By Arthur M. Katabalwa
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| Hon Mike Mabikke (Monitor Photo) |
Last night I sat and watched some
discussion on TV about the on going retreat of the ruling governing party in
Kyankwanzi. The discussion was on one of the local televisions and it was
between the former MP Hon Mike Mabikke and some NRM lady who is a representative
of Museveni in Kampala. She is RCC or something like that. You can see my
complete lack of interest in Ugandan politics. Yes, I have had my times when I
was an ultra NRM supporter but along the way I guess I just sort of got lazy
about it and I thought there is something more to life.
But with the emergence of a multiparty system, I was excited about the prospect of a proper political debate.
And when I saw that we were having a "new breed" of politicians, I
thought things were getting brighter. You see I was about when Amin was in
power and the rest of them that followed. And when Museveni stood on those
steps and made that famous "fundamental change" speech, we were fired
up! Well that was then. Now things are different.
Now we have an opposition which
is not fit for purpose and it is a dismal disappointment. I was surprised that
Mabikke cannot differentiate between the government of Uganda and NRM. And he
is a major politician? That is the problem we have. His argument was that while people were dying in Mulago, the NRM was spending billions in Kyankwanzi. It was
almost excruciating. The NRM does not fund Mulago ssebo. Our taxes do so through the government to fund Mulago.
And then he was making completely unsubstantiated allegations that the NRM goes to the Bank Of Uganda, steals money and uses it for its own activities. I am not sure whether that is true or not but you see there are allegations,true or otherwise that are best made in a court of law rather than on TV. It is absolutely preposterous to grandstand on TV and make such statements which can be challenged in a court of law, without a single piece of evidence. It is all conjecture. And while it may make good TV, it does not win new supporters.
On party finance. I was surprised to see that Mabikke was not aware that parties
can be funded privately. I am not conversant with party funding law and if they
have to declare where that money comes from. But when he heard that businesses
gave the NRM money it almost seemed to him like it was a scandal that they do.
Well, that is how democracy works. And imagine if Museveni went travelling
round the country also looking for "Ettofaali". They would get a lot
of money.
My appeal to the opposition: we
need to hear what you have planned for this country on roads, education, the
economy, regional cooperation, security, health and whole host of other things. What are
you going to provide as an alternative to what Museveni and his NRM are
providing? All we are hearing is a rag tag army of politicians who are also past there "sell by" dates only
fixated with one man; Museveni! Museveni has the power of incumbency and he has
dominated politics for so long that he is on that stage alone. Get on that stage as well with your power of persuasion and show us that you are a credible government in waiting.
The electorate and especially
some of us who are apathetic about politics find the whole scene unappealing.
We are presented with a message that we have heard for ages, of blame of
present systemic failures to past regimes (they have been gone 30 years by the
way). That is no longer washing. There is a whole generation of Ugandans who
have no clue about panda gari. They
are not phased by what happened in "those days". The story of the 27 who attacked Kabamba isn't much captivating. I am glad for those who fought in that battle but with due respect they are not the ones who lost an election. DP did. So why fight other peoples' battles? But that is for another day.
Today more and more Ugandans are fixated
with the providence of public services, a civil society that observes the law
regardless, an aspiration to be successful, to have a nice car, a nice house. A
generation that has an increasing disposable income. A generation which is more
tuned in. Liberal and aware of social progression. When we here of an
opposition fighting with an incumbency that is yet to provide a different narrative
from the bush days, we are torn between the two. And that is a failure squarely
of the opposition. Style UP!
