The defection of DP’s former Spokesperson – “Emma” Emmanuel Lutukumoi to the ruling Party on the weekend of July 23rd, 2011 coincided with the preparation for my birthday event. As such I was unable to follow Ugandan news as usual. Luckily, I’m hooked to many media outlets and social networks, so kind friends prompted me on my cell about the defection. Quickly, I took the liberty to contact Mr Lutukumoi himself to avert rumours and fortunately, we were able to share some interesting insights.
Defection by agents of political parties, whether during campaign, after or in upheavals, is not something new or strange to me because even Parties merge with rivals anyway. Luckily for me, I have had several conversations with Emmanuel beginning April and his grievances, notwithstanding, had informed me that he was up to something strange.
Understandably, so many people from the North and within DP have been deeply disappointed with this defection. It is one which comes at an irrelevant time and definitely at no political value to Emma and his friends, but one which annoys people who had trust in him under those shades, very deeply. I guess even the NRM was shocked at such a bizzare move!
Mr Lutukumoi is a consenting adult with liberty, as a rational being and given his constitutional rights to choose to associate with any political organization as he so wishes, we must show tolerance. For these, I will not slight him, nor feel any sadness but for the social capital and the goodwill of the people of Acholi and Gulu Munispality, he should have endured.
What truly interests me in this whole saga is discussing why potential Party leaders resort to defection to solve their political woes. And why rational Northerners are flocking to the NRM considering the indifference of the Party to this region. What is even objectionable is that after defection, they embark on lambasting their mother Parties and their leaders by wishing them back luck – which to me signifies that the oddity of defections are inspired largely by personal limitations and petty grudges as opposed to ideological differences.
There are people who disagree ideologically, or on strategies within their party, but would never defect. Instead, they would form their own Party. What differentiate the two groups identified above is that our democracy has produced a generation of political lumpens inclined on personal aggrandizement and not public service.
In Uganda, people head to elections with these overarching hopes that they have to be elected for better livelihood. If they are not elected they remain poor and desolate because the process of procuring votes from electorates is costly one and yet if they failed, their natural ability to innovate is nominal. In Uganda, Parliament under the NRM regime is like a Kraal of angry beasts or "noble" savages with no conscience, purpose or obligation to the electorates (Horrible Members of Parliament).
This insensitivity is superimposed on the general polity that in itself, is inspired entirely by corruption. People want to be in positions of power with primary objectibe of feasting incessantly on tax payers. When they fail to procure votes successfully, they defect to the ruling Party to gain favours; small contracts; political clout; possible appointments and all the illicit spoils of the ruling regime.
Lutukumoi is not the first defector and will not be the last defector. In fact, chatting with Lutukumoi on Facebook not long ago, he informed me straight faced that his conscience is intact - clear! After all, he had felt like an outsider in DP; disenfranchised and despised by the Party machinery; distrusted and disrespected - he had no option but to dissociate. So his decision to defect was personal and not ideological after all!
However, the fact that Lutukumoi was able to emerge from the periphery to clinch an important position of DP spokesperson, signifies that he was a rising star who needed to use that to establish a strong national profile, for which he has reneged the opportunity.
In DP, everyone distrusts everyone; everyone is afraid of everyone; just show me any one DP leader who has not been accused by fellow DPs of being a mole! And so what the heck, Emmanuel Lutukumoi!
END.
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