| Weekly
topic |
Should
political parties be funded by the government?
No! The incumbent would have access to the State
apparatus and resources to campaign. No matter how
much funds the state gives to the parties, if the
incumbent is allowed to be corrupt, they will embezzle
more, just to have a financial edge over the competition.
Nanyiri Karim, Mbale.
Political Parties are not government priority areas
of expenditure. Our infrastructure, education, health,
agriculture are still wanting. Political parties lack
transparency and have an individualistic outlook.
Such funding would serve the whims of a few politicians.
Public resources should not serve private interests.
Huud Yusuf, Kasese.
It is okay to fund them if the law says so; but in
reality do we have parties in the real sense? These
are groups, clubs and NGOs. None of the Parties know
all their members; they only have well-wishers. Some
others like DP only have a presence near the Catholic
Church and the Buganda Kingdom’s seat in Kampala.
Hon. Cecilia Ogwal said she can’t remain in
a party that fails to cross Karuma. What we have are
weekend Parties that concentrate on giving press briefings.
They lack ideology and any plan of action.
Asimwe Stephen, Pan Africanist.
The fact that the leadership in Uganda is democratic
is enough to convince the government on the issue.
Such political parties also need to campaign and gain
more support from the public.
N. Saida, Mubende.
Political parties should be given money by the state
because these parties will serve the state. I am also
planning to form a political party and I would be
grateful to receive the funds.
David Odong Bailum Ongayowangtyet.
Why not fund opposition political parties? Even the
ruling party in one way or the other is being funded
by government funds because we do not exactly know
where they get the money to carry out their party
activities.
0772690717.
Why not? If NRM dips its hands into tax payers’
money, why not DP, FDC or CP? Parties should be funded
by government because they are like other legal institutions
which get funding from government.
Bugembe Noah, Kiboga.
Government should not fund political parties. Party
members should always be able to fund their parties
and leave the meager resources to cater for agriculture,
road repair, etc.
Alex Tony, Maganjo.
I believe political parties deserve the funding because
their members are tax payers. The government uses
that tax to finance ministers’ and civil servants’
extravagant lifestyle. Political parties need to have
a share of the national cake too. This will even revitalize
their ability to compete favourably with the ruling
party.
Edward Bindhe, Masaka.
For a party to operate, it should be capable of sustaining
itself.
Francis. T. Kanyamunyu, Kazo-Kiruhura.
Definitely, because their views contribute to the
development of the entire country. Mandevu,
Rukungiri.
It is even long overdue because the government has
already been funding the NRM party, yet we are in
a multi-party system.
Geovan Bbale, Makerere University.
I don’t see any reason why political parties
should be funded. Their leaders usually go abroad
to look for donors and fundraisers.
0772496465. |
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Government must
regulate food prices
I would like to respond to the story, ‘Traders free
to overcharge - govt’ that ran last week in The Daily
Monitor where the Deputy Prime Minister, Kirunda Kivejinja,
stated that the traders are free to hike prices as government
is not responsible over the matter. If this is right, how
come the government is saying it is fighting poverty in
the country? If there’s need to eradicate poverty
at all, I believe one of the ways is by regulating prices
as people continue receiving funds from the SACCOs. If this
is not done, more people will still be left below the poverty
line, and diseases like malaria will continue to linger
around. The government should do something about the rising
food prices so that the poor can be enabled to afford decent
meals using the little they earn.
Desmond Kenyi,
Koboko
I enjoyed Muwonge's
article on Zimbabwe
I write to congratulate you for the opinion piece by Mulindwa
Muwonge on Zimbabwe: ‘A Victim of Western Tricks’
(The Weekly Observer, April 24-30, 2008).
I propose to you and Mulindwa Muwonge that the problem is
the British oligarchy. If we can neutralise it, the real
United States will re-emerge as “a temple of liberty
and a beacon of hope for the world.”
The US of Abraham Lincoln is not dead, just submerged!
I and the movement of which I am a part, the Worldwide Lyndon
LaRouche Movement, are leading the resurrection of the Abraham
Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt spirit, which properly
belongs to the whole world. A major feature of our policy
is the industrialisation of the whole world, so that every
country can be sovereign. One of Roosevelt’s sons,
Elliott, wrote a little book, ‘As He Saw It’,
reporting his father’s fights with Churchill, which
he personally witnessed. Roosevelt was determined to put
an end to the British and French empires as soon as World
War II ended. Roosevelt died before it ended. His successor,
Harry Truman, reversed his policies, and even the knowledge
of Roosevelt’s policies was being suppressed. This
is no ‘protest’ movement. Rather than elaborate
on that here, I refer you to www.larouchepub.com and www.larouchepac.com.
