Is PAFO’s Objective Suspect?

By Joshua Kato
The Parliamentary Advocacy Forum (PAFO) has began nationwide campaigns aimed at sensitising the population against the lifting of term limits.
The group has been in Mbale, where they launched their campaigns. They will be in Western Uganda next. The Mbale workshop was the fourth.
Salaamu Musumba, the PAFO spokesperson says the papers discussed in the workshop are going to be discussed throughout the country.
PAFO is perhaps reacting to media reports last week, that the issue of the removal of term limits might be taken to the people through a referendum. This was confirmed by Ofwono Opondo, the director of information at the Movement secretariat.
So, PAFO has taken the campaign against the third term to the cradle of Movement politics –– the peasants.
The group seems to be targeting Local Councils. The Mbale meeting was intended to sensitise LC leaders in the area.
According to Musumba, the meeting “was successfully beyond what they expected.”
She says while they expected about 400 LCs in Mbale, they got nearly 1,000.
The LC system is the pillar of Movement politics in rural areas. Unlike in urban centres where the LC official does not hold as much power, in rural areas, LC officials are very much respected. They are the opinion leaders.
“LCs are the links between the local people and national politics. If we talk to them, then we are talking to the people they lead,” says Musumba.
But the sensitisation among the grassroots may be a challenge. In Mbale, people in the gathering asked them why they wanted to stop the president from running, yet the country is going multiparty.
“It will be upon particular parties to select a person within themselves to put up as a candidate, why should you stop the Movement from picking President Museveni?” one of the participants asked.
“Most of the PAFO members from the west cannot talk ill of the Movement in their own areas,” says Moses Byaruhanga, Presidential assistant on political affairs.
He gives an example of one of them who was chased by wananchi after he abused the President.
Another senior PAFO member had to kneel down for the posters of President Museveni during the parliamentary elections, after people in his constituency challenged him to bring evidence that he supports Museveni.
Byaruhanga says PAFO’s main objective of stopping the President from running for another term is an example of “how bankrupt they are,” as far as other national issues are concerned.
But Musuumba says that the group has other national issues: “For example, we have done research on the cause and reasons as to why the war in the north is not ending. The paper sights poor government strategy as one of the reasons.
“We have done research on why the economy is not performing as well as we are made to believe. These are the issues we are communicating to the grassroots,” she says.
Musumba says PAFO is aware of the challenges: “Wherever we go, we inform the audience that we are a discussion group. We try to involve them in the discussions as much as possible.
So far, according to Musumba, PAFO members are contented with how things are progressing. In recent weeks, for example, Eriya Kategaya, former deputy Premier and an NRM historical, presented a paper at Hotel Africana critical of the third term and in support of PAFO’s objectives.
Major General Mugisha Muntu, the former army commander, and Miria Matembe, former ethics and integrity minister seem to be on board. The two have attended several PAFO workshops and actively participated in the debates.
However, they are yet to encourage more MPs to actively participate in PAFO countrywide activities. In Mbale, they had at least 17 MPs.
Bidandi Ssali, the former local government minister, says PAFO members have no foresight: “I think they should wait until the final report of the Constitutional Review Commission comes out. They are creating a messy situation for nothing.”
He warns that the opposition is concentrating too much on fighting Museveni the man, leaving themselves no time to organise their political organisations: “What will they do if President Museveni does not run again?”
Musumba disagrees with the veteran politician: “It is true that President Museveni said that he is not going to seek another term, but there are signs and symptoms indicating that he is planning to stand again.”
She says the symptoms and signs include, cabinet proposals asking for the removal of term limits, for which there is only one beneficiary –– President Museveni.
Musumba also says many top Movement leaders are already asking people to give President Museveni another term.
Within the mainstream opposition, PAFO is viewed with suspicion. This is largely due to the fact that most of its leaders have been serving in the movement for many years.
On top of that, many of them are largely from the west, a region from which the President hails. Rukiiga MP Jack Sabiiti, Major John Kazoora, Captain Charles Byaruhanga, Major General Mugisha Muntu, Augustine Ruzindana, Guma Gumisiriza, Miria Matembe, the major voices behind PAFO are westerners.
The most active non-westerners include Musumba, who claims to be a liberal Movementist, Issa Kikungwe and Patrick Musisi who are officially DP.
Common presenters in the workshops include Hussein Kyanjo of JEEMA and Professor Dan Nabudere.
“Our fear is that while we are trying to remove the current leaders and get a President from another region, this group might be fighting to retain the leadership in the west, using a new leader,” says a senior DP member who preferred anonymity.
He referred to some of the members of PAFO as formerly bloated movement advocates who cannot be trusted.
Musumba dispels any plans to have a candidate of their own, or even turn PAFO into a party in the near future: “We are not shy people. All that we are doing now is to fight for Constitutionalism in this country,” she says.
Adds Jack Sabiiti, a PAFO executive member: “Membership of PAFO is open to everybody including those in the Movement. We have people from all political parties, including our secretary general Ben Wacha who is from UPC.”
Ofwono Opondo says,
“ They are free to move around the country and sell their view. We shall also go to the people and sell our views, then we shall see we will win the hearts and minds of the peasants,” he says.Ends