NRM IDEOLOGY
The attempt are
reinventing the NRM ideology that is raging within the NRM need not get
extinguished in haste by the state operators. The statehouse political
architect and ideologue, Mr. David Mafabi demonstrates this typical trait of
intolerance by slumming the door on Odrek’s thirst for a meaningful debate on
ideological resurgence. Such intolerance, we must admit, is what keeps the
heads of most dictators (aka Strongmen of Africa) hidden in the sand.
The first son, Mr. Odrek
Rwaboogo has been the lone proponent in calling for debate on NRM’s future. Now
it seems he is even debating with himself, and soon he will be distanced from
his likes, in the manner of Mbabazi and others. Already, Mr. Rwaboogo is
accused of generating ideological confusion, confusing biology with ideology,
and undermining the works of the NRM Party Chairman, the strongman himself.
The fire of discontent is
burning silently underneath the NRM and Mr. Rwaboogo maybe the first black
smoke sprout out of the Conclave. The young Turks, bred in the ideological perplexity
of the NRM have come of age. Their demand for change of direction is appears legitimate
for them to find space and place to exert their own influence. Yet, the old
Turks within the system still hold tight on the grip of power, privileges and
influence. It is their carcass, they must chomp at it until infinitum.
In a sense, we are
seeing the emergence of the progressive forces from within the NRM led on the
one hand by Mr. Rwaboogo, and yet, his lone voice does not seem to represent a corpus
of progression. One would expect that virulently ambitious young Turks like
Morrison Rwakakamba, Frank Tumwebaze, Agaba Rugaba and others of that generational
breed would join forces with Mr. Rwabogo. Instead, they have sold their loyalty
to the traditional forces. They are even hostile to the smallest suggestion of an
ideological debate within the NRM. Odrek may be the lone voice for now - maybe his
timing is wrong, but at least, he is not driven by impulses of a disgruntled
man. Odrek has also been in the NRM’s inner circles longer than many of the young
people that litter the statehouse corridors and alleyway today to oppose him.
Rwaboogo could have taken a path that will either destroy him, or win him
support from the inner NRM politburo retrospectively.
After all, the survival
of any system is judged from its dynamism - adaptability to changing times. Moreover,
the NRM has remained on course for
reasons other than ideology. For instance, its very existence is buttressed
within the institution of the army, built around a personality cult of an
African “strongman”. The test of its survival outside of these composites remains
a bigger question that only Mr. Rwaboogo makes sense in his advocacy for
ideological re-orientation. Messiahs have always appeared confusing, disturbing
and condescending to an establishment, for which they have endured execution
for reward.
Set that aside, if I
were Odrek, I could consult with this man, Mr. Asuman Bisiika, the journalist I
prefer to describe as “Prophetic”. Mr. Bisiika correctly pointed to an
important aspect of this debate in an article in the Daily Monitor of August 15,
2015, (See: Odrek Rwaboogo and NRM ideological re-orientation), which could
help guide Mr. Rwaboogo enormous. Mr. Bissika affirms that the NRM is least
inclined on matters of ideology at this phase in which it finds itself. It
considers ideological matters a sole enterprise of the Party Chairman. In that
sense, NRM is an ideological captive of its strongman.
Further, the contradictions
seen between the NRM ideology and economic progress in Uganda, suggests that
the NRM no longer has controls over its ideology, as such, its ideology is not driving
social and economic transformation of Uganda. In this sense the frontiers of
contestation is what Mr. Bisiika correctly points out – the lack of a policy
generation. The archaic ideas of ideology and revolution are intangible to the
majority of the young people – the carpetbaggers of the NRM. The NRM ideology
itself is more confusing and therefore it is even hard to accuse Mr. Rwaboogo
of spewing ideological confusion when those accusing him are also ideologically
confused.
The END.
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