Byaruhanga’s views were misleading
Apr 07, 2010
READING Moses Byaruhanga’s New Vision article of March 31: “The opposition does not have what it takes to beat the NRM†tells of the fear the NRM has for parties. No wonder Byaruhanga advises peasants not to waste time on the opposition. Oh poor peasants, a play thing of the NRM.
Mwaka Lutukumoi
READING Moses Byaruhanga’s New Vision article of March 31: “The opposition does not have what it takes to beat the NRM†tells of the fear the NRM has for parties. No wonder Byaruhanga advises peasants not to waste time on the opposition. Oh poor peasants, a play thing of the NRM.
If power belongs to the people as per the Constitution, then the people’s ballot will defeat the bullet in a democratic society. Byaruhanga based his argument on the call for Inter Party Cooperation (IPC). IPC does not mean that the opposition cannot beat the NRM on single party basis, but rather is a strategy to jointly block all avenues of vote rigging or filing a joint candidate.
With or without a single candidate, the opposition has developed the capacity to win. Opposition parties have now gone right to the village level where the NRM boast of dominance.
The NRM has survived in power with the help of the former Article 269 of the Constitution that kept the parties in limbo and the loopholes in our electoral process. Over the years, the opposition has been restructuring, a thing Byaruhanga acknowledges when he says: “the Democratic Party (DP) has recaptured its base from FDC both in the north and central.â€
But he missed saying that the NRM lost Buganda and central Uganda to DP after the party elected Norbert Mao as their president general.
In just one month after electing him to office, DP has made great strides. UPC has also elected a vibrant team and FDC is closing in on electing their candidate.
Looking at the reduction in the NRM vote from over 70% in 1996, to 60% in 2001 and down to 59% in 2006, is a clear indication that parties have gained and the masses are more enlightened.
Let the 77% of voting age youth register and we witness the shock. Mao, the DP president has all it takes. His messages gives hope to Ugandans. He presents a package of peace and unity.
His mother being a Munyankole, his in-depth knowledge of Luganda as a Buganda scholar, passionate appeal to eastern Uganda as a child who grew up in their hands, a father from Acholi, coupled with his principled and honest leadership; Byaruhanga was right to say DP has dramatically gained.
The writer is the national publicity secretary of the Democratic Party
READING Moses Byaruhanga’s New Vision article of March 31: “The opposition does not have what it takes to beat the NRM†tells of the fear the NRM has for parties. No wonder Byaruhanga advises peasants not to waste time on the opposition. Oh poor peasants, a play thing of the NRM.
If power belongs to the people as per the Constitution, then the people’s ballot will defeat the bullet in a democratic society. Byaruhanga based his argument on the call for Inter Party Cooperation (IPC). IPC does not mean that the opposition cannot beat the NRM on single party basis, but rather is a strategy to jointly block all avenues of vote rigging or filing a joint candidate.
With or without a single candidate, the opposition has developed the capacity to win. Opposition parties have now gone right to the village level where the NRM boast of dominance.
The NRM has survived in power with the help of the former Article 269 of the Constitution that kept the parties in limbo and the loopholes in our electoral process. Over the years, the opposition has been restructuring, a thing Byaruhanga acknowledges when he says: “the Democratic Party (DP) has recaptured its base from FDC both in the north and central.â€
But he missed saying that the NRM lost Buganda and central Uganda to DP after the party elected Norbert Mao as their president general.
In just one month after electing him to office, DP has made great strides. UPC has also elected a vibrant team and FDC is closing in on electing their candidate.
Looking at the reduction in the NRM vote from over 70% in 1996, to 60% in 2001 and down to 59% in 2006, is a clear indication that parties have gained and the masses are more enlightened.
Let the 77% of voting age youth register and we witness the shock. Mao, the DP president has all it takes. His messages gives hope to Ugandans. He presents a package of peace and unity.
His mother being a Munyankole, his in-depth knowledge of Luganda as a Buganda scholar, passionate appeal to eastern Uganda as a child who grew up in their hands, a father from Acholi, coupled with his principled and honest leadership; Byaruhanga was right to say DP has dramatically gained.
The writer is the national publicity secretary of the Democratic Party