We must resist camp politics

By Davis Akampurira

From the time rumours started circulating about former prime minister John Patrick Amama Mbabazi’s  presidential ambitions, a lot has changed in the NRM party, with various factions emerging to show solidarity and campaign for Mbabazi, who recently went public about his bid.

This state of affair has thrown deeper confusion and division among the youth, as media reports would now brand the categories as “Pro-Mbabazi youth” and “Pro-Museveni youth”.

Whereas Mbabazi enjoys the constitutional right to stand for any elective office in this country by virtue of him being a Ugandan citizen, his positioning for power shouldn’t destabilise the Party; for NRM is bigger than an individual. Neither should the people’s decision as to choose President Yoweri Museveni as the Sole NRM Candidate cause any friction within the NRM.

Yoweri Museveni and Mr Mbabazi are close comrades who have been at the vanguard of the liberation movement for over 40 years. The two leaders have worked side by side to bring about total peace and stability and propel Uganda to rapid development.

The latest divisive talk of “Mbabazi camp” or “Museveni camp” is not healthy for the continued progress of Uganda’s development agenda under the NRM government.

Matters become worse with the ongoing sectarian overtones as revealed in the fabricated tape recordings in which the Bakiga are said to be undermining the Bahima and vice-versa. Individuals who are fomenting such slanted talk are obviously myopic and don’t appreciate where Uganda is coming from.

It’s also not right to start suspecting anyone on the basis of association to Mr Mbabazi or President Museveni, as all are our leaders, and for the most part we have worked closely with them.

I would appeal to our leaders, and the youth of this nation to focus on building a stronger nation and united Africa as opposed to descending into banal sectarian or camp politics of “you are either with us, or against us”.

The National Resistance Movement (NRM) is a mass liberation movement that was borne out of the people’s protracted struggle and sacrifice arising from the passion for peace, freedom, democracy, good leadership, constitutionalism and rule of law, and most important of all the respect for human life and dignity.

The NRM Revolution based its support on the peasants- who were and still remain the real owners of the revolution. The contribution of the ‘wanachi ‘from all walks of life cannot be underestimated as they provided the soul and spirit upon which the revolution succeeded momentously with (if any) little external support.

The success of the Revolution and the ensuing benefits thereof can only be discussed in a sharper perspective of the strong and assiduous leadership that galvanized the invaluable sacrifice of the masses to the course of the revolutionary struggle. Herein the strategic leadership of our leaders including Gen. Museveni, Mr Mbabazi and among others was the answer to the cries and prayers of the wanachi who would groan for a better Uganda.

Any institution derives its strength or weakness from the character and capacity of its founding leader. Bad leaders create bad systems while good ones create good systems and strong institutions that live and stand the test of time. The successive victories, therefore, that NRM has registered as well as the confidence it has won from the citizenry over the years is largely a manifestation  of its good foundational tenets well thought out and pursued by the NRM’s strategic  leadership.

The future of NRM, therefore, will be shaped largely by how the successive and emerging leaders play their part while building on that strong foundation of the revolution without deviating from those core foundational tenets of; nationalism, pan-Africanism, democracy and social economic transformation.

 For now, we urge our Party leaders to continue working for the Party’s continuity as opposed to using the Party as a mere instrument for personal aggrandizement.   Let’s instead focus on the unfinished business of transforming Uganda.

The writer works with National Youth Council