Otunnu should not take us back
Mar 22, 2010
NEWLY elected UPC president Olara Otunnu has set out his priorities. He wants an inquiry not only into the Luwero massacres but also into the role of the NRM Government in the Rwandan civil war and the conflict in northern Uganda.
NEWLY elected UPC president Olara Otunnu has set out his priorities. He wants an inquiry not only into the Luwero massacres but also into the role of the NRM Government in the Rwandan civil war and the conflict in northern Uganda.
One might wonder what Otunnu’s agenda is. For years, he used his UN status to travel around the world criticising President Yoweri Museveni, calling him a dictator and accusing him of carrying out genocide against the Acholi.
From his statements, it seems that he has returned to Uganda to take revenge on the NRM Government for removing the Tito Okello regime he served as foreign minister in 1986; not to move the country forward.
Since his return seven months ago, Otunnu has not made any constructive remarks on how he plans to address the numerous challenges Uganda faces today.
He has not explained how he wants to tackle the impact of climate change, rapid population growth, youth unemployment, international terrorism, corruption, teachers’ absenteeism or drug theft.
He appears to have no programme on how to address poverty, improve household incomes, boost agricultural output, create value addition, attract investors or deal with oil and mining issues.
Otunnu should stop living in history. Ugandans today, three quarter of whom were born while he was in exile, are more concerned about the future than what happened in the past.
For over two decades, they have enjoyed relative peace, stability, freedom and economic growth. They do not want to be taken back to the cycle of violence and revenge brought about by previous regimes.
People might also be forgiven for questioning Otunnu’s rhetoric on democracy when he himself accepted to serve a military junta which had toppled the government of his mentor, Milton Obote.
One might wonder what Otunnu’s agenda is. For years, he used his UN status to travel around the world criticising President Yoweri Museveni, calling him a dictator and accusing him of carrying out genocide against the Acholi.
From his statements, it seems that he has returned to Uganda to take revenge on the NRM Government for removing the Tito Okello regime he served as foreign minister in 1986; not to move the country forward.
Since his return seven months ago, Otunnu has not made any constructive remarks on how he plans to address the numerous challenges Uganda faces today.
He has not explained how he wants to tackle the impact of climate change, rapid population growth, youth unemployment, international terrorism, corruption, teachers’ absenteeism or drug theft.
He appears to have no programme on how to address poverty, improve household incomes, boost agricultural output, create value addition, attract investors or deal with oil and mining issues.
Otunnu should stop living in history. Ugandans today, three quarter of whom were born while he was in exile, are more concerned about the future than what happened in the past.
For over two decades, they have enjoyed relative peace, stability, freedom and economic growth. They do not want to be taken back to the cycle of violence and revenge brought about by previous regimes.
People might also be forgiven for questioning Otunnu’s rhetoric on democracy when he himself accepted to serve a military junta which had toppled the government of his mentor, Milton Obote.