By Moses Ariong (Aspirant, Amuria County).
It has been 6 months since I declared my intension to run for the office of Member of Parliament Amuria County. From a relatively unknown background, I have become one of the leading voices for change and hope for the people of Amuria and Teso at large. This is because of the passion that I hold for promoting development, and the deep admiration of the potential of the people of Teso and what our land offers us.
From Aojakitoi in Kuju SC on one end, to Ogwete in Abarillela SC on the other, the people are very welcoming and looking forward to a new begining and a fresh start in Amuria. It is also very clear as day, that the past leaders have lost favor of the electorate and the ball game is in the hands of the new young Turks.
It is also true that the communities are preferring younger, more energetic, more approachable, respectful candidates with a clear message of development. This forward looking lot with the benefit of time in their hands to right the wrongs in Amuria and across Teso, has this election cycle in their hands.
Apathy and spectatorship behavior
Despite the positive outlook by voters looking for a change of leadership and their fortunes, I have also noticed a clear lack of ownership of the electoral process.
Many voters are not challenging those presenting themselves for office by asking relevant questions. They are not asking about how health improvement can be achieved, how better learning outcomes and education improvement can be achieved, or how the community will be galvanised in to production to increase household income.
The voters are behaving like football fans spectating in a football game. They are cheering the candidates from the “stands”, some looking unbothered about the outcome, while others are taking sides and not interested in what the other candidates are talking about or offering.
We seem to have failed to appreciate the election process and taking advantage of it to get the right leaders to address our concerns. It is particularly worrysome that some voters simply ask for what to drink or eat even before offering a greeting or giving candidates time to talk to them.
I’ve also noticed aggression in some gatherings like burials, where the MCs show bias and deny candidates a chance to say a word or two to the mourners, or hurriedly silence them and switch off address systems. How do we expect to asses the candidates without allowing them the opportunity to engage with us?
What we ought to be doing
The upcoming elections are a little bit more personal than those in the past. This is a time for a transition and a chance to do away with bad politics and politicians. But also a chance for a fresh start as we seek for a New Uganda
A new Uganda is one where it’s youth are skilled and have equal work opportunities in dignified environments, where our health units manage cases of ill health and not being places where the sick go to die. A new Uganda is one where our children can dream, go to school and eventually achieve those dreams, and a Uganda where the voices of the locals and vulnerable groups guide the actions of leaders and government as they deliver services to the citizens.
This can only be achieved when we become active and engaged in a meaningful way in the electoral process. This means figuring out the kind of a new Uganda we all want, identifying candidates that can get us there, supporting candidates to canvas for support peacefully, asking relevant questions to all aspirants and giving them equal opportunity to engage with us.
We can only achieve the change we want when we embrace and value the electoral process as much as we value anything else. This is not about the candidates presenting themselves for elections, it is about YOU, your fate and that of your children and grandchildren.
The Time for Change is NOW!
MOSES ARIONG –MP AMURIA COUNTY (12th Parliament)
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