Declining Leadership Calibre: Mpuuga Urges Citizens To Vote Wisely To Save Sinking Uganda
In a passionate appeal to the electorate, former Leader of Opposition in Parliament Mathias Mpuuga urged citizens to exercise diligence when casting their ballots, warning that the fate of the nation is uncertain.
Speaking at the burial of Florence Namubiru, the mother to Mityana South’s Richard Lumu (DP), at Mpugwe-Kaduggala in Masaka City on Tuesday, the Parliamentary Commissioner emphasized the importance of scrutinizing the candidates’ characters, records of accomplishment, and abilities to articulate issues and policies whilst occupying coveted offices before entrusting them with leadership roles.
Otherwise, Mpuuga harangued, the country’s future looks insecure with the increasing number of low-calibre leaders, seemingly taking root in Uganda.
“We have suffered varied political accidents. DP’s accident happened at around noon, and our [NUP] political vehicle got an accident on a railway, but we are making evacuation efforts before the train comes to crush it,” Mpuuga informed mourners, “but we are talking with our comrades even within DP.”
He used the occasion to decry unfitting people they sit with in Parliament saying, “there is a time your colleague MP rises to speak, and you check around whether there is a helmet to cover your head before making h/er speech. But when Lumu stands up to speak, I feel relieved because I am sure, he has thought about what he is about to talk about…” he said appreciating Mityana South voters for voting wisely.
He mentioned high-calibre leaders from Mityana who have immensely contributed to Uganda’s development through good deliberations including former Attorney General Abu Mayanja, Owek. Arthur Bagunywa, a former Minister in Mengo, Nshimye Ssebutulo, Former Mityana North MP, Joyce Bagala, Woman MP, Mityana, save for unnamed MP whom he said, “I don’t understand whether he is using head or legs to move.”
In qualifying his assertion, Mpuuga narrated to mourners, “in our parliament, we have MPs who pass things they have not comprehended the after some time, they come back to ask themselves when certain things were approved. Parliament with powers to enact even beheading laws is not a joke.”
He cautioned the people of Buddu, his home base, not to entertain anybody seeking to “bring a vacuum in your intellectual capacity.”
Regarding the struggle to depose a long-serving dictator, Mpuuga opined that there is no way people who are fond of substance abuse of “all drug types, alcohol, tobacco, etc”, on top of being proud of lone rangers, could wrestle Museveni who is sober all the time out of power.
“Tell all those desirous to take up leadership to quit bars and shun substance abuse as Kabaka ordered them,” Mpuuga said, “everybody who needs to lead should be alert 24/7. You cannot change leadership when you are not alert because the one we want to remove from power doesn’t take even wine.”
He called for unity between both change-seeking forces and asked them to interest even those they do not agree with to join the struggle to change leadership.
“You are in NUP or have no party, we have one struggle. Anybody who thinks he is going to move alone should go and catch grasshoppers. In this power struggle, we need even those we do not agree with and whoever is looking for only those he agrees with, should stay with his family members” Mpuuga said.
He asked people to emulate NUP leader Kyagulanyi who campaigned for NRM people in the 2021 general elections, saying, “…we have one enemy and I was happy when I saw our president Kyagulanyi going to Koboko and campaigned for Dr Ayume of NRM. When he went to Kamuli, he told people Kadaga [of NRM] wasn’t bad, but one of us.”
Mpuuga was accompanied by MPs, Medard Lubega Sseggona (Busiro East), Juliet Kakande (Masaka City), Joyce Bagaala (Mityana District), Fred Kayondo (Mukono South), etc.