Jimmy Gathu
New Lister
It i sad and unfortunate to see Rt.Hon. Raila Odinga, a once respected African Statesman, reduced to a puppet who can not address key African issues with confidence and abrasiveness like he did 10-15 years ago.
The ongoings in Goma, Eastern DRC are major happenings, touching the hearts of African people, but Raila Odinga has to maintain silence so as not to antagonize dictators and tyrants like Afande Kagame, William Ruto and Museveni.
In 2010, Raila Odinga, then, The Kenyan Prime Minister, and special AU envoy to the Ivory Coast, called for Military Action to ouster Laurent Gbagbo who had refused to vacate office despite a clear defeat by Alassane Ouattar, a former Prime Minister and IMF Official.
A brave Raila Odinga defied the hostilities by the GBagbo regime, as well as the pro-Gbagbo elements in ECOWAS to call for democracy, rule of law and prosecution of Gbagbo and members of his regime.
Raila Odinga is well remembered for storming a Press Conference by the then French Minister of Environment, Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet during a Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico, taking control, and using the platform to call for ouster of Gbagbo. This really angered the then AU Chair, Dr. Jean Ping, who termed Raila's actions, words and pronouncements as reckless considered he was supposed to be a neutral party in the talks.
Raila Odinga remained defiant, and repeated his words when he went back to his office, both in Kenya and Addis Ababa.
The only other person who had dared such powers, without fear of retribution is Nelson Mandela who constantly called for withdrawal of Israel forces from Palestine Territory, and called for respect of the International Stand on two states resolution.
Today, Raila Odinga has to tow the line so as to get the AUC Chair vote, an insignificant role not worth his status and reputation in the past. Worse, it is being negotiated by William Ruto, a replica of Gbagbo and other African Dictators!
The most unfortunate thing is that even the vote is not assured!
The ongoings in Goma, Eastern DRC are major happenings, touching the hearts of African people, but Raila Odinga has to maintain silence so as not to antagonize dictators and tyrants like Afande Kagame, William Ruto and Museveni.
In 2010, Raila Odinga, then, The Kenyan Prime Minister, and special AU envoy to the Ivory Coast, called for Military Action to ouster Laurent Gbagbo who had refused to vacate office despite a clear defeat by Alassane Ouattar, a former Prime Minister and IMF Official.
A brave Raila Odinga defied the hostilities by the GBagbo regime, as well as the pro-Gbagbo elements in ECOWAS to call for democracy, rule of law and prosecution of Gbagbo and members of his regime.
Raila Odinga is well remembered for storming a Press Conference by the then French Minister of Environment, Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet during a Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico, taking control, and using the platform to call for ouster of Gbagbo. This really angered the then AU Chair, Dr. Jean Ping, who termed Raila's actions, words and pronouncements as reckless considered he was supposed to be a neutral party in the talks.
Raila Odinga remained defiant, and repeated his words when he went back to his office, both in Kenya and Addis Ababa.
The only other person who had dared such powers, without fear of retribution is Nelson Mandela who constantly called for withdrawal of Israel forces from Palestine Territory, and called for respect of the International Stand on two states resolution.
Today, Raila Odinga has to tow the line so as to get the AUC Chair vote, an insignificant role not worth his status and reputation in the past. Worse, it is being negotiated by William Ruto, a replica of Gbagbo and other African Dictators!
The most unfortunate thing is that even the vote is not assured!
