SUSAN MUGWE: The Ratchet Effect Of Gachagua’s Impeachment

An account is told in the Book of Genesis of a man called Joseph who was the son of Jacob. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and eventually rose to become the second in command in Egypt after correctly interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams....CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

The dreams predicted seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine.

With Pharaoh’s support, Joseph devised a plan to store surplus grain during the years of plenty to prepare for the impending famine.

When the famine came, Joseph consolidated even more power for Pharaoh, first by selling the stored grain to the people, and then by buying up all the land and livestock.

By the end of the famine, Pharaoh owned nearly all the land in Egypt.

The state’s power expanded permanently, and the people continued to work on Pharaoh’s land and give him a portion of their harvests.

The pre-famine autonomy of landowners was gone, and Pharaoh’s centralized control had become the new norm.

While the storing of grain and buying up of all the land and livestock on many accounts is preached as a prudent step in preparation for the looming famine, it also marked the beginning of a state-managed, centralized control over resources and people’s liberties.

Joseph finally made the population essentially serfs to Pharaoh. They gave up their freedom in exchange for sustenance.

This expansion of state power is known as the ratchet effect.

It is a process by which governments or political elites expand their powers during times of crisis or uncertainty.

Once the power is increased to deal with the crisis, it rarely retracts to its original state once the emergency passes.

Instead, the newly expanded powers become institutionalized, resulting in a permanent shift in the political structure.

The ratchet effect is crucial for understanding how crises, whether natural disasters, global pandemics, security threats or political instability are often used by the ruling elites to justify an expansion of their power or authority.

Most governments often respond to crises by increasing their control over certain aspects of society.

This might involve expanding their executive powers, enacting unfavourable legislation, increasing surveillance, or curtailing civil liberties.

In these moments, the argument for those in favour is typically framed around necessity: extraordinary times require extraordinary measures.

These actions are often deemed necessary to restore order or protect national security and are generally accepted by the public in times of high stress or fear.

The potential impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has dominated headlines and become the centre of conversations on social media, local pubs and marketplaces.

The calls for his impeachment stem from allegations of corruption, mismanagement, abuse of office and tribalism.

These allegations, while serious in and of themselves, have also been viewed by other factions as being weaponized for political gain.

The impeachment process, while constitutionally valid, is increasingly being viewed as a political manoeuvre to weaken the position Riggy G holds constitutionally and politically, with the aim of solidifying alternative centres of power within the political architecture.

In this context, the ratchet effect is at play.

Impeachment, particularly of a deputy president, is not merely a legal mechanism. It is a tool that once used, expands the power of those driving it.

If successful, it will set a precedent for future political actors to use impeachment as a way to either tame or remove political rivalry.

It expands the power of the executive through the parliament to shape the country’s leadership devoid of the people’s direct say in the matter.

Once impeachment becomes normalized as a political weapon, it will lead to greater political instability and power centralization among those who can effectively wield the impeachment process.

Once this immediate crisis of an alleged ‘rogue’ deputy president passes, the expanded powers will not fully revert to their original limits.

They will become integrated into the formal and informal practices of the state.

Laws may be introduced under the rationale that they provide tools to prevent future crisis or maintain stability.

As a matter of fact, it has been reported that parliament is working to seal loopholes that could be exploited to challenge impeachment proceedings against Riggy G in anticipation of a bitter legal battle ahead.

The politicos, having tasted their expanded powers, are often reluctant to give them up.

On the other hand, the citizens having adjusted to the new normal during the crisis, develop apathy and do not demand the rollback of those powers, especially if the crisis evokes post-traumatic stress disorder of past occurrences or fear of future threats.

This begs the question; Why should Riggy G’s impeachment matter to you?

Is it because you are a son of the mountain? Or is it because you were not a supporter of the current ruling coalition?

I submit that it should not be about Riggy G, your origin, or your political affiliation. The ratchet effect leads to a long-term and permanent shift in the power dynamics between the state and the citizens.

It can lead to greater consolidation and centralization of power in the executive branch, the erosion of civil liberties and reduced political accountability.

It contributes to democratic backsliding. As the power expands, the checks and balances weaken, which ultimately leads to a more authoritarian style of governance.

Understanding the ratchet effect allows us to recognize how crises, whether they are real, imagined, perceived, or manufactured, can lead to the consolidation of power by elites, often at the expense of long-term democratic and institutional stability.

Finally, my unsolicited advice is to the Members of Parliament. The axe forgets, but the tree remembers.

This highlights the imbalance between the one who wields power to cause harm and those who suffer or bear the consequences.

The electorates are watching. Like the tree, once damaged, it will carry the scars for a long time, if not forever, while the axe moves on to its next tree. And the rumbling in the mountain has begun, while murmurs in other parts of the country are fermenting.

Impeachment, like the consolidation of power, may seem necessary in the short term, especially if it serves political convenience or factional interests.

However, as seen through the lens of the ratchet effect, once power is expanded and political actions are justified by crisis or expediency, it rarely retracts to its original state.

Like Joseph’s actions during the famine, what seems prudent now may leave behind a lasting scar on the political and social fabric of the nation. And just as the axe forgets, the tree will remember in three years’ time…CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES>>>