For the record, I have nothing against politicians. There are a few good ones – really few, perhaps three or four in Kenya – but the average politician is nothing more than a wolf in sheep’s clothing and in most instances, they don’t even bother to hide their identity.
I have been studying the current political realignments and the swiftness with which allegiances change. One day, this particular politician is on this side of the divide (mostly in the opposition) and the next, he has been given a cabinet secretary’s position and he mutates into a blubbering court jester.
From the most virulent anti-government critics, they turn into hero worshippers when appointed to the government, making them meeker than the meekest lamb. They even start wearing Brioni suits, a rather huge promotion from the ill-fitting Turkish ones. Even a viper does not shed its skin that quickly.
The new CS or Senior Advisor (the new thing when the government wants to keep you quiet) now becomes the most ardent government supporter, singing praises and rejoicing in the newly acquired modes of transport, from the traffic-ridden roads to helicopters and first-class travel.
Oh, and there are the bodyguards and motorcades that come with such an appointment. Like Marlon Brando said in the movie ‘The Godfather’, everyone has a price.
The reverse is also true. When someone is kicked out of government, he (usually they are men) will discover that he’s always been an oppositionist at heart. He will spill the beans about the shenanigans in government, the stealing, the killings and abductions of youth, literally painting a picture of the cesspool that the government is, forgetting that just the other day, they were an integral part of the system.
They saw, heard or spoke no evil when they were gorging themselves from the buffet of public resources, but all of a sudden, they have their damascene moment and they can now see clearly the evil that they were part of. They shed crocodile tears and promise to bare all as they promise the electorate that, next time, if they elect him, he will go in and drain the swamp.
The biggest problem, of course, is the people, us, who like a windvane, change with the slightest whiff of wind. The other day, we were with some villagers discussing the pros and cons of the current government. A few months back – and prior to the election – they were ardent supporters of the current regime, saying it is a government that will take care of their daily needs, that we had voted out an evil regime and that overnight, things will improve.
Look at the price of maize, one brave but naïve soul said. It has come down substantially. I opined that the price of Unga has nothing to do with a well-thought-out government policy: it was simply a matter of divine intervention. We have had good rains, I said, and hence good harvests. Of course, the wisecrack had a rejoinder: it is because we have a “praying” government whose head does not partake of the devil’s potion, unlike the previous occupant of the high office. Ahem!
The tune changed rather dramatically when one Rigathi Gachagua was ejected as the DP. See what they have done to our hero, they said indignantly. “‘Our’ man cannot be treated so badly. We are therefore jumping ship and the government we have been praising can go hang!”
That is the tragedy of this country. We are bigots who can never see beyond our noses. We are easily swayed, especially when a tribe is mentioned. We became one with our persecuted leader even when perhaps, if we scratched the surface, we will see that the so-called leader is just another wolf who changes clothes to suit the occasion.
-The writer is a communications consultant
By Mutahi Mureithi