The NRM has proved that it is invincible
Aug 31, 2006
ELEVEN districts where elections for woman MP, and LCV chairpersons have just been concluded, and results released in favour of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) is a big percentage even if one considered the whole country.<br>
OFWONOO OPONDO - Saying it without fear or favour
ELEVEN districts where elections for woman MP, and LCV chairpersons have just been concluded, and results released in favour of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) is a big percentage even if one considered the whole country.
By this exercise the NRM has added eight new MPs outstripping the combined opposition, which only got one, Mrs. Cecilia Ogwal, and who, could incidentally this time be more forthcoming having learnt a sour lesson from the UPC.
The NRM now has 235 MPs out of 319 firmly on its side even if the 10 from UPDF were left out! But since the NRM is the government, the UPDF is obliged to support its positions in parliament when it is government policy. At this rate it could be another two decades before the NRM mass power begins to slide, but only if those in various stages of leadership do not address the main concerns of Ugandans.
Political haters and broad daylight doomsayers led by FDC President Dr Kizza Besigye who have been preaching that the NRM government led by President Yoweri Museveni won’t last its May 12, 2011 timeline are being proved as scarecrows.
When the people in some parts of Uganda, particularly in Teso simply misread the false opposition winds and woke up on February 23, 2006 to vote FDC, it was just a fool’s day promise, and as the Yoruba say, “man is obliged to beat his own chest when he has no drumâ€.
So, Besigye and Wafula Oguttu have been beating their chests believing it was a drum from the public, just because the FDC got votes in Teso for a song. Of course the FDC will soon, during their usual media display, allege bribery and rigging, but the country should take comfort that the margin between the NRM winners and opposition losers has been big.
In Oyam district for instance, Beatrice Lagada got 16,969 voters (45.5%) while her three rivals shared the rest.
But lessons from centuries back in the US can still help Uganda nurture its democracy away from politics of belligerence and hatred, which the FDC, particularly Besigye is trying to take us.
In 1996, Gen. George Washington used his farewell address to urge Americans to “preserve unity and libertyâ€.
On that day he said, “the greatest threat to liberty was the common and continued mischief of the spirit of party,†and warned “it serves always to distract the public councils, and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousy and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasional riot and insurrection, which opens the doors to foreign influence and corruption.â€
And so when Besigye moves around talking about civil disobedience against government either over his cases in court, Commonwealth summit, and the economy, it is time to shun him. Washington then advised, “elected representatives to promote, as an object of primary importance, institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge that gives force to public opinion, but, it is essential that public opinion should be enlightened.†So while Uganda enjoys free speech, it has been habit of sections of the opposition aided by sections in the media to conduct politics through mischief, and calculated fabrications to win support, and this is what has sustained the FDC since elections.
Special appeal to the media particularly to editors, reporters, and commentators is that they owe Uganda a duty to structure and conduct a more objective and balanced forum for great, and intense, but nevertheless cordial debate for our country to move forward.
While Museveni won by a big margin, and the NRM took parliament and all LC seats even with bigger margins, the FDC in particular has continued to rant that it was cheated. Now in Bukedea, NRM’s Rose Akol Okullu has just got 22,067 votes to take the woman MP seat and FDC’s Anita Among scored 8,075, which could be proof that the FDC’s false winds of February have begun to subside.
But the real laugh is where still in Bukedea, Sam Ebukalin, a 1989 Kyankwanzi cadre trainee took 17,880 votes for the Chairperson seat, leaving FDC’s Richard Stephen Oumo with 1,832. we consider this a huge bonus.
That the NRM won all the LCV seats in Amuru, Oyam, and Bukedea districts, and two women seats in Oyam and Bukedea is a signal that its fortunes can only rise, but there is need for strong responses to peoples’ concerns, especially on security, wealth creation, and provision of social services.
And should the LRA, led by Joseph Kony be forced to hang up their boots for good, Acholi could by 2010 have only little traces of FDC.
Those who have been taking electoral advantage from the two decades of rebellion and terrorism are poised to lose. Whichever way one looks at the present stage of our national struggles both the intransigent political groups, and the military adventurists like Kony have been put in a tight corner where they either surrender or constructively co-operate.
