MISLEADING STATEMENTS BY MUSALIA MUDAVADI ON THE ORIGINS OF THE HANDSHAKE
In Kenya’s political landscape, it has become tradition for Mr. Musalia Mudavadi to play safe, keep in the shadows and hoping eternally that one day his dream of being what he calls “a compromise candidate”, the proverbial “safe pair of hands” will materialize;
This kind of politician is never known to do anything remarkable, or to go out of his way to help create change. We do not want to define this as cowardly, but Kenyans can make their own judgement. It is also common for his ilk to make outlandish and totally outrageous statements, to gain the ever elusive mileage.
It is in keeping with this pattern that Mr. Mudavadi has chosen the relative safety of the USA, where he is on a visit, to make the false allegation that the Handshake between H.E. President Uhuru Kenyatta and H.E. Rt Hon Raila Odinga, was a product of blackmail, allegedly from foreign powers who he claims had started cancelling visas of Kenyan leaders, in order to force a truce between the feuding sides in the country. It is therefore Mr. Mudavadi contention that the Handshake is weak and not founded on deeper conviction.
Mr. Mudavadi has confessed on numerous occasions that he and his NASA co-principals only learned of the Handshake through the media, like all Kenyans. It is surprising therefore that he can suddenly, after landing on American soil, have “details” of what happened, how it happened or for what reason.
For one to understand why they had no clue that the Handshake was nigh, you would need to track back to the day His Excellency Raila Odinga was sworn in as the People’s President. On that day, Mr Mudavadi and his colleagues are now known to have locked themselves in toilets or some other small safe areas, allegedly waiting for certain Nigerian magic wands to deliver them from self-imposed detention.
In the US, Musalia is now saying he believed nothing good would come out of the swearing in. we wish to make it clear that It is in fact Musalia and his colleagues who succumbed to international pressure not participate in the swearing in. These are individuals who would readily sacrifice the will and desire of their own people in order to please their friends in foreign capitals. Visa cancellations have always been with us. Even very recently, the US ambassador spoke of denying visas to corrupt people. How come these other threats of Visa Cancellation have never caused any major political development on the scale of the handshake?
Indeed, if any foreign powers had threatened visa sanctions, it would have been to STOP this swearing in by H.E. Odinga, NOT to birth the Handshake! Sections of the international community had given a thumbs up to the disputed Elections and publicly advocated for the results to be accepted by all unconditionally.
The cowardly act of Mr Mudavadi attempting to “apply the brakes on the swearing in”, to quote his own words in Homa Bay just three days before the historic swearing in, and his subsequent skipping of the event ruled him out of any future deal making, including the Handshake, for in peace as in war, those who stand for nothing get NOTHING!
Immediately Musalia boycotted the event, the trust that existed between him and Raila broke down irretrievably.
Raila and ODM decided on that day to chart a new course without our so called coalition partners. Musalia does not know what happened from there on. He was in the dark and he remains in the dark. He knows nothing about that chapter of Kenya’s history and would be best advised not to parade his ignorance especially in faraway lands.
We are constrained to let Mudavadi know that his reputation as a “reluctant revolutionary” goes back many years including 2002, when democracy warriors came together to defeat the Kanu machine. At the last minute, he is known to have switched off his phone, possibly to have it “woken up” by a Nigerian line later, and disappeared from his colleagues, only to emerge later singing Kanu yajenga nchi. In subsequent years, Mr Mudavadi has perfected the philosophy of the so called safe hands, waiting like the proverbial hyena who waited for a man’s hands to fall.
We must inform Mr Mudavadi and other enemies of the handshake that no hand from this Handshake will fall for the hyena to benefit, so they must find other ways to seek relevance.
The Handshake between the two leaders, as they have stated repeatedly is born of a deeper desire to unite the country, build bridges and grow together beyond the five year cycle of politics and hatred. They are both committed to this and will not waver. No foreign power has the capacity to cage H.E. the President and H.E. Raila Odinga, as Mr Mudavadi may suggest.
We once again reiterate our commitment as ODM to the handshake and vow to support the two leaders in this noble effort to bring our people together.
EDWIN SIFUNA
SECRETARY GENERAL
ORANGE DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT.
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