Photo caption: Opposition Chief Raila Odinga. (nation.co.ke)
National Super Alliance (NASA) leader Raila Odinga has been in the forefront advocating for free, fair, credible and transparent elections in the country. He has been giving the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) ultimatums that he believes will ensure the forthcoming presidential election is conducted according to the constitution and law.
Raila has called for the removal from office of some of IEBC commissioners, change of the company to print ballot papers, termination of contract between IEBC and electronic devices provider OT-Morpho and an audit of electronic transmission servers. The opposition chief has also alleged that network provider Safaricom was involved in rigging him out of the August presidential race. And on Saturday during a political rally in Vihiga, Raila alleged that IEBC inflated the budget for the fresh presidential election slated for October 26th.
In spite of all his demands and accusations, is Raila part of the solution to the political grandstanding in the country?
It seems not. First of all, the opposition chief and his team walked out of a meeting set by IEBC to try and iron out thorny issues before the repeat poll. He wants his irreducible minimums be the among the agenda of the meeting. This is a hindrance to the preparations for the October election.
Secondly Legislators affiliated to NASA have also refused to debate with their counterparts in Jubilee on Electoral Laws amendments Bill presented in the floor of the August House. The legislators have termed the Bill by Jubilee a move to change the rules of the game in their favor. But if so, why don't NASA Mps also give their suggestions on what they think should be included or omitted from the Bill?
The problem with Raila and his team is that they either have their way or there is no way altogether. The grandstanding by the opposition has only resulted to heightening of the political tension in the country. Their hard-line stand has made life hard for all sectors in the country. Be it the economy, sports, tourism and many others.
The opposition should learn to give dialogue a chance. They should not set the bar on the outcome of the discussion. The country is at a precarious stage that only requires the touch of a wrong button for all hell to break loose. We need a free, fair and credible election that cannot be achieved through chest thumping but meaningful engagements. All sectors of the country also need to pick up and unending politics is not the solution.