo could only acknowledge “internal issues”, but would not delve into details.

“I know we are having some serious internal issues, but I am reluctant to comment on them lest people interpret that to be the party position,” Mr Owallo responded.