Suspended Higher Education Minister and ODM Deputy Leader William Ruto. Photo/STEPHEN MUDIARI
By CAROLINE WAFULAPosted Monday, January 17 2011 at 16:01
Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party MPs have termed as unnecessary blackmail and intimidation the continued attacks on Prime Minister Raila Odinga by MPs allied to Eldoret South MP William Ruto.
They also say any motion seeking a vote of no confidence on the Prime Minister would be unconstitutional as he was the leader of the majority party in ODM.
Gwassi MP John Mbadi, Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo and Nyando MP Fred Outta said the disgruntled MPs joined ODM on their own volition and were free to leave if they felt dissatisfied.
“Nobody pushed or forced Mr Ruto and his team to come to ODM,” Mr Mbadi said. “They came on their own as they felt they could identify with the party and if they feel they can no longer stay, the best thing is to quit and let the party continue. Why stick to a party that you don’t believe in?” the MP posed.
He termed the repeated statements by Mr Ruto and his associates that they would leave the party as unnecessary threats.
“We want to tell Mr Ruto that he can defect to United Democratic Movement (UDM) or whatever party he wishes to move to, we wish him well even though we would have wished to have him but it seems it is no longer tenable,” he said.
Tribal Alliances
Mr Gumbo said Kenyans were no longer making decisions based on tribal alliances and said political leaders forging the same were wasting their time.
“The KKK alliance [proponents] are still living in the old and retrogressive belief that Kenya will still vote based on tribal alliances and that they need the alliances to realise their political dreams,” he said.
The KKK is a political alliance led by Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Mr Ruto to bring together the Kamba, Kikuyu and Kalenjin tribes so as to back one presidential candidate in next year's General election.
Mr Gumbo added that Kenyans have moved ahead and will no longer elect leaders based on alliances but on individual performance and reform history.
They said the law was clear on who should occupy the Office of the Prime Minister.
The MPs argued that the law provided that the leader of the majority in Parliament becomes the PM, and as it is, ODM was the majority party. Therefore, Mr Odinga will continue being PM "unless a party National Delegates Conference is called to replace him".
The ODM MPs also lashed at the campaigners for a generational leadership change, terming them hypocrites.
Mr Mbadi said most of those who want the old guard out of power have not been friendly to reforms since their most youthful years.
“These people calling themselves youthful MPs were more youthful in 1992 when they were fighting reforms. Didn’t they know then that Kenya needed liberation, or have they become more youthful than they were in 1992,” the MP said.
The MPs have urged the PM to discipline the disgruntled MPs using party disciplinary measures.
Mr Outa told the disgruntled ODM members to stop being ‘cowards’ and make real their threat to quit the party.
“They should resign and seek a fresh mandate and not hide from repeated statements that they want to move out because day in day out they keep saying they are mobbing out,” he said.
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