The recent sweeping changes in the Jubilee Party leadership in Parliament have left tongues wagging and political temperatures and anxiety, especially in the “rebel” camp, hitting a high.But they were long overdue, taking into consideration the disrespect that the ousted office holders had shown the Party Leader, President Uhuru Kenyatta.The unbridled sense of entitlement and chest-thumping among the so-called “Tangatanga” group hit its peak when senators, some nominated by the ruling party, had the audacity to snub the President when he called a meeting in State House.As the saying goes, if you hate me, hate my dog. There is no way you can despise the driver and continue enjoying the ride in the bus.ENFORCING DISCIPLINEEnforcing discipline and respect for the party leadership is, however, not unique to Jubilee.The oldest political party, Kanu, was notorious for its dismissal of wayward members during the one-party rule. Of late, the opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has been de-whipping errant legislators from the national and county assemblies.Across the border in Tanzania, the main opposition party, Chadema, expelled four MPs for defying the party position not to attend parliamentary sessions due to Covid-19.Several others had to explain in writing why they should not face the same fate.Even in the world’s major democracies, like the United States, Britain and India, party discipline and official position are key tenets of their democracy.DEMOCRACYTo affirm his leadership and the importance of party position in major issues, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson expelled 21 MPs from the Conservative Party for voting with the opposition during the Brexit vote.Those dismissed included chancellors, secretaries of state and wartime Premier Winston Churchill’s grandson.Americans use terminologies like “pork barreling” and ‘earmarking” to refer to measures political parties use to rein in on their irate Congressmen. In the Chinese Communist Party, the stringent discipline system elected officials are subjected to when they go astray is “Shuanggui”.In 2008, India’s Bharatiya Janata Party, then in opposition, expelled six members who voted for the government in a censor motion. BJP is the largest party, with over 180 million members.Political parties are run and managed by party constitutions, whose drafters capture its vision and aspirations, which supersede individual interests.NATIONAL AGENDAThe constitution becomes even more important when the party captures power and forms the government, because it now becomes a national agenda.When leaders seek office through a party, they are bound by conviction to advance the party ideologies and vision.In many third world countries, political parties are often as good as their leaders since their support is based on them. This explains why party primaries are a gruelling affair in party’s ‘strongholds’, where the party leaders hold sway. In fact, more than 70 per cent of the current crop of Jubilee office holders were elected on the coattails of the President.Strong and structured political parties are the cornerstone of democracy and, if achieving that means getting rid of a few elements, so be it.Mr Kamanda is a Jubilee Party-nominated MP. [email protected]
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