National Assembly Majority Leader, Hon. Aden Duale has urged Jubilee MPs to abstain from proposing amendments to the Joint Parliamentary Select Committee report on IEBC reforms since it was prepared out of consultations between CORD and Jubilee.
Duale who was addressing the press today, Thursday, warned that mutilating the report prepared from consultations between Jubilee and Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) is like saying the committee should not have been established at first.
“To mutilate the report on the floor of the House is to negate the principle and reasons for establishing the Joint Parliamentary Select Committee on IEBC. This report is a negotiated document and must be passed as it is,” said Duale.
“We have asked the Speaker to make a ruling on the proceedings yesterday (Wednesday) and whether the duly outlined process in the standing order was followed.”
“We have communicated to our members that the report should not be amended. No comma or full stop should be removed or added. We have instructions from our party leaders that the report shouldn’t be amended.”
This comes after CORD principal, Raila Odinga, said that his coalition respected the report and it will support it fully as he, on the other hand, urged Jubilee not to put wall between the report and approval for implementation in parliament.
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Duale warned those who wish to defect to other parties later, especially Jubilee MPs to do so before the nomination for the clause they want to be amended will remain untouched.
“As Jubilee, we will not and do not entertain party hopping. If you feel nominations will be rigged, decided to be an independent candidate, move to PNU or Mashinani party. We must not be dishonest as MPs.”
He stated that the motion by Kisumu Town West MP, John Olago Aluoch, to prevent aspirants from defecting to other parties after losing out in nominations is misplaced, saying Jubilee is opposed to party hopping.
“If the report is passed as it is, I will sign it tomorrow and have them published by the weekend. On Tuesday, I will move to reduce the period of publication so that we have it passed by Thursday. We are working on a strict deadline.”