THE RAILA ODINGA SECRETARIAT
Monday, March 12, 2012
Press Release on the Coming General Election
1. The next General Election in Kenya will be a referendum on the rule of law – the chance to choose between the rule of law and impunity, between reform and reversal of the gains of the past two decades, between anarchy and order.
2. Kenyans participated in a democratic election on 27 December 2007. The election was subsequently compromised.
3. Some forces with a selfish agenda of their own, which included settling scores that had nothing to do with the elections, took advantage of the ensuing protest against this disenfranchisement of the Kenyan electorate. This was a repeat of similar events in 1991-92 and in 1997. In 2008, more than 1,300 Kenyans were killed, hundreds of thousands were forcefully renditioned and thousands suffered all manner of indignity, classified in the international system as crimes against humanity.
4. The victims were Kenyan citizens. They were not occupying forces from some foreign country, whose killing and eviction might have been cause for heroism and celebration. The matter was then supposed to pass quietly away, as in 1992 and 1997, and to wait for another election and another wave of crimes against innocent citizens.
5. The Grand Coalition Government was established to restore the country to normalcy and shepherd institutional reforms. Everyone said, “Never again.” But not everyone has been co-operative. The beneficiaries of the 2008 injustice have shown they will stop at nothing to frustrate reform and justice.
6. It is this spirit of impunity that frustrated efforts to establish a local tribunal to deal with post-election violence. Parliament was mobilised to defeat the Constitutional amendment that sought to do this, with the main perpetrators cunningly creating the false impression that they sought real justice, and could only achieve it through the ICC. The reality is that they did not wish the matter to be addressed at all – locally or otherwise.
7. The same people shouting then, “Don’t be vague, let us go to The Hague,” are the ones now demonising the ICC. They seek to kill two birds with one stone – dragging the Prime Minister and other innocent parties into their self-inflicted woes, and at the same time making political capital out of the ICC matter.
8. The ICC has unfortunately now become an election issue. But since it IS an election issue, let it now be known that the coming elections will also be a referendum on impunity. The time has come when every one of us must stand up to be counted. Either you are for the rule of law, or you are for impunity. It can’t be both. A choice must be made.
9. The cases before the ICC did not arise out of thin air. They are the outcome of circumstances where Kenyans were killed, forcefully evicted and otherwise dehumanised. They are also the outcome of a systematic and lawful investigation, which the Republic of Kenya is lawfully party to. At the end of that investigation and subsequent court hearings, charges have been raised against those the ICC considers should be called upon to answer for the lowest moment in Kenya’s national history.
10. A lawful process having thus been followed, the Kenyan citizens before the ICC should respect the rule of law. They should seek to defend themselves in the impending trial. If they are innocent, as they have frequently professed at charged public rallies, the court will no doubt acquit them. No public petulance on their part can substitute for the court process. Nor can forged documents and the besmirching of innocent persons’ reputations assist them.
11. It is clear that the present posturing against the ICC, complete with the weaving in of the PM’s name and that of the British Government, is a dress rehearsal for non-cooperation with the ICC. It is clear that the foundation is being laid for the accused to refuse to attend trials of the cases against them.
12. In the past, election-time atrocities have gone unaddressed. People are therefore angry that, this time, things are different. They cannot understand why it should not be business as usual. To try to change that, they are feverishly mobilising people to stand on the side of impunity. They have put impunity on the election agenda. It appears they would like to see Kenya burn again.
13. It is up to each Kenyan, therefore, to search his or her soul and decide where they stand. The choice is between the law and impunity.
14. Finally, the lie is being sold that the Prime Minister is a beneficiary of post-election violence. In fact he was the greatest loser. In the interests of peace, he accepted being denied his rightful position as the elected President of Kenya.
15. The real beneficiaries of post-election violence are only too evident. They include those currently in the process of returning property acquired in areas where post-election violence victims were known to have been dispossessed of their land. Now these beneficiaries are rushing to return the land, in order to evade court processes. What greater admission of guilt could there be?
Signed
The Raila Odinga Secretariat
12 march 2012
Read more: http://jukwaa.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=6700&page=1#ixzz1ovdu6ibl
Monday, March 12, 2012
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Maryland Governor to sign gay marriage legislation
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Gov. Martin O'Malley will make Maryland the eighth state to legalize gay marriage when he signs a bill passed by the General Assembly.
O'Malley is expected to sign the legislation, which he sponsored, Thursday, though same-sex ceremonies cannot be performed until January 2013.
Gay marriage supporters assume they'll have another hurdle to jump as the law is expected to be petitioned to referendum in November.
Gay marriage opponents are prepared to collect the nearly 56,000 signatures needed to put the measure on the ballot and are expected to rely heavily on churchgoers who oppose same-sex marriage as a matter of faith, to reach that goal.
Organizers say they hope to collect nearly double the required number of signatures to ensure enough are validated by the state elections board.
O'Malley is expected to sign the legislation, which he sponsored, Thursday, though same-sex ceremonies cannot be performed until January 2013.
Gay marriage supporters assume they'll have another hurdle to jump as the law is expected to be petitioned to referendum in November.
Gay marriage opponents are prepared to collect the nearly 56,000 signatures needed to put the measure on the ballot and are expected to rely heavily on churchgoers who oppose same-sex marriage as a matter of faith, to reach that goal.
