Dear members,
As we await for the outcome of projects being spearheaded by our colleagues, if
nothing preoccupies you, may you feel able and motivated to read this hoping it
doesn't clash with your political views. You'll recall that a number of claims
have been made by various individuals and media houses alike claiming victory
for NRM party without due consideration of issues that matter and are bound to
influence voters in 2011 elections. The question is whether Northerners can
cast vote of self-destruction. Through this article, i'm seeking to highlight
the key issues that our region needs addressed for the benefit of her people
and vote seekers.
With 2011 elections drawing nearer day by day, pessimists and optimists of the
various political parties are trying to do SWOT analysis of their parties in
Northern Uganda with a number of analysts predicting a win for party in a
region twice vehemently opposed to NRM in previous elections. My brothers:
Todong and Moses Byaruhanga both presidential advisors and Pakasi, the former
MP of Obongi have provided blanket assumption that with return of peace to
northern Uganda, NRM will win with overwhelming majority without providing
answers to key questions that rationally linger in the minds of northern people
in elections. They seemed to have seriously ignored the virtues of honesty,
truthfulness, and accountability that cannot be replaced nor whitewashed in the
minds of people in a short spell of time in north let alone poor service
delivery. In this hurtful truth which may differ from the usual comforting
advises, I’ll seek to explain why NRM can’t
win in West Nile which is part Northern Uganda—a truth that may hurt many now;
unlike lies that eventually make their way out and end up hurting much more
than truth could actually have done.
First and foremost for a region faced with an urgent need of infrastructural
development to meet business opportunities presented by her strategic location,
West Nile was in the year 2009/10 budget excluded from 1500km optical national
fiber backbone-- a major communications infrastructure the region urgently
needed to accelerate her development and to reduce the digital gap that
has littered her history for last 24 years. The implication is that the divide
between West Nile and other regions will continue to widen, cost of doing
business will also go up; businesses and students will have to part with a lot
of money to access information needed for their daily decisions and research
through a low bandwidth--a frustration bound to translate into 'No Vote'
for NRM regime policy makers responsible for the layout of the infrastructure
in 2011.
The NRM has also been blamed for 24 years of darkness (unreliable and
unaffordable) electricity in the region. Though government reached an agreement
with WENIRECO for provision of electricity and construction of Nyagak, the West
Nile people as stakeholders feel left out in this project riddled by
counter-accusations between government and WENIRECO. Many in the region have
queried why power wasn’t tapped from Gulu-via Anaka yet the regime can export
power to other regions. This was viewed as a deliberate attempt to slowdown
pace of development in the region and insensitivity to the long held
aspiration. In absence of reliable power, costs of doing business increases,
which if passed onto the poor perpetuates the level of poverty. This is how the
people think the government has kept them in first class poverty –a situation
where people consume all they have and nothing gets saved for the next day.
Unchecked exploitation of tobacco farmers has become an issue which will
contribute to outcome of 2011’s election. The region has lost lives, money and
environment through tobacco related dealings. Many have queried the role of
government in supporting farmers if inputs such as fertilizers from companies
can be sold at undisclosed and exorbitantly high prices than market prices on
the watch of government. Though tobacco companies and farmers
contribute estimated 400 billions shs annually to the GDP of the Uganda,
farmers feel their efforts are not rewarded. Delayed payments have occurred on
the watch of NRM government with the most devastating one being last season’s
where many families didn’t send their children to school because their
tobacco isn't paid for and all these happened on the watch of a legitimate
government. Blaming their plight on the inaction and insensitivity of NRM
government, they don’t feel obliged to reward it with votes.
The people of West Nile are also frustrated by delayed operationalisation of
the proposed Public University President Museveni consequently directed
Ministry of Education to look into last year in May after he was approached by
a delegation of leaders from West Nile. Because of the high poverty levels in
the region, people had hoped the University would provide an affordable higher
education and console them for missing out on statehouse scholarship in the
last 24 years but almost a year since the directive, nothing has changed
considerably. Given the experience of such projects stalling under the regime,
the people are beginning to think it’s perhaps the usual political gimmick
aimed at collecting votes and ready to be bitten twice by the same snake.