The public mood throughout the country is of cooperation, peace, stability, economic growth, wealth creation, and providing for the most vulnerable Ugandans who constitute an absolute majority, but to whom the elite always run for the votes.
ELEVEN districts where elections for woman MP, and LCV chairpersons have just been concluded, and results released in favour of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) is a big percentage even if one considered the whole country.
By this exercise the NRM has added eight new MPs outstripping the combined opposition, which only got one, Mrs. Cecilia Ogwal, and who, could incidentally this time be more forthcoming having learnt a sour lesson from the UPC.
The NRM now has 235 MPs out of 319 firmly on its side even if the 10 from UPDF were left out! But since the NRM is the government, the UPDF is obliged to support its positions in parliament when it is government policy. At this rate it could be another two decades before the NRM mass power begins to slide, but only if those in various stages of leadership do not address the main concerns of Ugandans.
Political haters and broad daylight doomsayers led by FDC President Dr Kizza Besigye who have been preaching that the NRM government led by President Yoweri Museveni won’t last its May 12, 2011 timeline are being proved as scarecrows.
When the people in some parts of Uganda, particularly in Teso simply misread the false opposition winds and woke up on February 23, 2006 to vote FDC, it was just a fool’s day promise, and as the Yoruba say, “man is obliged to beat his own chest when he has no drumâ€.
So, Besigye and Wafula Oguttu have been beating their chests believing it was a drum from the public, just because the FDC got votes in Teso for a song. Of course the FDC will soon, during their usual media display, allege bribery and rigging, but the country should take comfort that the margin between the NRM winners and opposition losers has been big.
In Oyam district for instance, Beatrice Lagada got 16,969 voters (45.5%) while her three rivals shared the rest.
But lessons from centuries back in the US can still help Uganda nurture its democracy away from politics of belligerence and hatred, which the FDC, particularly Besigye is trying to take us.
In 1996, Gen. George Washington used his farewell address to urge Americans to “preserve unity and libertyâ€.
On that day he said, “the greatest threat to liberty was the common and continued mischief of the spirit of party,†and warned “it serves always to distract the public councils, and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousy and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasional riot and insurrection, which opens the doors to foreign influence and corruption.â€
And so when Besigye moves around talking about civil disobedience against government either over his cases in court, Commonwealth summit, and the economy, it is time to shun him. Washington then advised, “elected representatives to promote, as an object of primary importance, institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge that gives force to public opinion, but, it is essential that public opinion should be enlightened.†So while Uganda enjoys free speech, it has been habit of sections of the opposition aided by sections in the media to conduct politics through mischief, and calculated fabrications to win support, and this is what has sustained the FDC since elections.
Special appeal to the media particularly to editors, reporters, and commentators is that they owe Uganda a duty to structure and conduct a more objective and balanced forum for great, and intense, but nevertheless cordial debate for our country to move forward.
While Museveni won by a big margin, and the NRM took parliament and all LC seats even with bigger margins, the FDC in particular has continued to rant that it was cheated. Now in Bukedea, NRM’s Rose Akol Okullu has just got 22,067 votes to take the woman MP seat and FDC’s Anita Among scored 8,075, which could be proof that the FDC’s false winds of February have begun to subside.
But the real laugh is where still in Bukedea, Sam Ebukalin, a 1989 Kyankwanzi cadre trainee took 17,880 votes for the Chairperson seat, leaving FDC’s Richard Stephen Oumo with 1,832. we consider this a huge bonus.
That the NRM won all the LCV seats in Amuru, Oyam, and Bukedea districts, and two women seats in Oyam and Bukedea is a signal that its fortunes can only rise, but there is need for strong responses to peoples’ concerns, especially on security, wealth creation, and provision of social services.
And should the LRA, led by Joseph Kony be forced to hang up their boots for good, Acholi could by 2010 have only little traces of FDC.
Those who have been taking electoral advantage from the two decades of rebellion and terrorism are poised to lose. Whichever way one looks at the present stage of our national struggles both the intransigent political groups, and the military adventurists like Kony have been put in a tight corner where they either surrender or constructively co-operate.
The public mood throughout the country is of cooperation, peace, stability, economic growth, wealth creation, and providing for the most vulnerable Ugandans who constitute an absolute majority, but to whom the elite always run for the votes.