I was not demoted, says Migereko
Feb 25, 2009
THE former energy and mineral development minister, Daudi Migereko, has dismissed talk by the public that his new post is a demotion. Migereko was appointed the chief whip in the recent Cabinet reshuffle.
By Charles Kakamwa
THE former energy and mineral development minister, Daudi Migereko, has dismissed talk by the public that his new post is a demotion. Migereko was appointed the chief whip in the recent Cabinet reshuffle.
“The problem is that people are not used to this post because we have just returned to multi-party politics. A Government chief whip is a Cabinet minister,†said Migereko, who is also the MP for Butembe county. “I am grateful for the appointment because it shows that President Yoweri Museveni still has trust in me. Busoga has never got such a big number of ministerial posts as we have in this Cabinet.â€
He was reacting to the failure by Kakira town council speaker, Joshua Emukule Etyang, to address him correctly during the presentation of a report on poverty in the town council in Jinja district on Saturday.
Etyang first referred to Migereko as “Our chief guest, the minister of energyâ€. He realised the mistake, but made another by calling Migereko “the former ministerâ€.
Several people in Busoga, especially in Jinja, his home area, say the appointment was “a tactical demotion from the juicy energy and minerals ministryâ€.
They said Busoga would not benefit from his new appointment. Migereko, who was the chief guest, explained that part of his duty as chief whip was to mobilise party members and ensure that the Government programmes and the President’s manifesto were properly implemented.
He said his role was to ensure that party meetings are attended. Migereko later appeared in a radio talk-show on Jinja-based Nile Broadcasting Services FM, where he stressed the point.
He was accompanied by the deputy resident district commissioner, Richard Gulume and the agriculture state minister and Bunya West MP Aggrey Bagiire. Bagiire also stated that a Government chief whip was one of the most powerful positions in Cabinet and urged the Basoga to count themselves lucky to have Migereko in the post.
“The chief whip sits on the central executive committee. If he (Migereko) has been taking long without meeting the President, now he has to be in contact with him daily,†Bagiire said.
“The President could be preparing us (Basoga) for bigger things.â€
THE former energy and mineral development minister, Daudi Migereko, has dismissed talk by the public that his new post is a demotion. Migereko was appointed the chief whip in the recent Cabinet reshuffle.
“The problem is that people are not used to this post because we have just returned to multi-party politics. A Government chief whip is a Cabinet minister,†said Migereko, who is also the MP for Butembe county. “I am grateful for the appointment because it shows that President Yoweri Museveni still has trust in me. Busoga has never got such a big number of ministerial posts as we have in this Cabinet.â€
He was reacting to the failure by Kakira town council speaker, Joshua Emukule Etyang, to address him correctly during the presentation of a report on poverty in the town council in Jinja district on Saturday.
Etyang first referred to Migereko as “Our chief guest, the minister of energyâ€. He realised the mistake, but made another by calling Migereko “the former ministerâ€.
Several people in Busoga, especially in Jinja, his home area, say the appointment was “a tactical demotion from the juicy energy and minerals ministryâ€.
They said Busoga would not benefit from his new appointment. Migereko, who was the chief guest, explained that part of his duty as chief whip was to mobilise party members and ensure that the Government programmes and the President’s manifesto were properly implemented.
He said his role was to ensure that party meetings are attended. Migereko later appeared in a radio talk-show on Jinja-based Nile Broadcasting Services FM, where he stressed the point.
He was accompanied by the deputy resident district commissioner, Richard Gulume and the agriculture state minister and Bunya West MP Aggrey Bagiire. Bagiire also stated that a Government chief whip was one of the most powerful positions in Cabinet and urged the Basoga to count themselves lucky to have Migereko in the post.
“The chief whip sits on the central executive committee. If he (Migereko) has been taking long without meeting the President, now he has to be in contact with him daily,†Bagiire said.
“The President could be preparing us (Basoga) for bigger things.â€