The former State Minister for Tourism Godfrey Kiwanda Ssuubi has said it was wrong for President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to appoint members of the opposition in ministerial positions leaving party cadres aside.
Kiwanda who was speaking during a political talk show on BBS television on Thursday said that politicians from the opposition who have joined the National Resistance Movement government as a result of ministerial appointments have never added anything to the party.
“Politics is numbers, therefore if I was the one who was appointing ministers, I would not appoint Madam Ssebugwawo. From the experience, I have not seen any member of the opposition who has joined NRM and become useful to the party. They come as individuals to eat money,” Kiwanda said.
The NRM Vice Chairperson for Buganda region revealed that while appointing; Betty Kamya who was the president of Federal Alliance, Nakiwala Kiyingi who was from the Democratic Party and Sarah Kanyike who was the Deputy Lord Mayor Kampala City, the NRM Central Executive Committee thought they will add to the party’s strength within Kampala, unfortunately, it just became worse.
“By appointing them, we left out our party diehards thinking that we are conquering Kampala but what did we get? Also whenever we appoint such people who have been in opposition to these big offices our people who have been mobilizing for the party lose hope in the system because these people come with their own intentions and they are not committed to the party’s policy. Therefore their coming is not beneficial to us the members and the party as a whole. But as a President is free to do whatever he wants but me as a leader of the party, I would not do that.”
Kiwanda added that President Museveni should stop allying with individuals and start dealing with parties because it politically obstructs the flow of multiparty politics.
“Alliance must be between parties, not individuals. When we allied with UPC it was the Party, not a person that is why Betty Among is doing well. This practice of getting people from opposition parties I don’t think is right because people are going to start losing trust in parties. For example on the appointment of Ssebugwawo people may think that she has been working for NRM which may not be true,” he said.
“As a leader of NRM, I don’t support at all this idea of leaving our cadres aside and appoint people in opposition because in most cases it weakens us as a political party.”
Kiwanda’s statement follows President Museveni’s move to appoint the former vice president of Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Ssebugwawo as State Minister of ICT and National Guidance.
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