Politicians should not sow hatred

The ‘silly season’ is upon us already, it seems! In American politics, the term ‘silly season’ refers to the period when primaries are over, but the general election is several weeks away. In Kenya, we are yet to conduct primary elections, though based on the flurry of political activities one would think the general election is imminent.

One of the most disturbing things from our politics is the type of language and rhetoric carelessly bandied about, without consideration for the effect this has on the electorate, the political process, or indeed, the state of the nation.

The ‘hustler vs dynasty’ narrative, propagated by one section of the political class is one such example of rhetoric that may, in the long term, do more harm than good. From a political perspective, it has the potential to be divisive, setting stage for an unnecessary class conflict.

It is, unfortunately, not unusual for politicians to rally their supporters against one another. Recently we have witnessed numerous such cases featuring the use of careless political rhetoric to galvanise supporters; while others have stigmatised groups of Kenyans purely for the purpose of scoring political points against another politician. The effect of these words escalates an already tense political environment, and will almost certainly continue to play out.

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The enactment of the bill, by a 29-17 vote, marks the beginning of what could become a wave of similar legislation across the country, as policymakers increasingly target the economic dominance of large tech platforms, some of which have built massive financial engines through advertising technology.
It's also another example of how proposals being introduced abroad to rein in Big Tech are increasingly gaining traction in the United States. But it could spark a court battle over the legality of the tax and its impact on digital businesses.
The digital advertising provisions of Maryland's new tax law could raise an estimated $250 million in its first year, with revenues being earmarked for education. One of the policy's chief proponents, Senate President Bill Ferguson (D), is a former teacher for Teach for America.
In a Facebook post Friday morning, Ferguson said the bill is targeted at companies that make more than $100 million a year selling digital advertising, a threshold that large technology companies like Facebook and Google would easily surpass. Facebook and Google generated $84 billion and $147 billion in digital advertising revenue last year, respectively.
"This targeted tax on companies that make over $100,000,000 a year ONLY from digital advertising is a vital mechanism to make sure big tech pays taxes in Maryland, just like our small businesses," Ferguson wrote. "At a time when Maryland's budget is being impacted in unforeseen and astronomical ways due to Covid-19, Maryland families and businesses can foot the bill, or big tech can start paying their fair share."
Gov. Larry Hogan (R) has opposed the tax bill. He vetoed it last year, saying it would "raise taxes and fees on Marylanders at a time when many are already out of work and financially struggling. With our state in the midst of a global pandemic and economic crash, and just beginning on our road to recovery, it would be unconscionable to raise taxes and fees now."
Business and technology groups have also opposed the bill. After the Maryland House of Delegates voted to override Hogan's veto earlier this week, the Internet Association -- a trade group representing Amazon, Facebook, Google and others -- said in a statement it would harm small businesses for whom digital advertising "is a critical lifeline" to attract new customers.
Maryland may soon be the vanguard for a wave of state taxes on digital platforms. States including Connecticut and Indiana have introduced similar legislation.
The growing push among states to tax tech giants also follows a push by foreign governments, including France, the UK and others, to impose new taxes on tech companies. The Trump administration had opposed those efforts, getting into a public spat with France over the issue last year.
The Maryland tax could face roadblocks, however. State Senator Stephen Hershey, speaking ahead of the vote, predicted "years of litigation" ahead for the law. Critics said the bill raises questions about the state's power to tax digital commerce and whether it may conflict with federal law and the interstate commerce clause of the Constitution.
Last year, Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh determined that "there is some risk" of a court overturning the law but that he believed the bill is "not clearly unconstitutional."
State Senator Jim Rosapepe (D), arguing for the digital ad tax, acknowledged that litigation is likely but said he had high confidence that the judicial system would resolve the questions appropriately. The bigger issue, he said, is how tech companies are "dodging taxes all over the world."
"We can make sure that if Big Tech doesn't pay its fair share in West Virginia, or doesn't pay its fair share in India, at least Big Tech will pay its fair share in Maryland," Rosapepe said.

It is not as if any of this behaviour is new. Time and again, this strategy has been deployed to galvanise support bases, despite the cost to the political process, and the human cost that ensues. The political class pursues this brand of politics, despite the knowledge that we have flirted with disaster in the past, as manifested by the 2007/8 post-election violence in which over 1,300 people died, and more than 300,000 displaced.

In fact, far from being unique to Kenyan politics, the effect of careless political rhetoric played out in an unprecedented manner after the recent US elections. Following a protracted period of baseless claims and accusations of electoral fraud by former President Trump, and in a last-ditch attempt to sway the process in his favour, Trump sought to convince his Vice President Mike Pence to reject the certification of the electoral college votes, despite it being beyond his powers to do so.

Perpetuating a narrative he knew to be false, Trump impressed upon his supporters that their ability to retain the presidency rested squarely upon the shoulders of Pence in the certification process.

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Energised by Trump’s rhetoric and his plea for the throng of supporters to march to the Capitol, the events of January 6th 2021 are in the public domain.

It was further reported that a part of the mob marauding through the corridors of the Capitol chanted “Hang Mike Pence!” with a noose at the ready, when it became clear that he had failed to “act” as suggested by Trump. As a result of this dark and wholly avoidable episode, five people including a Capitol police officer were killed, while 140 were injured.

The fact is in politics, words matter. Politicians must accept that their words are powerful. They have the power to inspire and unite, or to incite and divide. They also have the power to cause tremendous damage and even loss of life. With that power, therefore, comes great responsibility: a responsibility to those that elected them, as well as those that did not. A responsibility to ensure they do no harm, whether knowingly or unwittingly. Most importantly, they have a duty NOT to use the power of their positions, speech, or platforms to sow division and discord.

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Regardless of where we are in the world, the effect of words uttered by politicians have far-reaching societal consequences, and those irresponsible or flippant with this responsibility ought to be held accountable for their actions.
Maryland became the first state in the country on Friday to impose a tax on digital advertising, as the state's senate voted to override a gubernatorial veto of legislation that would impose up to a 10% levy on revenue from online ads shown in Maryland.