Old perhaps most annoying issue is the non-payment of the ex-service men. To
West Nile people, serving in the army was vocation and the patriots that served
Uganda just like patriots of today expected payment for their courageous
services to the nation. President Museveni while on a tour of West Nile
(2005) in Yumbe promised to pay these ex-servicemen in recognition of their
invaluable contribution but to their surprise, the same government launched an
appeal to challenge award of about 4.5 trillion shs to the ex-servicemen. This
became clear double standard on the side of NRM government. Whereas there are
rumors of a few top guys being paid, majority of the voiceless are languishing
in abject poverty. Many of such families have ended up selling their cows,
goats, and chicken in endless paper processions required to access this money,
others have died of poverty and frustration before receiving fruits of their
labour thus causing wide spread distrust
in the government of NRM in the region.
The poor health service delivery and collapse of health infrastructure: Whereas
mothers and babies are dying each day for lack of basic medical drugs and
equipment, alongside, NRM the ruling government is busy distributing T-shirts
as if lack of clothes is peoples’ problem. Many have viewed this as broad
daylight mismanagement of resources that would have gone to the health sector
to save lives. Arua hospital now uses charcoal to incubate babies in place of
incubators, midwives i told use candles to lit, and this referral hospital
supposed to meet complicated health needs of over 10 Million people in the
impoverished West Nile didn’t get priority over T-shirts to supporters. Coupled
to the above, a number of people in rural areas still share drinking water
sources (unprotected springs) with other animals thus making them question
their governments’ commitment to provision of clean water infrastructure to her
people. Unless otherwise
addressed, this is a clear no vote statement.
Failure of government programmes to change lives. Whereas the Prosperity For
All song is being sung aloud, many have not heard and danced it. A number of
innovations supposedly aimed at improved livihoods have not translated into
improved standard of living. Majority of people still languish in absolute
poverty insisting programmes such as NAADs, SACCOs, and NUSAF have never
reached them or are not helping them, intended beneficiaries. Today virtually
all NUSAF phase I project sign posts point to nothing except miserable state
of life in the areas they point to. Many SACCOs formed in West Nile have never
received funds from government because of incapacitation that is neither built.
With some SACCO charging interest as high as 4.2% per month, farmers feel
poorer and more exploited than before. Such failures being blamed on corruption
in the ruling ranks, the appointing authority which in public eyes is NRM
regime is bound to be punished.
Unfortunately, the built up frustration will unveil in 2011 during voting.
Many farmers have been frustrated with lack of market for agricultural produce
promoted by NRM government through Prosperity For All programme. Whereas
farmers expected their government to act like other regional governments in
guaranteeing market by buying at a price which guarantees farmers a break-even
(enables them meet production costs), NRM government has never allocated
stabilization funds in the budget for agricultural sector that employs over 90%
of West Nile population. This has caused production to oscillate between
surplus and scarcity something food security analysts say is a major cause of
food insecurity and skyrocketing prices in the region. This continued policy
gap has made farmers in the area very susceptible to food insecurity and low
incomes from produce—something being seen as a deliberate attempt to keep
people in vicious circle of poverty for easy ruling.
To add salt on to a cronic wound, the alarming corruption levels in the ruling
ranks as reported by World Bank and other organizations is what angers most a
region whose people are built on the virtues of honest and integrity. The
people wished the 500 billion lost each year through corruption was invested in
quality education, clean water, anti-poverty agenda, health service delivery to
mention a few. Because corruption naturally clashes with cultural believes and
identities on West Nile people, any party perceived to be corrupt will not be
on peoples’ voting list in 2011. With this vice being blamed for lack of drugs
in health centres, poor roads, poor quality education, and increased poverty
levels in northern Uganda which currently stand at 74% among women, with West
Nile contribution to national coffers being abused and those in the ruling
ranks blamed for squandering these resources, no expression other 'No Vote, we
want change' will suffice
the people’s expression of heartfelt feeling of poor stewardship in NRM.
However, all this will depend on whether the adage and beacon of north: an
average northerner is not interested in money but the truth will hold up to
2011. Money which many view as lubricant of situations may never turn votes in
favor of NRM to qualify the party for votes as insinuated. The history of north
can not be bet on when it comes to voting for principle, whether they vote
alone, they always cherish the sweetest reflection that their votes are not
lost but symbolise truth. Whatever the come, the day after 2011 elections
presumably 13th February will prove me and my brothers right or wrong but the
truth:' a northerner will never take a decision of self-destruction' will hold
even after 2011 for centuries!
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