A light Moment about critical issues; My NUP friends don’t comprehend this Proposed Bail amendment issue.

A light Moment about critical issues; My NUP friends don’t comprehend this Proposed Bail amendment issue.

Recently I was talking to a friend from National Unity Platform and was assuring me how they would frustrate the President’s desire to deny murder criminals bail and proposal to amend the bail Law.

Before I disclose who my friend is, let me first ask. How many of us have friends you agreed to disagree on certain issues. He is one of those to me. I love him for understanding that it is okay to have different political opinions and still be friends. You will also agree with me that such can only happen in Uganda where peace and democracy are prevailing.  

Kyambadde (Not real Name) shocks me with his commitment to NUP agenda. Why would one want to belong to a party where intimidation is the order of the day! Anyway, our arguments seem to bond us than separate us.  We often get nerves at each other but usually find a sweet spot for us to either agree or disagree.  

I am not an avid follower of politics but he intrigued me when he unwittingly shared the opposition plot to intimidate the Honorable Members of Parliament with massive phone calls with intimidating messages to threaten their support for the president’s position on the bail law.   According to him, this was agreed on in the NUP activists meeting held on twitter spaces on 17^th October, 2021 led by Aiden Kaliisa.

He spoke passionately about the meetings and suggested that social media tools are their guns for regime change. When I intervened and asked how this would be done. He disclosed to me what cyber harassment is but to him, it seemed an exciting thing for him to pick a phone and use it to harass a member of parliament.  I am only praying that my friend will not end up in prison on charges of Cyber harassment. Then who shall I have with these light political chats. 

What beats my understanding, is the levels of selfishness some leaders possess. How do you take advantage of the youth and engage them in harassing their legislators for a hand to mouth peanut and expect to change generations. It’s time we speak for ourselves as youth. We know which side to choose. I will not be a member of the New Uganda where our leaders discourage innovation and hustle for a better leaving.  I say this because my friend invites me to these platforms but I see his life getting worse per day. (Never stops borrowing aka Twenty K) every after a few days from my craft shoe making small business.

Now! Uganda Prisons is holding over 66,832 prisoners across the different prisons in the country and we didn’t have opposition leaders make a case for them until the arrest of the opposition legislators Muhammad Ssegirinya and Allan Ssewanyana.

There are things I don’t agree on with the NRM government but they are still a better option for me considering decision making and setting up laws that take care of public interests.

By the end of our discussion which he did not want to conclude, we agreed at least on one thing; that Aiden Kaliisa who is busy mobilizing the young people who should be doing productive work in their productive season, should let national matters be handled by our democratically elected National leaders for National interests without being intimidated with phone calls.  

If I was in a position where anyone is charged with the murder of my relative – I would want them to rot in Jail. Law is not selfish but humans are! I am looking forward to an opposition movement advocating for laws that intend to put society in order and protect the little we have including lives which are the major means of production.

The Writer runs Crafts Shoe stall at African Village