A old man with a hat uses old tricks. He has done it before and does it again. Here is proof! Furfilling old pledges in the last minute to win over votes, and use government funds to gain support. Here is the proof of it and the love is a bit late. The government should have been able to do so in 2011 or 2012 if it had mattered to President Museveni, but now he needs votes. So then he can give a bottle of wine and expect people to dine at his feast. Hope that the people of Lira can see through the arrogance of it; And the accountability of the state it is not, as the government funds are splashed for services the day before the rally of President Museveni. You can easilly read through the motive for the gift to the Lira Distric Local Government to constuct and fulfill the pledge of 2011.
Museveni Pledge of 2011 all of a sudden fixed:
“Lira district local government has received 400 million Shillings from the central government to facilitate the first phase of the construction of the Akii-Bua Memorial Stadium. The money is a partial fulfillment of a pledge made President Yoweri Museveni in 2011 for a stadium built in memory of the late John Akii-Bua, Uganda’s first Olympic champion” (Metro FM 90.8, 13.02.2016).
Museveni pledge funds to Gulu:
“NRM Presidential Candidate Yoweri Museveni is expected to commission a 3.1 Km road within Gulu Municipality this afternoon. Works on the road funded by World Bank at a tune of Shs 16 billion started in November 2014″ (Daily Monitor, 14.02.2016).
As he did during the 2011 election:
“The main concern regarding the campaign, and indeed regarding the overall character of the election, was the lack of a level playing field, the use of money and abuse of incumbency in the process. The magnitude of resources that was deployed by the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), its huge level of funding and overwhelming advantage of incumbency, once again, challenged the notion of a level playing field in the entire process. Media monitoring reports also indicated that the ruling party enjoyed a large advantage in coverage by state-owned radio and TV. The ruling party in Uganda is by far the largest and best-resourced party and following many years in power, elements of the state structure are synonymous with the party. Further, reports regarding the “commercialisation of politics” by the distribution of vast amounts of money and gifts were most disturbing. Indeed, the „money factor‟ and widespread allegations of bribery and other more subtle forms of buying allegiance were key features of the political campaign by some, if not all, the parties. By all accounts, the 2011 elections were Uganda‟s most expensive ever. It is therefore important that for the future serious thought be given to election campaign financing and political party fundraising. This is more so given that there are virtually no checks on the levels of campaign financing and expenditure due to the cash-based nature of the campaign and the lack of stringent campaign financing regulations, both of which facilitate the use of illicit payments to voters as inducements and has the potential to undermine their free will” (Commonwealth Observers Group, 2011).
I think this proofs it and also how the NRM uses old tricks in the last part of the Pre-Election period. They have already used the UPDF and paying to get crowds. So soon Hon. Sam Kutesa or Dr. Ruhakana Ruganda giving directly out money is the missing piece today. The ignorance and thinking that nobody questioning the actions of the ruling is weird, but that is because the New Vision and other media will not question it; Instead spray it in nice words as a fulfilling moment of glory for the NRM. Something it is not; as it is a moment where they use government funds as bait to suck in the local men and woman. Who deserve accountability and transparency from the Central Government and for both Gule District Local Government and Lira District Local Government. Peace.
Reference:
Commonwealth Observer Group – ‘UGANDA PRESIDENTIAL AND PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS’ (24.02.2011)
MinBane 