That President Vladimir Putin is to run virtually alone in the 18th March election in Russia, is really unmentionable. It is like the election in Kenya where Uhuru Kenyatta ran alone and still had to rig to achieve a credible win. Without over voting, some doing it as many as 20 times, bribing underage children to join the queues, reaching one million votes was a hurdle for Mr. Kenyatta. But they manipulated the process until they reached 3.5 million in the servers.
In Russia President Putin faces the same quandary, as his most serious challenger, Mr. Alexei Navalny, has been barred from running. Leaders like Putin are a nuisances. This is the same Putin who engineered Ms Hillary Clinton’s downfall on account of using her personal e-mail to receive official state correspondence. Now he is brave enough to commit an unprecedented political sin of barring a challenger from participating in elections. It is an embarrassing as it is heinous.
Observers wonder why the second most powerful man on earth, could decide to wash his dirty linen in public like that, as democracy infants from Africa and the third world watch! Russia has what it takes to avoid such crass measures. Because for Russia alternatives exist to ensure Putin’s win under all circumstances. Russians are the best election machine hackers in the world. In any case Navalny cannot beat Putin in an electoral contest. Russia pride would take care of that, the need to have a strong leader who would outfox the west, a charming and smart man of steel.
Then why did they do it, ban Navalny? Why did they do something fouler than Hillary Clinton’s e-mail mix-up? Of course the answer is in prestige and precedent. They would not allow a rival who pulls crowds, who is mobbed by curious people yearning for a change of guard. The picture of being dwarfed at rallies, being out-argued by rivals the big men of Russia’s politburo would not stomach. Instead they are prepared to be the laughing- stock of the democratic world! They are ready to bear the infamy bear.
There you are, people like President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya would gleefully point out. They are not alone, after all, running against themselves in elections! Russia is a first world country and has done it. Of late they have been busy citing Donald Trump’s win in America, where his opponent beat him by over 3 million votes but he still became president, after manipulating 270 delegates. So Kenyans cannot be taken to be democratic angels! He will be quite emboldened to stick to the power he has acquired illegitimately.
The Kenya situation is however diametrically dissimilar to Putin’s case. Because Putin is not a thief. He does not steal from the Russian people or nation. His citizens, especially the youth, are not short-changed in jobs distribution leading to 95 percent unemployment. The Russians do not eat tree barks or wild roots as happens in Baringo and Muranga counties of Kenya. The Russian economy is stable, as Russians enjoy their Vodka as much as they wish.
In Kenya the deprivation is such that millions are starved, can hardly pay school fees, hospital bills, rent. We do not expect Russians to take to the streets because of this electoral meanness. The leaders there are aware of the trick that so long as people are okay at a personal level, they eat well, they shop at will, they make love, political and electoral issues would be only of academic value. This is where Kenya gets trapped.
The Kenya people are so stressed in life even making love might be a problem. President Uhuru Kenyatta is not a patriot. Patriots do not allow people to steal from their country, to rob it in broad daylight. His reign has been so disastrous Kenyans want to secede. Nobody wants to be associated with permanent election theft, economic looting and tyranny. Uhuru has no leadership qualities.
Moreover Uhuru has shown that his political stranglehold and economic pillage would continue past 2022, as his deputy, a puppet, rules in his shadow. In Zimbabwe we had the same scenario, although again Mugabe was not such a thief and national looter. However the people respected him for his role as a freedom fighter and delivering them from the hand of the colonists. But when the army realized that he was not remorseful about his misdeeds, and wanted to perpetuate his disastrous reign through his wife, the army said enough is enough.
Similarly in the case of Uhuru there will be no let-up in the onslaught on his reign as his sights are on 2022 and beyond. The youths have asked opposition leader Raila Odinga to give them guns.
BY : FREDERICK OWINO OYARO.
E-MAIL : frederickoyaro@gmail.com
Copyright : www.frederickoyaro.wordpress.com
Frederick Oyaro 