NRM is just getting stronger

By Ofwono Opondo

I am paying tribute to the National Resistance Movement (NRM) for firmly withstanding the political avalanche since elections last year, because we must play and dance to our own drums, after all no one may do it for us. 

It is also a call to its pundits to take a look into the future to salvage the party’s fortunes in time for 2016. 

In this period, President Yoweri Museveni has lost 36 ministerial appointees; 26 during elections, four blocked by Parliament and now six to alleged corruption and abuse of public trust. 

But we believe, as a hard revolutionary with long experience eating a lion’s liver, Museveni will swim through to reconstitute a new cabinet quite soon. The opposition celebrating just because NRM has lost a few by-elections should hold on because their time to the high table is still very far. 

First it started with a very disorganised and mismanaged internal primaries. 

Nevertheless, flawed as they were, those elections produced one of the best democratic scenarios for the party because many new, young and vibrant leaders emerged throwing out old guards, ministers, and incumbent MPs hitherto falsely thought to be the ‘establishment’ preferences. 

In the primaries, President Museveni lost 26 ministers like Deputy Secretary General Dorothy Samali Hyuha, Prof. Tarsis Kabwegyere, Dr Richard Nduhura, James Nsaba Buturo, Simon D’Ujang, Simon Ejua, Pereza Ahabwe, Jenifer Namuyangu, and Aggrey Baggire. 

Then the main elections came in February 2012, during which again most of the ministers who had gained the party’s flag through perceived political fraud were knocked, among them Kirunda Kivejinja, Gabriel Opio, Beatrice Wabudeya, Namirembe Bitamazire, Aggrey Awori, Hope Mwesigye, Emmanuel Otaala, and Jessica Eriyo. 

Others like Isaac Musumba and Buturo rejected earlier in the primaries returned as independents but were again defeated by a more popular vote in the general elections. 

Sensing electoral ganger, veteran Janat Mukwaya took retirement. 

With this pressure across the country spanning nearly a year and half, NRM mounted credible campaigns denying the combined opposition any chances of first fielding credible presidential, parliamentary and local council candidates, by which end its presidential candidate returned with a whopping 69%, and over two-thirds MPs. 

And rather than properly manage the new political formations, especially in Parliament, the executive team in Parliament chose the old style of resting on its laurels, relying on intrigue and nontransparent methods of work, which have combined to create the current political divisions and stalemate in Parliament coupled with NRM’s sluggishness to explain and fix the socio-economic spiral worries. 

So, the fallouts from Chogm inquiries in which former VP Prof. Gilbert Bukenya and three senior ministers; Sam Kutesa, John Nasasira and Mwesigwa Rukutana are battling with criminal charges in courts by the Ombudsman, and the false, but highly frenzied bribery allegations in the petroleum sector should be seen in that context. And before the dust settled on ‘Chogm ministers’, Police raided presidency minister Princess Labwoni Kabakumba Masiko over alleged taking away UBC transmitter for her private gains. 

As the country got used to Kabakumba not being a minister anymore thunderbolt struck Prof. Kiddu Makubuya and Syda Bbumba over their alleged underhand involvement with Basajjabalaba’s sh142b compensation thought to be illegal, fraudulent and not acceptable. 

In that devastation, the opposition led by FDC boss Dr Kizza Besigye who had hyped how this time around he would ‘protect his victory from NRM theft,’ and that he would simultaneously tally and declare his own victory, abandoned his effort midway when he realised even his former stronghold of Acholi region had been taken over by newcomer DP man Norbert Mao. UPC presidential candidate Dr Olara Otunnu had foreseen his misery and never bothered even to go and vote for himself. 

Analysts believe that it is this electoral defeat that has led Besigye to extreme frustrations to mount his walk-to-work violent demonstrations, endless public rallies, and media ranting in the futile hope they will help account to his donors and local gullible supporters especially around Kampala. And Besigye’s frustration aided by the Police incompetence is what has led us to the present near stalemate between him and the state.

The writer is the deputy NRM spokesperson and head of Urtaf, a private think tank