Shun walk to work reloaded
Feb 16, 2012
Activists for Change (A4C) have again designed a new campaign called walk to work (W2W) reloaded rallies which they have so far staged in Kampala and some upcountry areas.
Amlan Tumusiime
Activists for Change (A4C) have again designed a new campaign called walk to work (W2W) reloaded rallies which they have so far staged in Kampala and some upcountry areas.
In April last year, the same group tried to hold a series of demonstrations by allegedly walking to work protesting the rising of fuel and food prices.
Their actions then attracted support from a cross section of people who believed that they were showing solidarity with them because the cost of living was truly becoming high for an average Ugandan.
For instance, the price of a sack of charcoal had risen to sh90,000 from sh24,000 in Kampala while upcountry it had doubled from sh15,000 to sh30,000. A kilogramme of sugar was going for between sh9000 to sh10,000 both in Kampala and up country from sh1,400 to sh1,600.
A liter of petrol was being sold at between sh5,000 and sh9,000 up country. Of course, the rise in food and fuel prices was a global phenomenon that the opposition took advantage of to tell the masses that it was an isolated case for Uganda.
Today, the prices of these essential commodities have gone down.
For example, a kilogramme of sugar is now sh3,000 to sh3,500 while a liter of petrol is at sh3,450 and diesel is sh3,250 and a sack of charcoal is between sh50,000 to sh56,000.
Equally, prices for other essential commodities have also gone down. This is a remarkable improvement and what is needed in order for the situation to improve further is promotion of peace and stability.
The move by the A4C to embark on a new phase of walk-to-work rallies or protests will instead worsen the situation.
Recently, I witnessed an A4C rally at Kawempe which started peacefully but became chaotic when hooligans started throwing stones at the Police who had been deployed to ensure peace and order.
I also observed that many business people closed their shops in fear they may be looted. This automatically means that these business people didn’t make money on that day. The situation may worsen now that A4C activists have taken their rallies upcountry where most residents are not used to riotous situations.
The A4C will always claim their rallies would be peaceful but at the end they become chaotic; something that cannot help improve the plight of Ugandans they claim to be fighting for.
One may be forced to believe that A4C has a hidden agenda and was only using the escalating cost of living to achieve it.
For example, why should they go ahead with their activities well knowing that the situation has improved?
If they are indeed genuine, why can’t they appreciate that the Government has tried to improve the situation and give solutions instead of causing more problems?
In fact, it is very interesting to also observe that even FDC president; Dr. Kizza Besigye is more interested in A4C activities than his party work.
These days it is common to see him associating with A4C members yet some of them are not members of his party.
If the high cost of living was the reason the A4C leaders staged protests last year, they should be now mobilising Ugandans to fight poverty instead of keeping them at rallies and inciting riots.
At all the W2W rallies the organisers talk little about what the people should do to develop themselves but concentrate inciting them rise up against President Museveni and his government.
Recently at a public dialogue on Oil at Hoima Booma grounds which was attended by the state minister for mineral development, Peter Lokeris members of A4C disorganised the function when they started distributing fliers bearing a mark of a cross on the picture of the former President of Tunisia and Libya showing that these leaders have been toppled and next is Museveni.
This forced the master of ceremony to suspend the function briefly and warned that whoever continued to distribute such fliers would be dealt with. If one can do such a thing at such a function how can they fail to do it at their own rallies.
The press recently indicated that police spends millions of shilling during the A4C rallies and demonstrations yet this money would be used to deliver services to the people. We must support the religious and cultural leaders who have repeatedly condemned W2W strikes because in the end they do more harm than good to the ordinary person.
If Uganda is to develop and become a middle income country, it should be every one’s responsibility to ensure that the current peace and stability remains.
There should be time for politics and time for development. Therefore, A4C should stop taking their rallies up country to let the people in rural areas, who feed the country, to concentrate on their businesses and agriculture.
The writer is the chairperson, Keep NRM alive, Bunyoro Task Force