Pragmatism has failed us, let’s try conviction politics

By OKIYA OMTATAH OKOITI
Published August 22, 2009

This late in the day we can neither claim not to know the root cause of our failures nor can we keep on blaming our tribulations on others, especially colonialists and the capitalist West. Without a doubt these two constructed the prison of poverty and dependency, but who has ensured it survives to this day, and even expanded and upgraded it into a maximum security facility?

The prison survives because the quest for leadership is an elite struggle to be the jailor. No average Kenyan politician wants to free the people. None will hesitate to engage in corruption and other forms of abuse of office for unjust enrichment that impoverish the country. They are responsible for our inadequate and dilapidated infrastructure, the dying forests, rivers, lakes, wetlands, natural scenery, and wildlife.

They are responsible for our many other self-inflicted challenges, including dysfunctional political parties, the skyrocketing prices of basics, road carnage, the rationing of both water and electricity, endemic crime, and a generally very violent society.

Could the reason for this toxic elite be that as a country, since our 1963 flag independence, we have hotly pursued pragmatism – action and effectiveness – at the expense of ideology? Is our bent for pragmatism the reason we get wheeler-dealer politicians who do not graduate into principled statesmen with deep-seated convictions that can hold shape against any political storm?

While conviction politicians and an adherence to political philosophy seem passé, Kenya’s political landscape is littered with all manner of vile busybodies who have no overarching vision for the country’s long-term wellbeing.

Even though rigid ideology can make people ignore facts that challenge their worldview, it is worth considering the limitations of pragmatism – an approach to politics that is characterized by deal-cutting instincts rather than a commitment to core political principles.

Kenya’s post-independence politics have largely been defined by pragmatism, including the many ill-advised amendments to the constitution, negation of the rule of law, destruction of the environment, land grabbing, and even the now infamous Kibaki Tosha declaration that had no room for political principle.

This has often resulted in our being led by ad hoc policies that are reactive, and crisis-driven, and that are not put within a larger philosophical framework. Above all, pragmatism reduces politics to the mere day-to-day management of affairs, yet at its best politics should transcend management to advance a larger human purpose by pursuing ideals like justice and liberty, partnership for the common good, and fostering the conditions that allow for human flourishing and excellence. Pragmatism inevitably robs politics of its higher, ennobling aims.

Pragmatists do not have deep-seated convictions, and avoid the hard choices great leaders make. Throughout history the finest politicians are those who withstand the pressures of the moment to pursue policies precisely because those policies are part of an overarching governing philosophy.

Like our politicians, pragmatists believe they should lead because of who they are, rather than what they believe. Their self-assurance seems to derive from their enormously misguided high confidence in themselves, rather than confidence anchored in a coherent worldview.

Those touting pragmatism as a balm and downplaying the role of political philosophy in our politics should just take a look at our national anthem and see how that great song no longer belongs to Kenya. What happened to the envisioned Republic of Kenya that is so well articulated in that song? Why has the word REPUBLIC become a mere decoration in the name of our country?

A republic is a government of laws and not of men. Republicanism is an ideology of governing a nation with an emphasis on the respect for constitutionally protected individual liberties and freedoms, including human rights, the right to information, popular sovereignty, and the civic virtue practised by all citizens. Public office is strictly used for the welfare of society not for unjust enrichment.

A republican dispensation stands in direct and firm opposition to any form of dictatorship, corruption, tyranny, or anything that injures the sanctity of the State, including the public order.

If our leaders since independence had been conviction politicians, with a fighting faith and fidelity to republicanism, and cared deeply about building a republic, rather than an attachment to pragmatism or a captivating personality, they could have made Kenya a great nation.

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