Opinion: Why Uganda's National Resistance Movement needs to rebrand

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni

Kampala; Uganda: Soon after the ruling NRM took over power in the latter half of the 1980s, it was pretty understandable why there was need for a National Resistance Movement. “National” in a sense that the mayhem caused by the so-called bad governments had become an issue of general concern; “Resistance” meaning that everyone had to stand up against a return to the past; and “Movement” meaning a mass of people sharing a common goal and ideas.  Fast-forward to 2014, and I am not quite sure that the connotation of “N.R.M” is still relevant, particularly the “R”.

Two decades ago, each time the President took to the podium to address citizens, he was quick to remind them where they came from, and how bad the situation was. He castigated his predecessors Iddi Amin and Milton Obote, up till the days the two passed on, and they were buried-threat no more. Hearing anything to do with the two past leaders simply reinvigorated the need for more and more “Resistance” fire. However today, with an increasingly young ‘1986’ population commonly known as the M7 generation, talk of Amin and Obote would be absolutely irrelevant. But why is the “R” in NRM still seemingly vital? What’s still there to resist, going by the original connotation?

 

I have recently listened to the President’s speeches, and he’s quick to sound like “They cannot manage us”, in reference to the opposition. He’s repeatedly mocked the likes of former FDC leaders Ret. Col. Kiiza Besigye and embattled Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, the only figures on the opposition side to be in the limelight. Of course old NRM boys in the likes of Maj. Gen (Rtd) Mugisha Muntu, Gen. David Sejjusa or even sacked former premier Mbabazi and the like, are equally lumped up as ‘enemies’ of the ruling government. If the aforesaid are the new force to “Resist”, then there’s a problem, because the enemy is now not in our past but in our present. Yet going by the reasons adduced for the so-called enemy’s dissent from the mother-fold, I quite strongly believe that what is needed is not “Resistance” in the older sense, but “Understanding” and sense of peaceful co-existence.

 

One may perhaps say the “NRM” is merely a name of a party, but those three letters hold the ideological axis on the current politics. Also considering that the leader of the party rose to the helm through fire, getting him to be re-aligned to the new order can be quite risky. Little wonder that some people that have openly challenged him have been quickly sidelined, the latest victim being his former right hand man Amama Mbabazi. Seeing the pomp and funfair that occurred in the aftermath of his sacking, one could easily tell that there’s more than what meets the eye. Sacking a minister is normal and happens often, and Mbabazi was not invincible; but for the President to have embraced a pompous welcome party apparently thanking him for sacking the former, I think the original NRM has simply been ideologically watered down. The time must therefore be now to re-brand in order to remain relevant with the changing times.

 

In my remote view, I think the days of “Resistance” are over. Uganda yearned for peace and stability, and thankfully we’ve taken commendable strides under the NRM leadership. The time is now to make absolute peace with the past and open a very fresh page that will help us to skid further away from a militaristic mentality, to a more socially-oriented approach premised on the desire to achieve meaningful prosperity for our country. This far, we could retain the “National” outlook; and “Movement”, for purposes of a shared goal; and possibly replace the “R” with “P and U” for ‘Prosperity’ of ‘Uganda’. So in the new order, NRM would become; National Movement for the Prosperity of Uganda (NMPU). This way, we shall even embrace all dissenting voices as long as they have tangible ideas, to contribute towards realizing meaningful prosperity for the country- instead of the current situation of “us and them”.

 

Meantime, I am happy that the President has brought the youths closer to himself, because they hold the key to a vibrant future. It’s also a way for the man to tactfully re-invent himself. One would imagine though, that since they are quite detached from the past, they are coming in with fresher ideas to complement those of the retiring elders. However, I recently noticed that thousands of these youths are being trained as “crime preventers” instead of being equipped with skills as “Job creators”. I do not quite think that crime prevention as it were, should be a priority for Uganda today in its peaceful state, even if it’s true that life can at times mean to be quite fluid. However, if our youths were employed and actively contributing towards prosperity, the incentive for crime would be minimal. Conversely, having thousands of youths trained in crime prevention, and several months down the road they are unemployed, could in itself be a precursor for crime. I think these youths should be offered opportunities say in the NAADS projects or be contracted to support the Railway construction or national research or whichever other projects may suffice. This way, they will be gaining skills whilst earning something small for their sustenance.

I have said before and must repeat my dream-that in the next 100 years from now, Uganda will be a 1^st World country. To get there, we must re-orient our mindset and start laying positive bricks in that direction. And since the NRM is in the driving seat, rebranding would help get everyone on board for a common cause.

For God and My Country!

The Writer Mr Tumusiime K. Deo is an International Communications Consultant.