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Jul 20, 2006
SIR — I wish to add to Mr. Joseph Waninda’s letter "Butime, call a spade a spade, Karamoja is ‘dry’ published on Wednesday. Tom Butime’s resignation as minister of state for Karamoja affairs in part is his failure as a public servant and a national politician.
SIR — I wish to add to Mr. Joseph Waninda’s letter "Butime, call a spade a spade, Karamoja is ‘dry’ published on Wednesday. Tom Butime’s resignation as minister of state for Karamoja affairs in part is his failure as a public servant and a national politician.
Secondly, it is a lesson to all those who want to be part of the political dispensation to multiparty politics in Uganda. Whereas Butime followed what a small fraction of his constituents
demanded him to do, his resignation from public service as a minister is a violation to stand with his party’s national agenda. But more important the grounds on which this minister resigned need to be addressed to all those who think and are willing to serve the nation.
When you are made a minister, your position is to patronise your area
ministry by either sustaining its progress and or lobbying for more to create change in the community in which this ministry serves.
Therefore, when one looks at why Butime resigned, one can simply say ministers in Uganda only want to serve where money is but cannot be
creative enough to effectively support their line ministries considering the problems the appointed minister finds in the job.
It also means that most MPs and other public figures who lobby the
president for appointment as ministers are looking for ‘greener pastures’
and not to work for the nation. Indeed Karamoja is dry. but should we always leave it dry?
I think one of the reasons why the president appointed Butime to go to Karamoja was his hard work, seniority, and visionary leadership envisioned by the NRMO to be a party with national concern which Ugandans have been able to see and benefit from. Therefore, before resigning, he had the opportunity to visit Karamoja to assess the needs and opportunities which to him would benefit the people of Karamoja but also significantly impact on national development goals. If the minister considered the above issues important perhaps he would have changed the lives of the Karimojong and Ugandans at large.
Some of the opportunities the minister should have looked at are
Setting up a dairy processing factory in the area
Hides and skin processing plant
The growth of cotton after improving the arable lands of the Karimojong people. To me, these opportunities do not only help the Karimojong but the economy of Uganda as a whole by increasing its GDP via export promotion initiatives — if all was done on a large scale in Karamoja.
The minister would also help the Karimojong to access decent employment opportunities in factories and agriculture as opposed to sticking to their traditional work of looking after animals.
Lastly, he could cause an increase in developmental funds for the area, something that would increase the budget funding for the minister of state for Karamoja affairs.
People like MPs and ministers planning to serve Uganda and all others in public service should understand that their
positions demand working for the good of the nation before they even consider going for the interviews or accepting positions in public service.
They should also bear in mind that when they work for the government, they are working for the entire nation. MPs in particular should be able to explain to their constituencies what it means serving in a particular ministry and how it may affect the constituency if they so choose to become ministers.
Michael D. Kaluya
University of Texas at Dallas, USA
Secondly, it is a lesson to all those who want to be part of the political dispensation to multiparty politics in Uganda. Whereas Butime followed what a small fraction of his constituents
demanded him to do, his resignation from public service as a minister is a violation to stand with his party’s national agenda. But more important the grounds on which this minister resigned need to be addressed to all those who think and are willing to serve the nation.
When you are made a minister, your position is to patronise your area
ministry by either sustaining its progress and or lobbying for more to create change in the community in which this ministry serves.
Therefore, when one looks at why Butime resigned, one can simply say ministers in Uganda only want to serve where money is but cannot be
creative enough to effectively support their line ministries considering the problems the appointed minister finds in the job.
It also means that most MPs and other public figures who lobby the
president for appointment as ministers are looking for ‘greener pastures’
and not to work for the nation. Indeed Karamoja is dry. but should we always leave it dry?
I think one of the reasons why the president appointed Butime to go to Karamoja was his hard work, seniority, and visionary leadership envisioned by the NRMO to be a party with national concern which Ugandans have been able to see and benefit from. Therefore, before resigning, he had the opportunity to visit Karamoja to assess the needs and opportunities which to him would benefit the people of Karamoja but also significantly impact on national development goals. If the minister considered the above issues important perhaps he would have changed the lives of the Karimojong and Ugandans at large.
Some of the opportunities the minister should have looked at are
The minister would also help the Karimojong to access decent employment opportunities in factories and agriculture as opposed to sticking to their traditional work of looking after animals.
Lastly, he could cause an increase in developmental funds for the area, something that would increase the budget funding for the minister of state for Karamoja affairs.
People like MPs and ministers planning to serve Uganda and all others in public service should understand that their
positions demand working for the good of the nation before they even consider going for the interviews or accepting positions in public service.
They should also bear in mind that when they work for the government, they are working for the entire nation. MPs in particular should be able to explain to their constituencies what it means serving in a particular ministry and how it may affect the constituency if they so choose to become ministers.
Michael D. Kaluya
University of Texas at Dallas, USA