Tuesday 9 August 2011

OPPOSITION SHOULD MANAGE POLITICS LIKE MODERN BUSINESS

My beloved Baby Sister, Edith Mpanga of London - and Walk-to-Work enthusiast, warned me not to say “I told you so!” when it was reported that FDC had abandoned the A4C initiative that left several dead, maimed and jailed, on grounds that it is ungracious and reflects poor breeding, and I fully agree with her, so I apologize to her for this article, but it is intended to thank FDC, through their Spokesperson Hon Wafula Ogutu, who was not pretentious, but simple and honest, when he said “we have stopped W2W….., it has turned disastrous, people have lost lives, limbs and property…..”
Having witnessed many losses and casualties since 2001 when I joined full-time politics on the opposition side to the NRM Govt, my humble proposal to my colleagues in the opposition is that we should begin to conduct political business as a modern business, where, for every proposed activity, is defined the overall activity goal, activity objectives that are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time bound), a work plan, projection of risks, management of casualties, activity budget, projected profits and losses. It may sound hypothetical but all modern war-planning rooms go through this exercise thoroughly, before they send troops to war – and war may mean a football contest, launching a new brand, race driving, starting a business, buying a new dress, getting a new school for your child, courting a woman / man or renting a sex-worker. Field commanders, where applicable, are taken through this complete picture and even guided on when to call for a withdrawal of troops to minimize war losses, so that all participants are inspired and driven by a shared vision and common goal!
For the past ten years or so, it has been common to read / hear “the opposition are disorganized, they are divided, they need to work together…. in order to unhinge Museveni…., there is no single party that can dislodge Museveni alone…..”, but are we all clear and agreed on a shared vision, mission, goal, work plan and have we established SMART objectives? Are all opposition members equally inspired in the same direction? To remove a sitting Govt is not a tea-party, it is hard work, long hours!
NRM appears strong only because the opposition are ad hoc, do not invest in research, planning, long hours and grassroots’ mobilization, have no clear short term goals, no SMART objectives and only provoke police to teargas them while they wait for three months to the next election, to swing into vote-hunting action. To some people, poverty is the problem so when they get some money or a job from Museveni, their problem is solved, they down their tools. Others just need their political parties to get into power so that they can fix poverty through jobs, so Museveni must go, yet to others, their grandfathers belonged to a certain political party and that is where they will die, so Museveni must go.
To Uganda Federal Alliance (UFA), Uganda’s problem is more complex than Museveni, poverty, potholes, poor social services, etc, all of which we consider consequences, not the problem cause, hence, mere replacement of Museveni, without changing the unitary governance system which over-centralizes power and national resources, might replace him with maybe a worse Museveni, an exploiter and beneficiary of the inappropriate system, just like all previous Presidents were. In UFA, having learnt our lessons from the past, we wish to dialogue and plan how to change the system, rather than the just the current President.
My humble advice to colleagues in the opposition is that toying with ideas and experimenting with each every other day, without adequate research and planning will not deliver the beef, but will continue costing time, lives and property.

Beti Olive Kamya-Turwomwe
PRESIDENT
UGANDA FEDERAL ALLIANCE
0783 438 201

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