The political marketplace should be sanitized. This politics of “I must follow you, and if I do not follow you, then I am wrong” must stop.What if you are the one who is wrong? The NRM has a leader who is now of advanced age. Whether they want him there pakalast (forever) or not, they must know that none of us will outlive Uganda.
They now have that group called PLU, and it is possible that in the next elections for NRM leadership, PLU-leaning members may become dominant, just like the Tea Party movement became dominant in the Republican Party—that’s what produced Donald Trump.I am not predicting, but I study trends. Are you not seeing the PLU logo moving side by side with the NRM logo?
Are you not seeing ministers being appointed as coordinators of PLU? When NRM goes to the primaries, you will witness an arm wrestling between PLU and the old NRM.The NRM, led by President Yoweri Museveni, has established a foundation with a constitution in place and uninterrupted leadership by one political group—something never before seen in Uganda—now coming to 40 years.
However, the PLU may become their disruptor. In the primaries, there will be an intra-NRM contest, but it is likely to be dominated by PLU-leaning NRM members.If the President is no longer there, the NRM will have to choose a leader. That leader will likely emerge from within the NRM, and most probably, the PLU leader will have enough influence to become the party leader. These are the megatrends Ugandans should be studying, instead of speculating on small things like Mao running for a parliamentary constituency, which will not affect the future of Uganda.
WHERE DO YOU SEE NUP (NATIONAL UNITY PLATFORM)?
NUP has decided to antagonize its base in Buganda, and its house is on fire. They have insulted the Kabaka, insulted the Katikkiro, and made it appear that they are entitled to the Buganda vote.If Bobi Wine (Robert Kyagulanyi) was consolidating his base, his party would have a bright future. But instead of consolidating, he has scattered his own forces. That group of Mathias Mpuugas (Nyendo-Mukungwe Division legislator) no longer attends NUP events.
Mpuuga has continued as a commissioner of Parliament under the protection of the NRM-dominated Parliament. He is now a protectorate of the NRM, with unclear terms, and they have a lot of information on him.NUP seems to want to repeat the actions of former Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) presidential candidate Dr. Kizza Besigye. I expected Bobi Wine to take our advice because we truly advised him. We were considering a People Power Alliance, but Bobi Wine got overly excited and decided to go at it alone.
HOW FAR WITH THE ELECTORAL REFORMS PROCESS?
My job is to create a platform for players to agree. It is wrong for the rules of the tournament to be handled by only one side. If you are discussing soccer, all the football clubs must have an interest, and the rules should be clear.So, we are agreeing on a date to meet stakeholders, including political parties, on the reforms, and everybody shall be invited. I want to assure you that electoral reforms are still top on the agenda, but it is a slow process.
I have all the reform proposals on record, even constitutional reforms. Everything that citizens are demanding, we have it. If there is something new that we need to gather from the public, that will come a little later.I remain a champion of reforms, but I cannot do it alone. We must acknowledge that a lot of politics got in the way. Fortunately, many Ugandans are now coming to accept that there is no other way: the future of Uganda must be negotiated by all of us.
WHAT KIND OF NORBERT MAO ARE WE GOING TO SEE IN THE NEXT ELECTIONS? MAO CAMPAIGNING ALONGSIDE NRM, MAO THE DP CANDIDATE, OR MAO VYING FOR A PARLIAMENTARY SEAT?
But why should anybody speculate? The cooperation agreement between the NRM and DP is for only this term of Parliament. Stop listening to voices of confusion. There are those who remain relevant by talking nonsense.I have been an MP in Gulu before, but you speak as if it is something revolutionary. I was the only MP who quit Parliament at the age of 38, became the LC chairperson of Gulu, and by 42, I had retired as LC5 chairperson.
There is talk on the ground because even the electorate wants effective leaders. Many people say Norbert Mao should return to Parliament to provide a strong voice, but my branch is the executive, and my aim is to rise to the top. I remain committed to my presidential ambitions, and returning to Parliament is not my goal.
ARE WE REALLY PROGRESSING ON THE COOPERATION AGREEMENT?
What is expected of me, Norbert Mao, in two years? I believe we have achieved a change in public debate. The language of politicians is shifting from confrontation to cooperation. You are hearing Mpuuga—is this the same Mpuuga of the past? You have heard Abed Bwanika, and you have heard the Katonga group and how they speak nowadays. Virtually everyone is speaking the language of transition.The DP has brought a different voice into the heart of government.
Having Norbert Mao in government, continuing to say what he has always said, is itself revolutionary. We are normalizing the debate and reminding Ugandans that this is their country.We cooperated with FDC and other parties when we formed The Democratic Alliance (TDA), but selfishness destroyed it. We started cooperating with Bobi Wine, and the DP spent over sh400 million to give Bobi Wine a platform. Our aim was to wake up the youth and bridge the gap between the opposition and NRM.
We are sincere in our actions. We cannot determine how the NRM will behave or what their agenda is, but we will remain honest because we believe that the future of Uganda must be negotiated by key political players. We must reduce political conflicts to develop our country.
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