I would be happy to hear from you and your contributor.
David Cherry LaRouche,
Virginia-USA.
lll
I beg to differ from Mulindwa Muwonge’s views expressed
in the letter: ‘Mugabe A Victim of Western Tricks’
(The Weekly Observer, April 24-30, 2008).
Mulindwa is justifying Mugabe’s mistakes in the name
of fighting the white man and in turn giving a seal of approval
to any African leader who does the same, even if his countrymen
are starving.
Waking up one morning and evicting the white farmers and
immediately giving the farms to retired soldiers who had
no clue what it takes to run a farm was a funny episode
in the history of Africa. We saw Idi Amin doing the same
with the businesses and buildings taken from the Asians,
and yes, you guessed right, up until the Asians returned
did we see painted buildings in Kampala!
What Mugabe should have done was to teach or sensitise
his people on how they can survive without foreign help,
then embark on whatever project he wanted to execute.
Where have you ever seen an election take place and results
are not announced only for the ruling government to come
out and say we’re having a re-run!
It’s time the African stopped blaming the white man
for his laziness. Mulindwa, before you go on about the white
man, advise our Zimbabwean comrades to work those farms
and get food to eat!
Paul the prince,
pkazpaulo@yahoo.com
Leadership
priorities
misplaced
at Makerere
Part of the blame for the current leadership problems at
Makerere University should be placed at the doorstep of
the council, which instead of being proactive is reactive.
It has failed to realise that the position of Vice Chancellor
should not be an academic one and thus has made wrong choices
of the VC and other administrators.
A VC should be a team player who also has a good image
and public relations skills. Prof. Livingstone Luboobi and
his team started on a wrong footing. When they assumed office,
they became ‘small gods’ and alienated themselves
from their subordinates. They bought themselves the best
cars at the expense of the institution and instead of concentrating
on sorting out important issues, they were taken up by international
travel. Some other heads of departments copied this management
style and became ‘big bosses’ too. They became
unavailable to their students in times of need and instead
their secretaries assumed their roles! All in all, the university
should revise its hiring policies so that it can serve its
clients better.
Massey Mulaggo,
Kampala.
Getting passport
near impossible
Peter Okello (not real name), paid the government-set fee
of Shs 50,000 for a passport on March 7, 2008.
He has since trailed his travel document only to be given
a new date of collection each time he goes to the Passport
Office.
Another Ugandan who paid for the same travel document around
the same time with Peter has been less fortunate. After
being tossed around for some weeks, he was informed that
his file was missing and therefore had to get a new file!
Getting a new file means two things: suffering several
extortions for the several endorsements on your application
forms, plus time and transport costs; or paying yourself
out of this miserable process!
Acquiring a passport has been made to seem impossible by
the Passport Office. And a lot of dirt has been unearthed
in this public office by various press reports, but no one
seems to give a damn!
Enock Nsubuga,
audrice2@yahoo.co.uk
Will Land Bill
protect poor?
I hope the proposed land law will protect the innocent
poor. Right now they are getting a raw deal from the rich
landlords.
I recently witnessed an old woman and her fatherless children
being forcefully evicted from her land when it was sold.
She had nobody to stand by her and her property was just
thrown out in the rain! This incident really hurt me and
made me wonder whether the new bill will really protect
the poor peasants. Since bribery is the order of the day,
the poor are bound to continue suffering.
Desmond Kenyi,
Koboko .
Stop this Kiira
thuggery now
I am a resident of Kimbejja area in Kyaliwajjala, along
Namugongo Road, and I would like to voice my concern about
the insecurity in the general area of Najeera, Kiira, Kiwatule,
Naalya and Ntinda.
Of recent, there have been rampant cases of robbery and
theft. Some have been very serious and a few even fatal.
These usually happen between 9.00p.m. and 3.00a.m., almost
on a daily basis.
We have always reported these cases to the Police and LCs
but all they do is feel sorry for us! In other words, there
hasn’t been any deliberate step taken to stamp out
these crimes.
I would like to call upon our area leaders, especially
the Mayor, Mr. Mamerito, and the Inspector General of Police,
to please take decisive action because we are now living
in fear while the criminals are prowling with impunity.
Colin Byamukama,
Kiira.
Lira chairman
too inquisitive?
The LC-V Chairman of Lira, Franco Ojur, has made it difficult
for a number of organisations to begin operations in Lira.
In a few recent cases, he has demanded detailed budgets
of organisations and questioned why particular salaries
should be paid out to employees. There are cases of organisations/institutions
giving up on Lira and relocating elsewhere.
Is the chairman not really over-stepping his role? Isn’t
he hampering development for the majority of the people
by taking on this approach?
E. Atinlango,
African Quarters, Lira
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