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Ballot not enough to cause political change in Uganda- Mao
Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Mr Norbert Mao. PHOTO/ FILE
What you need to know:
- ‘’In DP, our goal is state power. We will present candidates in all positions, including the presidency"
- According to him, DP will field a presidential candidate in the 2026 general election.
- Mao signed a cooperation agreement with President Museveni before he was appointed minister
The political change many Ugandans are yearning for will not be realized through the ballot box alone but has to also involve negotiations with the power holders, Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Mr Norbert Mao has said.
Mr Mao, who is also president of the Democratic Party (DP) explained that negotiation was partly the reason his opposition party signed an agreement with the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) which has been in power since 1986 when its national chairman, President Yoweri Museveni shot his was to State House through a five-year guerrilla war.
According to Mao, opposition leaders and Ugandans must position themselves and focus where they can negotiate with the government, a step the DP party has taken.
‘’I will continue leading the battles of the party to resist those who are declaring wars that they cannot fight. DP is the party for the whole of Uganda; it is not for one region. The leadership of DP largely supports our direction. Change in Uganda is not going to come through the ballot box alone; it is going to be negotiated. So, we must position ourselves to be where we can negotiate. That is how change is going to come in Uganda,” he said.
The former Gulu Municipality MP disclosed that he was never hungry for power, arguing that he negotiated with President Museveni for one year before he was appointed Minister of Justice.
“Those who want positions of MPs, and councilors will never change Uganda. I have never been a person who was dying for a position. The position of Minister of Justice was kept vacant for one year. I was still negotiating with President Museveni. So, you could say I miss salary for one year. How many people could miss a minister`s salary for one year? You can see how people have been fighting for assistant RDCs. Now somebody is appointed a minister and says yeah, I will not accept until we agree on the following,’’ noted Mr Mao who was speaking during the launch of the DP membership registration exercise for the Acholi sub-region held at Da Covenant Hotel in Gulu City on Sunday.
According to him, DP will field a presidential candidate in the 2026 general election.
He said there will also be a need to revise the agreement he signed with President Museveni, noting that the current one expires in this term.
‘’In DP, our goal is state power. We will present candidates in all positions, including the presidency. I want to state that our cooperation agreement with NRM is for this term of parliament. If we are going to continue cooperating in the next term of parliament, it will be negotiated. So, right now we are preparing full swing to contest against the other parties, including NRM because we are not in a merger; we are in cooperation, if we want to upgrade into an alliance for the next election, it has to be discussed. So, take it from me. I am a candidate for the Presidential candidate in the next delegates’ conference and that makes me a presidential candidate for the DP,” he said.
He reechoed the need for reconciliation in the country, peaceful change, and constitutional reforms.
‘’Many things are happening in the country; everybody wants reconciliation in Uganda and that is our DP agenda, everybody wants peaceful change and that is our DP agenda, everybody wants constitutional reforms, that is our DP agenda. There are those who that believe that they can change government without engaging with the current regime, that is okay and they can try.’’
Mr Mao noted that one requires more than 50 percent to cause a change of government through voting, something he believes is impossible in Uganda.
‘’To lead Uganda you need only 50 percent of the vote plus one vote, so when you see these people of the NUP, can they gather 50 percent? They can even get 40 percent, which is okay but that will not make you lead Uganda. So let us understand politics like serious people.”
DP Secretary General, Mr Gerald Siranda said the registration exercise is to establish records for the party, differentiate between party members, supporters, and well-wishers, and put the party members and candidates in order.