Organizers say they hope to collect nearly double the required number of signatures to ensure enough are validated by the state elections board.
Gays flee as irate residents storm Likoni seminar
A mob on Thursday stormed the venue of a meeting of homosexuals, scattering the delegates.
About 30 participants scampered from the Likoni CDF Youth Empowerment and Library Centre through the back when about 100 youth led by religious leaders and village elders forced their into the venue.
Five Coast gay leaders, however, were not so lucky as the youths blocked the escape route and seized them.
They were held captive in the building for three hours as residents bayed for their blood.
The five were saved by Likoni police boss Abagarro Guyo and district officer Moses Ouma who ordered the seminar closed.
The five were bundled into a private car and whisked away under tight security.
“Everybody is ordered to vacate these premises. The seminar is terminated immediately and the place closed,” said Mr Guyo.
Sheikh Amir Zani of the Muzadhalfa mosque described the seminar as illegal, ungodly and unacceptable. He threatened to mobilise the community to cane the gays if they organised such a meeting again.
“The government should stop this or we will act as a community,” Sheikh Zani declared.
Mombasa Network for Human Rights organising secretary Ali Kigarimbwe accused the organisers of denigrating the youth centre.
Sauti ya Likoni lobby group chairman Hamisi Hassan Ng’anzi said residents were shocked that such a seminar could be held in their midst.
“Many workshops of this kind have been held, purportedly to impact safe sex skills to the youth but they are actually business ventures.
“Why is drug abuse on the rise? These workshops don’t have any meaning,” he said.
A village elder, Mr Daniel Baridi, said all seminars at the centre should be vetted and approved by community leaders.
“We established this centre to help our youth but it is being abused. We will not allow such activities,” he said.
But the Ministry of Youth and Sports district officer, Mr David Ogal, defended the organisers of the seminar and accused residents of misunderstanding their aims.
“Here we are dealing with very vital education to vulnerable groups, including drug users, commercial sex workers, gays and others.
“We are offering peer and HIV/Aids education to the youth because they are at the highest risk of infection,” he told the press.
Mr Ogal said the ministry’s job was to help impart life skills to the youth and vulnerable groups whose HIV infection is twice that of other groups.
“I am a youth officer and charged with this responsibility. The gay community, like other groups, approached us and requested to be educated on safe sex.
“They have a right to safe sex. By doing this, we are not promoting homosexuality but imparting knowledge.
“There is a lot of social discrimination and stigma about the issue and we as a society must fight it,” he said.
The seminar participants were aged between 20 and 30, said the officer, adding that his ministry would make youth funds available to all groups as they had a right.
The seminar was organised and sponsored by the Kenya NGO Consortium and Constitutional Aids Control Council, which Mr Ogal said paid them a daily allowance of Sh1,000 “for lunch and transport” for each participant.
Source: Daily Nation
About 30 participants scampered from the Likoni CDF Youth Empowerment and Library Centre through the back when about 100 youth led by religious leaders and village elders forced their into the venue.
Five Coast gay leaders, however, were not so lucky as the youths blocked the escape route and seized them.
They were held captive in the building for three hours as residents bayed for their blood.
The five were saved by Likoni police boss Abagarro Guyo and district officer Moses Ouma who ordered the seminar closed.
The five were bundled into a private car and whisked away under tight security.
“Everybody is ordered to vacate these premises. The seminar is terminated immediately and the place closed,” said Mr Guyo.
Sheikh Amir Zani of the Muzadhalfa mosque described the seminar as illegal, ungodly and unacceptable. He threatened to mobilise the community to cane the gays if they organised such a meeting again.
“The government should stop this or we will act as a community,” Sheikh Zani declared.
Mombasa Network for Human Rights organising secretary Ali Kigarimbwe accused the organisers of denigrating the youth centre.
Sauti ya Likoni lobby group chairman Hamisi Hassan Ng’anzi said residents were shocked that such a seminar could be held in their midst.
“Many workshops of this kind have been held, purportedly to impact safe sex skills to the youth but they are actually business ventures.
“Why is drug abuse on the rise? These workshops don’t have any meaning,” he said.
A village elder, Mr Daniel Baridi, said all seminars at the centre should be vetted and approved by community leaders.
“We established this centre to help our youth but it is being abused. We will not allow such activities,” he said.
But the Ministry of Youth and Sports district officer, Mr David Ogal, defended the organisers of the seminar and accused residents of misunderstanding their aims.
“Here we are dealing with very vital education to vulnerable groups, including drug users, commercial sex workers, gays and others.
“We are offering peer and HIV/Aids education to the youth because they are at the highest risk of infection,” he told the press.
Mr Ogal said the ministry’s job was to help impart life skills to the youth and vulnerable groups whose HIV infection is twice that of other groups.
“I am a youth officer and charged with this responsibility. The gay community, like other groups, approached us and requested to be educated on safe sex.
“They have a right to safe sex. By doing this, we are not promoting homosexuality but imparting knowledge.
“There is a lot of social discrimination and stigma about the issue and we as a society must fight it,” he said.
The seminar participants were aged between 20 and 30, said the officer, adding that his ministry would make youth funds available to all groups as they had a right.
The seminar was organised and sponsored by the Kenya NGO Consortium and Constitutional Aids Control Council, which Mr Ogal said paid them a daily allowance of Sh1,000 “for lunch and transport” for each participant.
Source: Daily Nation
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)