We need strong parties to enhance democracy

Aden Duale

NAIROBI: Few would gainsay the fact that strong political parties are essential for a vibrant and true democracy. Our democracy will only mature if we kick out tribal-based affiliations and move to political parties grounded on ideological foundation.
In Jubilee, we realise that for our democracy to firm up and confer to all Kenyans the benefits of a free society, we have to severe links with parochial and primordial loyalties. Our merger of URP, TNA and 12 other parties such as APK, NFK, CCU, GNU, Ford People, New Ford Kenya, UDF and others into one formidable party speaks to our unequivocal resolve to take our politics to the next level.
We must move away from the current objectionable situation where parties are merely used as vehicles for elections to an era where they are important institutions of democracy. Granted, we have made notable progress in the realm of democracy. However, we are still a long way from nurturing vibrant political parties without which we will not sufficiently consolidate our democratic gains.

What we have currently are mainly briefcase outfits in the name of political parties. These outfits undermine national cohesion and our development efforts. They are invariably used to propagate ethnic divisions that have for long been the bane of our progress. Besides, they foster unhealthy, nay harmful, ethnic competition in the sharing of the national resources as they entrench the repulsive eating mentality because by nature they are exclusive. Such outfits spell doom for a country like ours which is populated by diverse groups of people. We do not need to be reminded about how corrosive ethnic-based politics is. We have witnessed horrendous conflicts emanating from sectarian animosities. That these senseless conflicts erupts around elections speaks volumes of how dangerous parochial and exclusive political formations are.
When politics shift from the narrow footpath of tribalism to the broad plane of ideas, democracy begins to take its true shape.

Kenyans will start to rally behind parties with grand ideas and visionary leadership while vacating those whose only basis for existence is tribalism. Strong parties driven by distinct values, clear vision and ideology fosters a sense of inclusion among all Kenyans. This is because such parties have enduring structures that encourage tolerance as they are tailor-made to be accommodative of divergent views.

Conversely, briefcase parties are a mockery to our democracy in many ways. They are essentially private enterprises used by their leaders to enrich themselves. During elections, these amorphous and phantom outfits place themselves strategically to benefit from the fallout in the primaries of the bigger parties. The owners of these parties are in many instances rich individuals who single-handedly finance them and run them like their own personal property. Thus there is no room for democracy as they usually brook no dissent.

I firmly believe that strong parties will spell a death-to tribalism in politics. And the moment we deal a blow to the ethnic politics we would be well on our way to a prosperous nation.
Tribalism or what others call negative ethnicity has held this country to ransom for a long time. In fact the scourge took root immediately after independence. Those who saw ethnic divisions as their political lifeline promoted it to the detriment of national cohesion. In fact it is right to say that tribalism is the mother of all that has gone wrong in the country. It has permeated every sphere of our lives, utterly destroying the fabric of our society. Even institutions of higher learning have unbelievably become the bastions of ethnicity.

The vice has greatly undermined democracy during elections as good leaders are left out because they do not come from the politically correct tribe or clan. Introducing strong parties such as Jubilee Alliance Party which seek to unite all Kenyans is the cure to such a malady.

It is also worth noting that the scourge of corruption that seems to defy all strategies is intricately intertwined with ethnicity. In fact you can safely describe corruption and tribalism as Siamese twins intricately conjoined at the hip. Therefore, ending tribalism through ideology-based politics will naturally result in the demise of graft. Yet corruption is not the only consequent of tribal-based politics. There are a host of other vices such as nepotism and patronage, which are in turn responsible for the lethargy and complacency that are manifested daily in public offices. We are paying a heavy price for all these because our politics is stuck in the rut of myopic and provincial agendas.

The way out of this unspeakable malaise is issued-based politics. We in Jubilee have started the process of breaking away from this damning state of affairs. Our goal is to unite Kenyans of all tribes, races, religion, creed and clans. In doing this we will are in consonant with the aspirations of Kenyans who desire democracy, development and prosperity.

Pessimists have poured cold water on this great plan. However, we won’t be distracted because we know what this means for harmony of Kenyans. Our democracy will not grow if we cling to regional tribal-based politics. Those who derive their political survival from tribalism are bound to stage stiff resistance against this noble move. But as it is said, no one can stop a grand idea whose time has come. History is littered with those swept aside by the unstoppable force of change.