A candidate must live in the people

By Kajabago-Ka-Rusoke A leader is supposed to feel in the same way as the people he or she is supposed to lead. That means he or she is supposed to share their feelings. That furthermore illustrates that he or she is part of them. A leader, therefore, summarises all the feelings of the people, puts them together, and pleads that they be helped socially according to their feelings and demands of those people. There is not and, there can never be, any ground for test as to what is required in a constituency other than what the people of that constituency want. That means food, clothing, types of houses, roads, schools, hospitals, types of tools for agriculture and so on. A representative must be part of the people materially, spiritually and socially. People will never understand you well if you are spiritually dubious. There is need for spiritual clarity. In Uganda, it appears that a "constituency" is being turned into personal political property of an incumbent Member of Parliament. This is causing antagonism, anger, hatred and mutual dislike when such words like "unseating somebody, he or she, has not delivered or he or she is not a threat to me, are used when individuals are going to compete in a given constituency. Such individuals do not even see eye to eye. This is because the political candidates translate a constituency in terms of "personal property." The incumbent feels he or she is the "owner". The in-coming contestant feels the incumbent has no right of "monopoly." It is the ambition to use a constituency for personal economic aims which is causing lack of concentration on explaining what should be done in a constituency. This is why MPs passed an amount of sh2m for one to qualify to become an MP. These MPs wanted to monopolise their positions so that other people would not compete with them having afforded themselves firm financial positions against the in-coming starters. That does not mean, however, that a less efficient newcomer should necessarily unseat a former more efficient incumbent. But the culture should be that each should be able to explain his or her programme for developing a constituency. By exposing programmes, people in a constituency will be able to judge which programme is more suitable for them and will be able to elect that very owner of a more suitable programme. The constituency should use the candidate for its economic and social advantage. Ends