Don't allow crooks and liars in next Parliament

Commentaries
By Imre Loefler

Next year, Kenyans will elect the Tenth Parliament. They should not repeat the mistake of the Ninth House. Its composition is a testimony of poor judgment. There sit in the chamber — or are conspicuous by their absence from the chamber — many crooks and habitual liars who often behave in a despicable manner. Many are for sale — their party membership, their support and vote.

Only in one matter can this disagreeable assembly agree: Securing for themselves the most extraordinary perks that make them probably the world's best paid.

Bad legislative assemblies are nothing new in history. When Charles Dickens visited America in 1842, he was taken to Capitol Hill and saw both houses of Congress. He was alarmed and offended by the habit of the assembled men (there were no women) of chewing tobacco and spitting the brownish product on the floor and carpet.

Tobacco chewing apart, he was not impressed by the quality of people in the assemblies. He wrote: "By repelling worthy men from your legislative assemblies, it has bred a class of candidates for the suffrage, who, in their every act, disgrace your institutions and your people's choice."

To avoid this kind of situation and ensure that the Tenth Parliament is not populated by people who disgrace our institutions, voters should be conscious of a number of common mistakes they have made in the past. Supporting relatives and clan members, just because of the biological connection is a common misjudgment. It is based on two wrong beliefs. One is the perennial conviction that family is better than anyone else, and the two, if an uncle makes it to Parliament everyone in the family will have a job. One has only to remember what happened to the Kenya Wildlife Service and to police recruitment to see how such hopes come to a sorry end.

Be cautious with regard to rich men driving big cars, accompanied by bodyguards and concubines, and handing out wads of money. Do not admire ostentation. Ask yourself where the riches come from. In Kenya, most of the rich have not become so through honest toil and almost all are corrupt.

Do not admire "success" in terms of money and power, however acquired. Do not shy off only of the big criminals. Observe how people behave, test their trustworthiness in little things and remember Luke 16:10: "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: And he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much."

Do not elect a polygamist. Be wary of those who carry gifts and who make promises. Consider the probability of the fulfillment of the promises. A mere Member of Parliament might be able to have a health centre or school repaired, but he or she will not have enough influence to bring a tarmac road to the district.

There is ample evidence that only senior ministers have enough clout to distort development in favour of "their people".

Trouble is, the majority of voters only think of "pork barrels", as the Americans say. They do not care for the country, distributive justice or the plight of others. They only think of their own advancement, the welfare of their family, village or district.

No wonder that the end products of such electoral decisions are parliamentarians who do not like the voters who put them into the assembly: They think of themselves first.

In the next election, voters will have a further difficulty: The membership of the candidates in any political party or grouping does not give any guidance, for the parties do not have programmes, do not differ in political philosophy and are indistinct from each other.

In the next poll, politicians will not offer ideas, all they have to offer is themselves — and they do this in very similar ways irrespective of their political group. They appear on the same football field, hire the same band, the same group of dancers, arrive in a speeding convoy, aeroplanes or a helicopter, wear a Texas hat, carry a stick, have rings on their fingers and shout, into badly tuned public address systems, more or less the same political "message".

The ladies and some of the more flamboyant men among the aspirants are clad in fantastic costumes and decorated with exuberant headgear — which they call African.

The programme is always the same: A bit of religion, a bit of African heritage, lots of development promises, but in the main is enemy bashing. There may be a little heckling and stone throwing and the same young men are available for hire to any party and candidate, and are only too glad to collect T-shirts in the process.

Voters should see these for what they are: Caricatures of democracy characteristic of our political environment. They can change it by being discerning and ready to improve their decision-making.