Anywar's journey from FDC firebrand to Museveni's minister
Dec 15, 2019
She has been a committed environmental activist and now comes in at a time when there is another environmental outcry
From shadow environment minister, Beatrice Anywar has been elevated to State Minister of Environment in Saturday's Cabinet reshuffle by President Yoweri Museveni.
Anywar formerly an FDC diehard joined elective politics, in 2006 when she competed for the Kitgum Municipality parliamentary seat and won it.
During her first term in Parliament, she was appointed a shadow minister for the environment.
To many, she served her docket well, when as shadow minister, she led popular protests against the government proposal to sell part of Mabira Forest to a sugar-growing company. The proposal was then dropped.
Since then she has been a committed environmental activist and now comes in at a time when there is another environmental outcry about the destruction of Murchison Falls.
Time will tell if Anywar will oppose the government on its plans to build a hydropower dam at Murchison Falls and tackle the destruction of wetlands and forests like Bugoma.
Between 2006 and 2015, Anywar was one of the strongest leaders in FDC, until 2016 parliamentary elections when she lost FDC primaries.
Her fallout with FDC began when the FDC party accused Anywar of supporting presidential candidate Amama Mbabazi's candidature and openly defying FDC decision to back Dr Kizza Besigye as the party flag bearer.
Subsequently, the party backed another candidate in the Kitgum Municipality.
Feeling cheated Anywar ran as an independent political candidate and won the parliamentary seat, with a comfortable margin, beating several high profile opponents.
To show her dissatisfaction with FDC, in December 2017, during the parliamentary vote to remove presidential age limits, Anywar voted to have it removed to the disappointment of opposition politicians.
In the same year 2017 Anywar, also known as ‘Mama Mabira' said she is ready to work in President Yoweri Museveni's government if appointed minister.
"Any minute there is an opportunity, I will go to President Museveni with no regret. He is a great leader because he is tolerant. He is able to listen to some of us," Anywar said.
Anywar hailed Museveni for his leadership and tolerance.
"I will work with him pakalast, because my people want services. I cannot get services from Kizza Besigye, Amama Mbabazi or any other," Anywar
Anywar who is formerly a member of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), represents Kitgum Municipality in the tenth parliament.
Her appointment may not be a surprise given the fact that recently she expressed her interest in joining the ruling party, the National Resistance Movement (NRM).
With this background, one may say that Anywar will be ideal to serve her new appointment.