How Museveni poached Anywar from FDC

President Museveni has explained how he used his strategies calculatedly to lure the Kitgum Municipality Member of Parliament, Ms Beatrice Anywar, from the Opposition to the ruling National Resistance Movement party.

Addressing locals at Boma Grounds in Kitgum Municipality on Thursday, the President said Ms Anywar despite being in the ‘useless’ Opposition, was sensible, a reason he moved to bring her closer to the NRM party.

Ms Anywar until recently a Forum for Democratic Party (FDC) stalwart and a critic of Mr Museveni’s 32-year regime, in December last year, surprised many people when she voted in favour of the removal of presidential age limit from the Constitution.

“I am a good poacher. If I see a good animal from the park I go for it. I have been calculating [how to get] Beatrice Anywar, because I would go to address the Parliament and the Opposition will be seated here and the NRM be there… and then the Opposition will be abusing me but when I looked at them I realised one (Ms Anywar) looks reasonable,” Mr Museveni said.

Punished Anywar
He noted that he also punished Ms Anywar during the 2007 anti-Mabira forest giveaway riot, which Ms Anywar started.

“I locked her up in Luzira because she had gone too far for starting a riot in Kampala. I later called her and asked her how Luzira prison was,” Mr Museveni said, boasting that it was another step towards winning her over. On April 12, 2007 Ms Anywar, nicknamed Maama Mabira, led a protest against the then planned giveaway of Mabira forest. The protest turned violent, with the targeting of individuals of Asian origin.

The police arrested Ms Anywar and she spent a short while in jail. On her time in jail, Ms Anywar spoke of sleeping in cells that were like toilets, of spending the entire night without food, without bathing and of male inmates, who she said peeped at female detainees as they bathed.

Mr Museveni, however, said he is disappointed with his NRM cadres for failing to poach potential people from the Opposition.
“Many of the NRM don’t understand this, they only want to work with people in yellow, but if you are already yellow why do you want to work with yellow only, you are already ripe… look for those, who are green or blue,” he said.

He added: “You NRM people win over these people, the Opposition have no programmes, don’t allow our people to remain in the Opposition, bring them out… we have done many things by ourselves minus the Opposition,” he said.

Achievements
He cited that the NRM has been able to defeat the Lord’s Resistance Army rebels in northern Uganda and Karimojong warriors, built big roads and fought wars with the Arabs in South Sudan without the help of the Opposition.

Promises
Mr Museveni, however, promised to compensate Acholi war debt claimants in the financial year 2018/2019. He, however, said it would only be possible if government halts the planned construction of 241km road networks in the sub-region to have the money available.

The government plans to upgrade Kitgum-Atiak [108km], Pajule-Pader [18km], and Kitgum-Kidepo [115km] connecting the districts of Pader, Kitgum and Amuru in the financial year 2018/2019.

“Government has delayed to pay the claimants because of big roads we had been constructing in the region and the country at large. We want to agree with the leaders in the region whether to halt the construction of these roads and pay the claimants or continue with roads,” he said.

The President later handed over 560 iron sheets for construction of Christ the King Town Parish and St Janani Luwum Anglican Church of Uganda, a brand new fuso lorry for market vendors in Kitgum Municipality and presided over the launch of construction of a public library in memory of Irene Gleeson.

Ms Gleeson was a Christian missionary, and looked after children in Kitgum District, whose lives were disrupted first by war then by HIV/Aids. She was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2010.

Ms Anywar while addressing locals at the event, clad in a yellow dress [Gomesi], said she will work with the President forever citing that being close to him [Museveni] has enabled her to deliver tangible materials to her electorates.

“I will be with you your Excellency without any battle, I will be here pakalast. We want development and this is what our people want, they have started seeing them already,” Ms Anywar said. When asked whether she has crossed to the NRM party, Ms Anywar said she will continue being an independent politician, who will work closely with the President. “I will work closely with the President, it doesn’t necessarily mean I should cross to NRM so that we work well, we need development,” she said.

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