ODM Saga: Youth Leader puts Mudavadi on notice

« Thread Started on Mar 10, 2012, 4:39pm »

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By Kipkemboi Jacob Rotich

My private statement on the situation in the party regarding our upcoming presidential nominations

From the outset, I wish to categorically state that it is not a matter of life and death if Raila Odinga or Musalia Mudavadi loses in the upcoming presidential nominations for the ODM ticket. Why? Because ODM is bigger than both of them combined! It therefore leaves me wondering why certain MP’s and officials allied to both sides behave the way they do. Since we ushered our new republic in August 2010, it is no longer necessary for ‘one of us’ to be in statehouse for ‘us’ to live and be deemed to be alive!

Having been prime movers in the agitation for constitutional and institutional reforms in Kenya, certain faces in ODM risk eroding the very principles they have stood for since the entry of party pluralism Kenya in the early 1990s. Why anyone would want to kick off a storm and generate bad blood out of a very simple issue is what I don’t understand! Now we are slowly becoming our own worst enemies. Our honorable NEC members cannot simply agree on the simplest of rules to govern presidential nominations. Soon, we shall be hearing that they are fighting over delegates’ lists! It is a sad situation indeed.

For once, Musalia Mudavadi and team should give us a break. Complaining about anything and everything is not adding value to him. If anything, he is simply projecting the image of a spineless opportunist who wants to be handed the party ticket on a silver platter! His ‘Mr. Nice’ kind of demeanor does not wash either. He must rise to the occasion and demonstrate what he is capable of doing!

He must also distance himself from the cheering squad offered by the ill fated g7 and its supporters unless he wants to invite the wrath of unamused ODM delegates. Who wants to elect someone only for your opponents to cheer the loudest? In soccer terms, it is called scoring an ‘own goal’ and is a very serious offense!

Lastly, Musalia Mudavadi must demonstrate that he is a team player and bear equal responsibility for any ‘mistakes’ committed by the party in the past. He cannot try to distance himself now in order to be seen in better light unless he wants us to imagine that he has all along been a mere passenger in our bus!

On the other hand, Raila Odinga must rise above the fray and clear the dust in his camp. Speaking through the likes of Nyongo, Kajwang, Orengo or Midiwo only complicates matters as these are the people who belong to the school of thought of ‘one of us’ in statehouse ‘shall give us life!’ Who does not know what Raila Odinga has done for this country ever since we came to know about him? Who does not know that even the harshest critic of the PM acknowledges the irrefutable space the PM has carved for himself in Kenya’s history? Yet it takes only a minute of unguarded speech and sheer carelessness on the part of the PM’s handlers and those pulling from his side to destroy this immense achievement forever! That arrogance on the part of certain honourable members is fast eroding away the PM’s fortunes is no longer a secret. He can no longer afford to hide behind the veil afforded to him by officialdom. He must now step forward and bridge the growing gap between him and his deputy. In short, the PM must read the riot act to the trouble makers on his side and create an environment of trust, compromise and inclusivity.

As one of the youth leaders in ODM, I symbolize the future of the party. I and many others like me have finally arrived and yes, we are here! We demand immediate stability, goodwill and compromise. We demand an environment that favours fair play, compromise and trust. As custodian of the future of ODM, I need to be part of a rich tradition devoid of doubt, innuendo and guesswork especially in an election year. Therefore the ensuing confusion must be arrested immediately before it degenerates into catastrophic proportions!

Kipkemboi Jacob Rotich
ODM Youth Chairman
Uasin Gishu County.
Saturday 10/03/2012
Nairobi


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