Are these the remnants of old order?

Who will be the last man standing among the G7 leaders?

Updated on: Tuesday, June 28, 2011 Story by: MEEME JOSHUA

Watching an amorphous group under the banner G7 I wonder who among them would play second fiddle on the presidential stab. This is a group with bloated egos. But early signs show that as time runs fast, they are losing the magic of tribal card and slowly becoming irrelevant. There are no deals to be cut. The reality is those who do not make it to the elections will be vanquished politically. The dilemma is will the Kalonzos, Rutos, Uhurus, Wamalwas, Saitotis and the rest of the ilk opt for senatorship or governorship if they do not make it in the nomination, or will they take a leap of faith into the ballot, when they well know they will lose?

It is not easier either for the PM Raila to woo people who have traditionally been hostile to his bid. His sojourns in the Meru region gives a sneak preview of things we are likely to see in the next one year. I bet politicians must be spending sleepless nights strategizing how to present themselves as the leaders to nurture the New Constitution; creating an image of national leaders while shedding their evident tribal clout. Moulting is not an easy process but it is a necessary evil for survival. Political leaders must shed the coating of tribalism to acquire national public approval. Most of these people are masters of inertia and have used tribal trump-card to shepherd their communities. Not any more. The secret is earn approval by riding with public tide.

The rush by the PM and another presidential hopeful Mutava Musyimi to pay taxes was a show of their willingness to uphold the Constitution. The rest is more talk, more talk and less action. The G7 brigade is still taking time thinking that the issue will be resolved without the requirement to pay taxes. However payment of taxes is personal. John Njiraini will not hesitate to attach your property. Indeed if you fail to pay taxes, you could be declared bankrupt and therefore unfit to vie for any office under Chapter Six of the Constitution. I do not envy the situation that you find yourselves in. But this self inflicted suffering which Johnstone Muthama (Kangundo MP) and Peter Kenneth (Gatanga MP) have no idea about. Mbadi and Co. wonder how they will manage the deflated emaciated payslip? And I ask him him, how does Muthama and Kenneth manage theirs?

My crystal ball tells me we are likely to see most of the this crop of politicians for the last time. Those who do not make it to be elected will either be too weak financially to make any serious attempt into national elections or will be declared bankrupt. In fact most may not even pass the integrity test and vetting. It is my opinion that the presidential hopefuls are taken through vetting process first before being allowed to have their names on the ballot papers. We cannot afford to have tainted carryovers into the new dispensation.

Email: joshmemento@yahoo.com