From: Dan Orao

HOW THIS ELECTION WILL BE WON AND LOST!

In politics when you are behind you ignore and condemn the polls and when you are head you embrace them. At the moment the polls look great for ODM while PNU condemns them. Of course the election is not being held to day so all the major parties have time to change their stance. If any party or political supporters  think that  this election will be won or lost based on current polls,  I have an island to sell them. I urge those political leaders and their supporters already shopping for new drapes and office furniture, and selecting ministers to head their departments starting January, 2008, to hold off until the final ballots have been cast. I am here asking both ODM and PNU parties and their supporters to ignore the polls and go work for the actual votes: province by province and district by district across the country. 

For ODM to win and form its national government, it must contest for votes outside of its regional and tribal base. It is true that tribal solidarity in Kenya is alive and kicking, but this alone should not give ODM the complacency that prevents its  political message and vision from reaching other regions of the country. I know it easy to avoid regions and districts where a party may not be popular but in this election, specifically at the Presidential level,  the country needs to elect leaders who are going to govern the country for the next five years, not cater to select regions or tribes. It is incumbent upon serious presidential candidates running in this election not to concede any region of the country based on tribal or party affiliations.

For these reasons, ODM need to campaign and contest for votes in major central and eastern provinces and districts. In the central province, ODM must deliver its message and seek votes in: Nyandarua, Nyeri, Maragua, Thika, Kiambu, Kitui and Makueni districts. Tribal solidarity in these regions should not deter ODM from presenting and sharing its vision for the country to the people of this area. It is up to ODM to tell the people of these regions why they should vote for her and not for PNU not the other way around.

For PNU to win and form  national government, it must also campaign and contest for votes in Coast, Nyanza, Rift Valley and northeast provinces all considered at this time to be ODM’s strong political base. In the coastal province, this party must contest in districts like Kilifi, Mombasa, Taita T and Kitui. In Nyanza, the party must contest and take its  vision to districts like Gucha, Kisumu, Migori and Nyando to mention a few. In Rift valley, the party must contest and take the same message to Kericho, Nandi, Busia and Teso. Yes, these regions are traditionally ODM strongholds, but  PNU Presidential candidates cannot ignore these regions and districts if PNU has to govern entire country effectively after the election.

Some times it is very  difficult in the Parliamentary system for the parties’ Presidential candidates to see themselves individually as being hired by the voting public rather than the entire political  party being asked to lead the country. Kenya’s voters demand serious  Presidential candidates in this election that will go beyond party, regional and tribal lines when seeking the votes in this young, multi-party era of government. The national presidential candidates must seek support and votes from all  parts of the country and it’s people. Winning and losing this election will not be decided by polls but by generating  actual votes and political support in the aforementioned provinces and districts for both ODM and PNU. 

--
Dan Orao
CEO
Great Lakes Card Service
& Financial Management
Grand Rapids, USA

---