Where would Winnie be without the NRM?

Feb 13, 2001

Winnie Byanyima, who has given the impression of crusading against corruption, is no saint.

Winnie Byanyima, who has given the impression of crusading against corruption, is no saint. On State House scholarships, she said the scheme had been intended for the orphans of the fallen combatants. She and her brother benefited from this and were neither combatants nor orphans of combatants. If she were credible, she would have refused this assistance on moral grounds. On corruption and government "shoddy" deals, she was involved in supplying sub-standard army uniforms, which were one size and undersize and could not be used by the army. She then pretends to be "holier than thou". I am not trying to condone corruption because it is the worst evil in society, but let Winnie practice what she preaches or preach what she practices. On Kanyaryeru Resettlement and School, Winnie forgets that after the declaration of UPE, there is no reason to say children from Masaka should go to Kanyaryeru and that those from Toro should go to Bushenyi schools. UPE simply means that there is equitable access to free education where a child is geographically located. Kanyaryeru happens to be located where most Bahima were resettled; not forgetting that area of Mbarara District is also where most Bahima live. I am sure Winnie understands what UPE stands for. She just wants to tickle those unhealthy backward sentiments that the NRM government had successfully fought against. By the way, unnecessary inciting people is a serious form of corruption. The Government which Besigye and Winnie are espousing certainly encourages genocidal tendencies given the premises that "great" government will have been based on. Winnie was shameless enough to say Museveni has nothing to show for the 15 years he has been in power. Winnie is a product of this government, without which she would be nobody. She would be an aeronautic engineer, who probably would have migrated to another country for greener pastures. Who was Winnie before the NRM Government anyway? All Ugandans know how she came into the scene. We all know the basis of the "axe she has to grind" with the NRM Government. It is also a sign of corruption and dishonesty for Winnie to fail to accept defeat and settle for less, a disgruntled retired colonel. The government of Dr. Besigye and Winnie will be a difficult one because all the people who have joined them have either lost jobs or squandered their business through lavish spending or those who have lost their lovers through family problems. Winnie and Besigye will have a hard time re-instating people who lost public employment or private business due to exotic lifestyles or poor business management. Winnie Babihuga one of Besigye's greatest admirers narrowly missed a ministry to Mutagamba and she could not swallow it. Winnie, you should have remained eternally grateful to the NRM Government because from a school headmistress, a District Women Representative was an incredible achievement. Winnie Byanyima and Kizza Besigye, you cannot claim to be credible when your choice of associates is mainly of people who are disgruntled in one way or another. It is a very dangerous precedent. I appreciate your political ambition, but be careful. The kind of politics you are employing now will have a negative impact on the kind of government you will set up in 2011, because you have already missed this coming government. Winnie Byanyima, much as corruption cannot and should not be encouraged by any Ugandan, you are not the right crusader. No! Not when you confidently implied that since Sebaggala did not steal in Uganda, he is not corrupt. You should be embarrassed by that implication. For the women of Uganda, you can neither crusade for the women's cause nor a politically balanced and sensitive government, both of which have endeared us to the NRM Government. Directorate of Information, Movement Secretariate movement@infocom.co.ug Ends

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});