Internal elections of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) have are now around the mid-mark with elections of district structures and Special Interest Groups (SIGs) at village level completed. Congratulations to the winners, and solidarity with those that didn’t go through. Earlier, main structure elections at village, parish and sub country were conducted. The highlight of these elections was the active involvement of the people. This cements NRM’s reputation as a mass party, despite new developments in the political space.
As we move to the next phases of elections as per the party roadmap, newly elected party leaders should take their positions not for prestige purposes but as a call to serve. NRM has a clear majority with a backbone structure in the whole country. No other party enjoys this status. However, the newly elected leaders should realise that times have changed. NRM has been around for some time. Passage of time and questions about the party’s longevity in power are affecting its power base and effectiveness in managing the political narrative.
The new leaders should act to renew the party’s outlook as a means to mitigate the claim on “overstay” in power. Every electoral cycle is a transition. It’s a new opportunity to reconnect with the grassroots to appreciate emerging issues to be taken care of under a new mandate.
Going forward, NRM should adopt a system of mandatorily incorporating the newly elected leaders in supervising Government programs, more so the Chairpersons at different levels. This is because the ruling party is the custodian of the national manifesto which guarantees services to the people. Civil servants become corrupt and lose sight of their roles when not supervised closely. And when services aren’t up to standard, it poses the biggest political burden as the public queries why the party stays on. Address service delivery gaps and it’s a smooth ride during elections!
Hence, with the natural passage of time and as questions on the purpose for longevity in power pile up, an ingenious method to justify that longevity is to follow up on quality service delivery, not holding positions for bragging rights.
There should be a mechanism of providing reports to the NRM Chairpersons at different levels on the government projects being implemented in their areas, alongside other leaders. A leader of a party in power should have the privilege or responsibility to know steps and phases in manifesto implementation for tracking and keeping the center and grassroots connected in supervision and monitoring. Moreover, all chairpersons must have copies of the manifesto, and read and internalise it. They should be part of the process of its drafting by contributing notes to the drafting committee. That way, they own it and feel obliged to effectively see to its implementation.
The question of the role of young people not just in elections but in the running of the affairs of the country remains outstanding as we head into 2030 when a number of national and international policy agendas are set to mature. These include the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which universal, transformative, and rights-based agenda. In Uganda, 2030 is looked as a pivotal year in gauging progress on many fronts, including ending HIV/AIDS and a new decade of renewed prosperity through the various economic empowerment interventions.
With a large and expanding youthful population of those below 50, the NRM Secretariat should have a strategy for harnessing this population as a support base, but more so in order to co-opt them in the national development agenda. How do we keep the young generation in line and cooperative in actively transforming the country? We have seen them in large numbers participating in the NRM primaries-as voters, contestants and administrators. What’s their expectation? To see a better country!
Civic awareness for this segment of society isn’t an option-it is a right and a condition for belonging. They must be well-versed with the history and future of the country, and to understand the contribution expected of them. Only NRM is best placed to mentor this generation for continuity and consolidation of the gains registered. The newly elected NRM leaders should pick keen interest and connect with this generation.
They should organise trainings from the grassroots to the districts in ideology and Patriotism, as a way of reawakening responsibility on self, to others and the country at large. With a renewed spirit of Patriotism, there is no way Uganda can fail to modernise and make progress on all fronts.
The leaders shouldn’t wait for a call for training at Kyankwanzi. That place can never accommodate everybody even if resources permitted. Talking of which, NRM should accommodate opposition members in its Patriotism trainings, whether in the districts or at Kyankwanzi. It has been established that mentorship is critically lacking on that side. Even as a member of opposition, one ought to oppose Patriotically and not with fanaticism or hatred.
With the conclusion of lower level primaries, coming up will be the elections for Local Council 5 Chairperson and MP flagbearers which are traditionally highly competitive and tense (Expression of interest and picking forms by contestants started on Monday, June 2). These elections are likely to split the party with complaints and contestation on the results. The Central Executive Committee (CEC) should preventively and quickly empower electoral commissioners at regional level to receive and handle these petitions without petitioners having to move to the headquarters in Kampala. Huge traffic to Kampala will cause delays and attract suspicions in the minds of the aggrieved which may spill over to the national elections with negative feedback to the party.
Most of the complaints or issues in the petitions are manageable within the regions or even districts, if the commissioners and registrars are empowered and committed.
The incidents of clashes witnessed in the elections were not aggravated, just an indication of the competitiveness and popularity of NRM among the people. With a little more organisational fine-tuning, NRM is capable of convincing all Ugandans that it is not only the single mass party in the country but the only reliable and futuristic party as well.
The author is the Special Presidential Assistant-Press & Mobilisation/Deputy Spokesperson
Email: faruk.kirunda@statehouse.go.ug
0776980486/0783990861
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