Greetings to you all patriotic and peace loving Ugandans, I salute you! Today I will just be as brief as I can be which is hard owing to how much there is to put across in these monumental times where history is being written in capital letters. God has handed to us one of the rarest opportunities as a country and it is my patriotic duty to sound it out on rooftops day and night until we have touched it with our own hands. The jinxes will this time be broken and the pearl will be set on a different trajectory forever. May it come soon!
MK stands for many things like Hope, continuity, being a bridge, Patriotism, Pan-Africanism, stability, progress, security and prosperity among many other things and I hope to touch on each of them as we together march on towards the glorious future that God is beckoning us to. So for today I will just talk about continuity!
Continuity is key to stability and growth, which in turn stir, and catalyze development. This has been the case with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) which has had the same party in power since October 1 1949. That is a whopping 74 years uninterrupted and counting. What has that yielded? China is the greatest economy in the world at the moment and threatening to be the world super power if it’s not yet. Before 1949, China’s Economy was suffering debilitating effects of decades of war and instability. Does that sound familiar? In fact, I am yet to read or hear of a place that prospered when it was in chaos and turmoil and I don’t think there will ever be.
Away from China of which the comparison might be farfetched, we come home to Africa, East Africa to our sister country, Tanzania. Tanzania hit lower middle-income status in the recent past- five years earlier than projected! and it is one of the greatest growing economies not only in East Africa but in Africa and the world as well! I believe that if it had not been the early Ideological wars between the west and the soviets and the subsequent sabotage from one malicious section of those feuding parties, Tanzania would be very far. But what does Tanzania have in common with China I just described above? Tanzania has had only one party to govern it since independence and counting. That is the power of continuity. Of course there are always other factors at play but there is no denying that continuity is key among them. If a country is stable and there is consistence and continuity for a considerable period of time with wise leadership of course, then you can expect development, progress and prosperity.
When it comes to Uganda, the only reason, the Pearl of Africa is rubbing shoulders with the big boys’ world in spite of its tumultuous past is because of the steady and stable leadership of president Museveni for a fairly prolonged time most of which was spent rectifying the mistakes of the past like economic collapse, turning our army into a professional army, wars in the North and parts of the west therefor and restoring rule of law and constitutionalism among others. All these required patiently and skillfully digging a deeper foundation for a strong and prosperous Uganda. This he has done successfully and Uganda has taken off already. But it is no time to rest on our laurels and nap but instead even greater work is needed to consolidate these gains and build and aim higher. thankfully we can at last! It is this that brings us to the watershed moment! And that is precisely how MK comes into play.
MK the bridge: MK is a bridge as His Excellency the President of Rwanda has famously referred to him as. The president of course was referring to him being a bridge for peace between the sister countries of Uganda and Rwanda and that should tell you a lot about the man (to be examined another day) but here I am talking about being a bridge between the “old guard” as many prefer to term those of the president’s generation and the new generation (75% of Ugandans). A bridge between those who were building the foundation and stabilizing us to those who must now build high. President Museveni and those he has worked with have paved the path for us and the time has come to transform these into highways and I assure my fellow countrymen and countrywomen that Men like General Muhoozi and other young cadres under his leadership are ready to take on the mantle and the task ahead with guidance from the seniors. that is exactly why a bridge is needed.
Like the senior presidential advisor for Lango Sub region Mr Sam Engola said as quoted from the new vision, “Muhoozi Kainerugaba is good for continuity…” this elder and many others who are joining and drumming up support for MK are speaking from wisdom, experience and they see far! It would be calamitous not to listen to such wise counsel. The best timing for a transition is when we still have such old men offering wise counsel and the younger ones doing the runs.
We can have President Museveni as the chairman and chief national elder among the team of other elders who will offer wise counsel and guidance. We can pick a leaf from Comrade Nyerere and CCM. Believe me you all, we need our elders when they still have energy and all their faculties at their best. And there is no better time than now!
Then General Muhoozi and other qualified young mixed with old and experienced Ugandans chosen on merit from all over the country will then take on the wheels with utmost confidence. With this blend of the young and old and the synergy created, Uganda will be unstoppable! And I know that is what gives night mares to the enemies of progress.
One thing I implore my fellow Ugandans not to accept is to be dragged in clashes aimed at disorganizing and thereby weakening instead of building us as a country. We must refuse to be misled into the battle of the young against the old or the old against the young, battles of region and religion, we are one and a stable and prosperous Uganda should be our aim.
without a shade of doubt, an MK presidency come 2026 will be the biggest step in that direction. The struggle continues but with MK at the helm, backed by your support gallant Ugandans, we shall equal the task and even surpass it!
By Paul Taremwa
Ag. Chairperson Patriots Club
For God and my country
