By Moses Kizito Buule
The former youth leader for Mukono district and the central region Ronnie Rwigyema has written a strong worded letter to President yoweri Museveni, advising him on the best ways of guiding youths to become more productive and distract them from rebellion and other negative tendencies.
In his open letter, the former central region parliamentary aspirant also alerted the president on unnamed individuals whom he blamed for blocking the youth from meeting him and expressing their wishes and advice on certain issues pertaining to their development.
In his letter, Rwigyema pointed out to the president that the objectives of his armed struggle to rid this nation of autocracy, dictatorship and highhandedness are slowly getting derailed especially as youth emancipation is concerned which he added, has led many to seek better survival methods abroad, albeit unsuccessfully.
The letter reads in part, “During Amin/Obote’s regimes, you risked your life and took action against bad governance in your country and many youth joined you in the struggle for liberation and indeed you succeded; you took over power in your youthful ages,managed the economy that was in a sorry state slowly by slowly, and now you’ve led us for 30 plus years; some of the youth of who are rightly your ‘bazzukulu’ (grandchildren) are elites while the majority are disgruntled,unemployed and taken on drug addiction”.
He noted that while a few have got an opportunity to get educated, majority are either uneducated or simply half baked, many are unemployed while those in employment work for peanuts, and that the few elites know where President Museveni got the nation from, c an see the dangers ahead of it, but are too scared to point this out because of oppression by certain individuals.
Rwigyema also told the President that through the popular social media platforms (whatsup, facebook, instagram, twitter, snapchat etc) , the youths have been educated on what is transpiring, and have turned against the government because they have been driven to believe that it is responsible for failing to get them jobs, yet those around you and who are believed to have the right information, have not fulfilled their roles of informing the youths, and instead are bent on crushing whoever attempts to get close to you.
The former youth leader also noted that while it is true that the NRM government has done many good things, 90% of the bazukulu are not aware of them because, First the president appoints people who love being around him but not necessarily who love him and are ready to spread his ideology, protect govt funds and spread the gospel of the NRM achievements.
Secondly he observes, the president has not financially empowered the young people in leadership through bodies like the National Youth Council, and the Youth league and yet he is aware this is the only platform for government to get close to the young people. “They are less or not well funded to do their work and on top of that they are not properly supervised; you have tried YLP, Youth fund, name it but your excellency it’s more of a theory/paper work for purposes of accountability than practical. Why? Because of selfish interests by your fellow Jjaajjas and a section of Children whom you trust more than majority of your bazukulu”, Rwigyema said.
Elsewhere, the letter reads: “You have tried bringing some youth on board and me as an individual I do appreciate your efforts i.e like giving them ministerial positions, and other responsibilities in different government institutions but they end up failing and again I put the blame on you for handing them responsibilities without empowering them with guidance, which leads them to consider themselves as being above their peers, disrespecting elders including you the appointing authority.
Your excellency, between you and me, I am sure you are much aware that as of today the system/govt uses young people to fight each other, for instance, the forces and majorly comprised of youths who are sincerely not pleased with their work. If we happen to face an internal mobilization within the forces and the disgruntled turn against the well off or cadres of the system how do we address it or over come this in a shortest period of time?, he wondered.
He also wrote that during Gen. Kale Kayihura’s tenure as IGP he recruited the youth into the police force where they served to your satisfaction to the point of promoting many to positions of commanders of all police operations (RPCs, RCIDs, DPCs, OCs etc), but wondered whether it can be assumed that all of them are satisfied where they’re. “If indeed they are, which guarantee do we have because police takes a lead in control of riots in the country before even requesting for backup from other security agencies, and it beats my understanding everyday as a young cadre and your great supporter with no forum to address my concern.
He cited the situation in Libya where he said, people are suffering because selfish individuals used them to assassinate their own messiah Col Mummar Gadaffi who was a great man in the region.
On the recent political turmoil that saw Kyadondo East MP being worshiped, Rwigyema said that although he may not have the capacity to offer much to the country’s needs he may not equal to as little as one per cent of persons in opposition like Gen. Mugisha Muntu, Amama Mbabazi, or Dr Kiiza Besigye who he said, may be considered as being more fitting to fit in your shoes without causing bloodshed.
“But majority of youths I talked to see Bobi Wine an instrument to bring about change in leadership, with some believing that under him, they could own Kampala, and other thinking that when Mr Museveni leaves power they can own buildings in town, and other speculations; my opinion is that it is very costly by way of resources like time and money to change their mindset because they are being misled at a high rate”, he wrote.
Rwigyema concluded his letter by asking the president to avoid distancing himself from the youth, use self-made down-to-earth people not self seekers, and those who understand the language spoken and understood by the youth.
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