allAfrica.com: Uganda: Solution is Not a New Set of Leaders (Page 1 of 1)

In the Christian scriptures in which I was raised, Simon Peter is quoted asking Jesus during the last supper, "Lord, where will you be going?" Jesus told him, "Where I will be going, you cannot follow me now; but you shall follow me afterwards".

These portray the intrinsic mystery of divine relations, whereby the ways of the divine are neither explainable nor to be made known by ordinary mortals. Human beings only obtain glimpses of divine purpose through pieces of prophecies and revelations allowed by the almighty.

But these relations which, hitherto, had been sacred to religion and man's fate as he worshipped, have now been transposed by some of our politicians. They brandish themselves as possessing the same unfathomable power to take our society to where only they know. It is then being presumed that the people do not have a right to know where their affairs are supposed to take them nor to discuss it in any way, except by occasional voting.

Religion is about making known the secrets of the almighty thus enabling man's kind to grope for mercy from the pleasure of the heavens. It relates humans to the divine will.

Politics is people centred, drawing the needs of man in society to the stage of decision-making which political leaders engage in. The subordination of political decisions to the will of the people is what forms the subject of democracy in the world.

Leaders are, therefore, obliged to understand what society wants of them and to submit themselves to the social will at all times unless they openly profess to be fascist.

The claim that leaders can, on their own, decide the fate of the people they say they lead is a straightforward travesty of democratic culture. No wonder that during campaigns for electoral support, we find many politicians who make ridiculous promises. Some have even assured the country to build bridges in areas even where there are no rivers to be crossed!

The behaviour of such politicians drives intense fear in our people. There are many voices in the country expressing worry about the future of the country. The leaders do not seem to care about these misgivings. Many people are recoiling, wondering whether it is useful to keep crying out when the leaders appear not to be influenced or persuaded by their expressed opinions on many issues.

In expressing themselves, our people should not entertain the hope that the leaders who have given themselves the aura of the deity can listen to their outcry. The leaders of this mind frame cannot listen to the people because it is not in their interest. They are accustomed to enjoying free rein to do whatever they want done. Subjecting themselves to the voice of the people would restrict their desires and impose discipline on them.

There is a common saying that, "A funeral oration is not meant for the hearing of the departed; it is to strengthen the vigour of the living who are bereaved to carry to with life."

Therefore, discussions by the people do not have to be addressed to the leaders who are already deaf. They should be made amongst the people themselves to understand the root of their common problems and identify appropriate organisational steps to resolve them.

Because our political leaders have no place for the people in their hearts, it is now being rumoured that some people, including renowned personages in the NRM, are allegedly fronting themselves as a solution to the present political predicament in our country. It is made to appear that the solution to our situation is merely soliciting for a new set of leaders from amongst the elite who, too, should have their own turn of betraying the country.

The people are apparently reduced to being just on-lookers as an alleged secret war rages on in heaven to decide which angel shall prevail over the others to succeed the ageing Arch-angel. This way of presenting our political problems completely runs counter to what the NRM declared to stand for.

The crucial question under debate in the NRM is how our country's affairs are being handled. The major concern is that the ways of doing things by the leaders is undermining the unity, struggle and progress of our country. The main question is to bring this important point to the notice of all party members; historicals, veterans, youths, women and the new entrants so that they propose a way out of the problem.

This should aim at identifying objectionable bad ways of doing things with a view of moulding better methods of work and relations within the party. The perpetrators of evil practices and the beneficiaries of crime against NRM ideals should be exposed in the process so that party members can liberate themselves of such evil schemes.

If the future of the NRM is decided outside open political struggles, then the likelihood is empowering intrigue and schemes to outmatch each other. The result can only be in the entrenchment of undemocratic cliques and warlords to suppress the country. We risk going the Somalia way. This is what we should guard against.

James Magode Ikuya, The author is a member of NEC (NRM) representing historicals.

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