The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A group of opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) from the Acholi Sub-region has launched consultations with their constituents to gather feedback on their recent decision to cooperate with the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) government.
This comes more than a month after the legislators were criticized for their behind-the-scenes negotiations with the government.
The MPs had a meeting March 13 with President Museveni at the State House Entebbe. During the meeting, the legislators agreed to put aside their political differences and work together to tackle poverty and drive socioeconomic transformation in the Acholi Sub-region.
Speaking at the first consultative meeting held with a group of elites and opinion leaders Monday in Gulu City, Martin Ojara Mapenduzi, the Bardege-Layibi Division MP, explained that their recent decisions weren’t a betrayal but about exploring a constructive engagement with the government.
Mapenduzi noted that initially, they had contemplated holding consultations with a wide group of individuals to get their opinions and views prior to meeting President Museveni, but they held back on their idea. He said they wanted to first present their document, which proposes a course of action for addressing challenges affecting Acholi, and get a reaction from the president if it works, before consulting people in the Acholi sub-region.
He noted that the discussions with the government was started following reflection among the law makers on socioeconomic status of the Sub-region and the unanswered questions on why it continues to lag behind despite several government interventions.
Okin PP Ojara, the Chua West Legislator and head of the delegation of the opposition MPs defended their position of not first consulting opinion leaders, or elites from the sub-region arguing that their recent meeting with the head of state was a “usual engagement”.
Okin noted that the document they presented to the president once agreed upon will see the sub-region benefit from reparations and compensation for loss of lives and cattle since it explains in details truth telling, harmony, and transitional justice among other concepts.
The legislators during the meeting presented a draft document dubbed “Operation Harmony” that details the key issues affecting the Acholi Sub-region and proposes comprehensive solutions to addressing them. The 70 pager document which was first presented to the President on March 13 this year outlines the key priority needs required for consideration among them the push for government to recognize the Acholi regional tier to help mobilize and unite Acholi for socioeconomic transformation.
Other socioeconomic consideration includes, need to address land issues, increase commercial agricultural production and productivity, Expand infrastructures for investment, industrialization and manufacturing, promotion of trade and commerce. Others include offering of University scholarships for students from the sub region, reconstruction of schools, vocational and training centers, elevation, renovation and rehabilitation of key health facilities and political appointment considerations.
A section of the participants however offered mixed feelings on the legislators’ pragmatic shift in advancing development in the region and the draft document soon to be presented to the president. Fred Ngomkwe, a Transitional Justice expert in Gulu City, says a big question remains on the exact intention of the document, arguing that in any case, it was for advancing socioeconomic development of the region, views of locals should have been sought first.
He also notes that the whole idea could be political, suggesting that other regions like Teso and West Nile have at the same time come up with similar documents to be presented to the President.
Prof Sunday Okello Angoma, another stakeholder,, welcomed the move made by the legislators towards driving development but punched holes into their document, citing that it needs more work to make it more presentable to the president. Prof Angoma expressed his fears that the Operation Harmony document could be used as a political gain rather than addressing the socioeconomic needs of the people in the Acholi Subregion.
The second phase of the consultations is expected to be held on April 17 with an estimated 200 participants comprising Ministers from the Sub-region, cultural and religious leaders, local government leaders, women and youth leaders among others.
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