Political activity is gaining momentum as we look towards the 2016 general elections.
In the past week alone, all political parties announced their political programmes for meetings to discuss how to either win or how to boycott the 2016 elections.
According to the founder of the biggest opposition party, the FDC, he doesn’t see any chance of the Opposition taking power in 2016. The retired Colonel Kiiza Besigye recently called for the intervention of Men of God saying:
‘I don’t see any political party defeating the NRM in an election organised by the NRM government. We politicians have done all we can and we have now given up and therefore call on Religious leaders to help us in prayer and in our struggle to remove the rogue government of President Museveni’.
It must be mentioned that Dr. Besigye’s trumpet of hopelessness has not dampened the fiery spirit of the leaders of our political parties. As if the campaign period has been announced in earnest, the Democratic Party (DP), one of the oldest parties in the country, last week announced and this week Nobert Mao confirmed a programme to tour all districts of Uganda for the purpose of consulting and, mobilising their supporters towards attainment of power come 2016.
The new Leader of Opposition in Parliament Wafula Oguttu also talked of strategic national mobilisation for his FDC party with a view of wresting power from the ruling NRM in 2016.
By the look of things political, all indicators show that the race for State House and the anticipated management of our newly found God-given resources is on and promises to be fierce going forward.
That said, lets look at leadership scenarios in the event of Opposition victory vis-à-vis the current leadership capabilities. We in the media would like to open a debate that attempts to dialogue on the quality of leaders available to us so that we can help the people of Uganda grasp what is at stake and therefore the kind of leader they deserve.
We are saying this cognisant of the fact that most Ugandans have had the time to assess the leaders of the ruling NRM which has been in power for the last 28 years. We have seen Yoweri Museveni and we have seen the other members who are interested in becoming president. We are therefore in position to assess them fair and square. But how do they measure up against other potential leaders from other parties?
This is what we know. We know that if UPC wins in 2016, Olara Otunnu will be President even if he may not have voted for himself last election. On Monday morning he assured the NTV television that if his conditions are met, he would participate in the 2016 elections.
If FDC wins, the leader of Opposition in parliament Wafula Oguttu is likely to be the next president because he would be the compromise candidate between the supporters of or the leader of FDC Gen Mugisha Muntu and the former FDC leader Colonel Kiiza Besigye.
If DP wins, it has many to choose from. There is Nobert Mao who has already announced his nationwide campaign, there is the dethroned Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, they have Honourables Mathias Nsubuga and Mbidde, and then there is Lubega if you still remember him…
If CP wins, Ken Lukyamuzi the man becomes the undisputed president of the Republic although he is a Federalist while if JEMA emerges on top, there is a man called Basalilwa. There are many other potential candidates we can also discuss only that we can’t list them all in the allotted limited space. But if you have some other names you would like us to discuss, just say so.
As political parties begin mobilisation therefore, we in the media have a national duty to engage the population into a national conversation about the future of our country, the type of government we want and the type of leader that would best deliver on our hopes and aspirations.
We owe it to ourselves, our children and our grandchildren. Remember, the power to determine our destiny, lies with us – the People.
