BY NELLY OTTO
JINJA
THE oft-quoted statement,”…for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction…”, attributed to Sir Isaac Newton,an English polymath ,physicist, astronomer and theologian who was key in the Scientific Revolution now makes a lot of sense in the political arena in Uganda.
While the ruling NRM party leaders and supporters have a beehive of activities to mark the 38th Anniversary since the party came into power, the sleepless critics are quick to dismiss NRM officials as jokers and gamblers.
A NUP youthful councilor identified as Joseph Ngobi who represents the people of Namulesa North ward to Northern Division in Jinja City suggests that the millions of money being spent in such a celebration should be directed to productive sectors like agriculture.
He claims that in most cases some greedy and corrupt NRM officials use such ceremonies to divert funds for a selfish agenda which they later on invest in personal ventures while the man on the street continues wallowing in poverty.
“…apart from fighting over poorly cooked rice and meat, the ordinary residents of Busoga have nothing to celebrate while dozens of pot bellied men and women will dine and wine in hotels and bars…”, Ngobi regrets.
Ngobi, 25 laments that it’s a double irony to host the day in Busoga which has always broken the internet being ranked as one of the poorest yet top figures in strategic public positions hail from the region.
As is now becoming the NUP catch phrase, the youthful politician complains that the youth who constitute more than 70%of Uganda’s population continue to feel the pangs of poverty characterized by unemployment, threats and intimidation including arbitrary arrests and kidnaps.
“…we have no voice, we are like refugees in our country living in fear and panic, we are oppressed and suppressed, our rights are blatantly violated and we have nowhere to run…”,he laments.
Dismissing the day as useless, Gobi who is a father of two tender age children accuses the ruling NRM of deliberately creating a handful of the extremely wealthy people against those living in abject poverty.
He has vowed to consolidate the NUP gains in Busoga which hitherto had been an NRM stronghold but slipped off during the 2021 presidential elections where NUP Presidential candidate Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi commonly known by his stage name as Bobi Wine got more votes than President Yoweri Museveni in what was described as NUP wave.
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