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May 24 , 2005

NARC not killing democracy-the reality of coalition politics is shifting alliances not a dilution of democracy

The claim by the leader of the official opposition Uhuru Kenyatta that the NARC government is killing democracy is misleading and raises important questions about KANU’S understanding of democracy as a system of government in the context of a multi-ethnic developing country. It also raises doubts about KANU’S understanding of the logic of coalition politics that is taking shape on the African continent.

Speaking on pluralism and democracy during the International Press Congress, Uhuru Kenyatta claimed that the NARC government is killing democracy by appointing members of the opposition into government. To Uhuru, therefore, it follows that multi-partyism is the equivalent of democracy. While it is true that pluralism is often an important feature of democracies, it cannot be equated with democracy. Indeed, as Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim had occasion to note in the same forum, the existence of multi-partism does not necessarily translate into democracy. As Salim noted, former Zaire under Mobutu Sese Seko embraced multipartyism but there was no democracy.

Perhaps most fundamentally, what Uhuru needs to note is that political parties in multi-ethnic developing countries, including Kenya, are mainly formed along ethnic lines. In the African context, therefore, what this means is that to leave opposition parties outside government is equivalent to excluding certain communities from government. This poses the real danger of balkanizing the country along ethnic lines which is detrimental to democracy and stability. Contrary to Uhuru’s claim, therefore, the appointment of members of other parties into the government is in the interest of democracy and stability not an attempt at weakening democracy.

In the past, the exclusion of certain communities from government has been a major cause of conflict in Africa. It is worthwhile reminding Uhuru that most African countries, especially British ex-colonies, inherited and walked into independence with variants of the Westminster system with competitive political parties. These multiparty systems, however, accentuated primordial ties of ethnicity, religion and regionalism. The experiences in Africa since re-introduction of multipartyism in the last fifteen years after decades of experimenting with the one party state, has led to fresh thinking on what system of government is best for Africa.

It is this experience that has led to the new thinking which emphasizes the need for inclusive political systems that accommodate various communities and shades of opinion in government. This has given birth, among other things, to the proliferation of coalition politics and governments of national unity. The appointment of other party’s members of parliament in the government was not, therefore, in any way intended to weaken these parties. Rather, it was intended to reach out and avail representation in government to communities that were exclusively in the opposition.

The reality of coalition politics is that alliances shift in the lifetime of a government as is the case in India, Italy or Israel, that have had a long experience with coalition politics.

In any case, if Uhuru could be honest, he is fully aware that prior to the elections in 2002, the National Rainbow Coalition advocated for effective participation of all Kenyan communities to promote democracy, development and peace in the country. To achieve this, the National Rainbow Coalition clearly spelt out its intention to form a government of national unity as contained in the NARC manifesto.

It is unfortunate that Uhuru Kenyatta could use an international forum to falsely accuse the NARC government of killing democracy. It is this kind of unguarded talk that is creating a negative image of African countries in the international community. Luckily, neither Kenyans nor informed members of the international community could possibly believe Uhuru’s claims. Kenya is today a truly democratic country, a fact that has been endorsed in the very International Press Institute Congress where he was speaking.

Indeed, since NARC government assumed office, there has been an unprecedented explosion of freedom of expression and press. There are no cases of human rights abuses and there is greater integrity and probity in all institutions of governance.

From the foregoing, it is clear that the NARC government is consolidating democracy and entrenching the rule of law contrary to what Uhuru claims. The truth of the matter is that it is the official opposition KANU that is experiencing changes in its fortunes and should stop re-directing its anger towards President Kibaki who has done a good job at steering the country through the rocky path of transition politics.

As President Kibaki stated during the opening of the IPI conference, Kenya is today one of the most democratic states in Africa. The experiment we are currently undertaking of a coalition government and that of national unity is indeed a case study for Africa. To the contrary therefore NARC is not killing democracy- the reality of coalition politics is that we are experiencing a shift in alliances and this does not have to translate into a dilution of democracy.

ISAIYA KABIRA
DIRECTOR PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE