Page 12 - THE RHINO Issue 001

11 DEVIL’S ADVOCATE: PARADE OF THE POLITICAL ENEMIES
BY FAITH NDINDIRI
OUR COLUMNIST
Faith s a Development Economist and Consultant, passionate about Political Economy. Engage with her on Twitter @FaithNdindiri or email her on fndindiri@gmail.com
Bruce Bueno de Mesquita once said that “the competition for political office has always been fierce. In modern democ- racies, the battle for the highest of offices is frequently punc- tuated by vicious personal attacks, by acrimonious charges of personal corruption, indecency, and incompetence.” incom- petence.” A quick review of the media and newspapers in the recent past will have no doubt left you with a distinct feeling that someone somewhere is trying to manipulate you, engineer your opinion in some way. We could call it a parade of Kenya’s political enemies. This strategy to pa- rade an enemy is not new. In the 1930’s Hitler got people to fear and hate the Jews, during the cold war Americans incited mistrust and hate against Russia. During the global “war on terror” we saw the enemy become the Arab world,
It is here where he decided who the country’s enemies would be, who they would fear, who the opposition would be. It was here that he has continually shaped Russia’s national consciousness. It with media that Putin has created a single, unchallenged narrative to unite the nation. Russia Today, their version of our national broadcaster KBC (albeit a little less colourful), has become a powerful opinion engineering tool for Putin. To such a great degree that Russian elections have come to be de- signed and funded in a way that works to strengthen the Kremlin.
It is through the media that the Russian voter is left with the feeling that Putin is the only sane and viable candidate. Putin uses the media incredibly well - he is always at the center of attention, it is on Russia Today that you see Putin’s diverse persona- Putin the soldier, the hunter, lover, spy, and all-round super- human. When the coronavirus pandem- ic broke out, he in full protective armor visited hospitals and labs- ready to save Russia. Whether Putin’s goals are be- nevolent is up for debate, but politically effective he has indeed been.
Engineering public opin- ion then is not new. It be- comes crucial closer to electoral seasons. Ken- yans have a referendum and an election coming up. And one gets the feeling that democracy in Kenya is increasingly being stage-managed.
and closer to home, the British once incited fear against the Mau Mau. Parading an enemy isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it is especially useful as a tool of persua- sion. In wartime, in 2011 when Kibaki needed to justify his first incursion into Somalia, it was Al Shabaab that we all needed to fear.
Engineering public opinion then is not new. It becomes crucial closer to electoral seasons. Kenyans have a referendum and an election coming up. And one gets the feeling that democracy in Kenya is increasingly being stage-managed. The question remains who is to inform and serve the public so that citizens can bet- ter engage in the political process.
We can draw from Russia’s President Putin; when Putin came to power in 2000, the first thing he did was seize control of media.
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