Stop intimidating us, CORD leaders now tell Jubilee

KAKAMEGA COUNTY: The Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) will not be cowed by threats nor will its leadership be intimidated by accusations of engaging in hate speech, Opposition leader Raila Odinga has said.

The coalition has faulted the Government over the targeting of its leaders to record statements with the police on allegations of propagating hatred.  Raila insisted Saturday that the call for national dialogue is urgent.

“I want to tell the Jubilee Government that even if we are jailed, we are not turning back. No amount of intimidation or threats from Government would make CORD cede ground on the push for national dialogue,” he said.

MYOPIC POLITICS

The former Prime Minister said his political wing was reaching out to the Government and those misinterpreting their call for talks as threats were way off the mark.

Speaking at a CORD rally at Muliro Gardens Saturday, Raila said any arrest of leaders on claims that they were propagating hate speech will not cure the current insecurity, corruption and negative ethnicity facing Kenyans.

“I have heard they have arrested George Aladwa over claims of hate speech. They have also asked other leaders to record statements. The arrest of Aladwa will not help anyone,” he said.

He said the days when the Government of the day used to intimidate opposition leaders were long gone.

“We have passed that stage where leaders used to be arrested for speaking out their mind,” he said. “The Constitution allows us to offer checks and balances to the sitting Government because it has failed to address the plight of Kenyans.”

“Threats and issuance of caution to Government are two very different notions. We are not threatening the Government but all we are doing is issuing caution that if some serious discussions are not held about the lives of Kenyans, things will continue going off the rails,” he said.

The former premier took on critics over his recent remarks, accusing them of malice and playing cheap and myopic politics.

“Nilisema ukiona jirani akinyolewa, tia chako maji. Mimi sikutisha Rais Uhuru. Hiyo ni methali tu, kusema Uhuru afanye halahala. (I said when you see your neighbour being shaved, prepare yourself, I did not threaten President Uhuru.

I only implied that he should act faster,” Raila explained. “If anything, in our culture, you cannot be allowed to shave the head of your younger brother.”

CORD co-principal and Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang'ula termed the hate-listing as a case of living in the past and an infringement of constitutional right to the freedom of expression.

“We are telling Jubilee to stop intimidating our wing, the Constitution provides space for expression and what is happening is unfortunate and living in the past, we shall soldier on with our course,” noted Wetangula. “We have spoken the conscience of the nation and we shall continue doing exactly that.”

Siaya Senator James Orengo criticised the move to probe him over hate speech and said the Government does not want to be told the truth.

“To speak the truth is not hate speech. We gave the Jubilee government a chance to run the country but they are not equal to the task,” Orengo said.

READY FOR DIALOGUE

Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya said Kenyans were ready to attend the saba saba rally and no amount of intimidation would stop them.

Absent from the rally were host Senator Bonny Khalwale and CORD co-principal Kalonzo Musyoka both of who are out of the country. Khalwale is in Singapore while Kalonzo is in China.

Earlier Raila attended the burial of Peter Wafula, the father to former Kanduyi MP Alfred Khang'ati, at Namwach Village in Bungoma where COTU secretary General Francis Atwoli differed with Wetang’ula on who should participate in the national dialogue conference.

Atwoli insisted that Kenyans from all sectors must be represented while Wetang’ula said only CORD and Jubilee should be involved.

“We support national dialogue and this must not be made to appear a preserve of the political class. Religious organisations, trade unions, civil rights groups and everyone must be involved, it concerns us all,” stated Atwoli.

But Wetang’ula listed those who must be at the first round of talks, and asked religious leaders and other parties to wait for another round of talks.

“If we are talking about Kenya, we want to have President Uhuru, Raila, William Ruto, Kalonzo Musyoka and Wetang'ula first. We respect other players and they will come later,” said Wetang'ula.

“We do not want to have dialogue through proxies, religious leaders and others whom we respect so much will come in later,” he said.

When he stood to speak, Raila said everyone would be involved in the dialogue.

“We want everyone from religious organisations, private sector players, civil organisations, that is what we are championing for,” stated Raila.

Raila said the dialogue agenda was not aimed at destabilising the Jubilee government but was meant to help address core problems bedeviling the nation such as insecurity, the high cost of living and corruption among others.

Atwoli urged Jubilee to agree to dialogue saying it was time to break off the icy relations between trade unions and the political class.

“Why we need dialogue too is to know when industrial regulations and liberties changed in this country, there exists frosty relations between us and the political class and this is the jinx we want to end,” said Atwoli.

Kiminini MP Chris Wamalwa said: “Even the holy book, the Bible, supports dialogue. Why would they want to harden their stands, we are going to soldier on.  Let no one think of haunting Raila,” he said.

Eseli accused Jubilee of insincerity in responding to the dialogue calls, saying the Government was uncomfortable with the truth.

“We shall not sit down and leave the country to disintegrate. We are one country,” he said.