By Mulengera Reporters
Edith Byanyima, daughter to longest serving DP National Chairman Mzee Boniface Byanyima (RIP), has unequivocally declared support for Buikwe South MP Dr. Lulume Bayiga for the position of President General DP at the forthcoming National Delegates Conference. She wants him to replace Museveni Minister Norbert Mao who she says is now emotionally exhausted having served for the last 15 years since 2010 when he replaced Mzee Sebaana Kizito. She says the last 15 years of Mao have been characterized by plenty of intra party conflicts which naturally would exhaust anyone.
Lulume is to be nominated on Monday at 11am at DP Headquarters along Balintuma Road in Namirembe. He is one of the four vying for DP top job the others being Northern region VP Elia Alitia, Bukoto Central MP Richard Sebamala and Mao who is being required to justify his political alliance with Gen Museveni before members can consider him acceptable for retention.
In a Sunday phone interview with this news website, Edith Byanyima explained that she believes the four contenders for the top job are all okay but considers Lulume to be the most appropriate for the moment given his track record and long commitment to DP.
“He is actually the most senior democrat of the four who are vying for the [top] position and has been there for the party longer than any of them. He has closely served with all the party presidents since the return of multi-partism in 2005. I think he is the type that we need to re-energize the grass root, reawaken DP and rebuild our structures at the moment,” said Edith who will be nominating Lulume at Balintuma Monday morning.
She says immediately after, she will be travelling home in Western Uganda to participate in the ongoing mobilization activities aimed at re-invigorating DP which she says still enjoys a lot of good will in the Ugandan towns and countryside throughout Western Uganda. She says that she has taken a decision to dedicate a lot of her time to the DP re-invigoration project from now going forward.
She adds that she is motivated by the enthusiasm with which her DP restoration message is being received by especially the young people in Western Uganda and beyond. She clarifies that the momentum to reinvigorate DP back to its glorious days is actually countrywide and a network of some sort is rapidly forming. Edith says that the commitment Lulume Bayiga, her candidate, has exhibited by sticking around to stay in DP even after many of his peers have decamped to go and operate from elsewhere is something that ought to be taken note of by the party members, supporters and delegates as democrats count down to the forthcoming NDC.
She adds that it’s her prayer that regardless of whoever wins, DP emerges stronger and more united “and I’m certain that is achievable for as long as the electoral process of the NDC is credible, free and fair.” That much as she is for Lulume Bayiga, she is open to being led by any other democrat out of the four contestants provided that the process is free and fair and that that whoever emerges winner understands what is at stake and is committed to the cause of rebuilding DP as a grass roots political organization whose organic strength has to derive from countrywide support.
As she works hard to re-awaken DP (she uses this word repeatedly), Edith Byanyima says she is aware the task at hand isn’t going to be easy because many hurdles lie ahead including hostilities from the police commanders and districts security committees whose members aren’t prepared to tolerate any gathering of opposition supporters coming together to discuss any way forward towards the diminishing of the ruling NRM.
She says that some of her DP re-invigoration meetings, including those hosted at her father’s home in Ruti and others at their family hotel in Mbarara City, have previously been disrupted and interfered with by Police commanders and area RDCs. She says the way democrats are determined, Police had better become more prepared because DP members seem to be well prepared to push back in defense of their constitutionally-guaranteed rights. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
