Commentary by Macharia Gaitho - Politicians on both sides shedding crocodile tears

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Politicians on both sides shedding crocodile tears

Story by MACHARIA GAITHO
Publication Date: 1/22/2008

Politicians never cease to amaze. And disgust at the same time. During the swearing-in of Parliament, those on the Government benches were bust taunting those on the other side as “killers”, obviously in relation to the killings in the Rift Valley and elsewhere that targeted those presumed, by dint of ethnic origin alone, to have voted for President Kibaki and his PNU.

A lot of blood has flowed under the bridge since. Now it is the Government on the spot over the use of excessive force on opposition demonstrators, and the ODM leaders are happy to exploit the situation to the maximum.

Hearing politicians in both sides of the divide, the issue is not that the post-election crisis has resulted in an absolutely unacceptable death toll and the displacement of a quarter million people, but just the opportunity for more political grandstanding.

Nothing could be more hypocritical than a bunch of politicians pretending to grieve over the dead, when they are salivating over the opportunity presented for propaganda points.

LET'S FACE IT. OUR LEADERS DON’T care how many people are felled by police bullets, hacked to death or burnt alive. They can weep their crocodile tears and pretend to be outraged, but for them, every death of a presumed supporter merely presents an occasion to point an accusing finger at the other side.

In my nightmares, I see President Kibaki balancing precariously on a gold and diamond-bedecked throne that is threatening to topple over because it is standing unsteadily on a mountain of decapitated human bodies.

Climbing over the bodies knee-deep in blood with his arm outstretched to grab the throne, I see opposition leader Raila Odinga, still furious that he was denied the biggest prize of all.

We have one stubborn old man determined to hang on to the presidency whatever it takes in blood — not a drop of his, of course. We have an ambitious and equally stubborn younger man who feels strongly that he was rightfully elected president and will likewise do whatever the cost in blood — not a drop of his either — to claim the prize.

The death toll continues to rise. Even as former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan rides into town, we know that he faces a tough task trying to get the claimants to the presidency to see sense.

Short of getting them both in chokehold and banging their heads together, Mr Annan has very little leverage on either President Kibaki and Mr Odinga or their respective entourages of myopic warmongers and sycophants.

The very fact that they have both chosen, so far, to ignore the heart-rending cries of the people they claim the right to rule, preferring brinkmanship to statesmanship, does not fill me with hope.

So, is there anything for Mr Annan to negotiate?

Will President Kibaki admit that his election was flawed and agree to step down or participate in an interim administration pending fresh polls? Will Mr Odinga agree that all there is to back his assertions of a stolen election are unverified claims?

Will President Kibaki see that people thought to have voted for him are being slaughtered and run out of their homes, and the issue will not be resolved except as part of a political settlement?

Will Mr Odinga see that his supporters are suffering an unacceptable death toll at police hands in their protests against the elections?

Will the president accept that the police force is guilty of excessive use of lethal force?

Will the opposition leader see that killing and evictions are not the way to resolve a political dispute?

Will President Kibaki see that he cannot have a comfortable reign as president of a small ethnic section?

Will Mr Odinga see that politics based on isolating and demonising one ethnic group is not the way to claim national leadership?

Will, both the two stubborn claimants to power see that there will be nothing worth ruling if the stalemate continues?

Over to you, Mr Annan.