Why I have resigned from NRM

Escorts

What you need to know:

  • As an ardent member and supporter of NRM, l have reached a point where I cannot defend some of these government programmes and it is only fair that I resign from this party because I am not ready to continue pretending.
  • The Bible in Ecclesiastes 3 says “there is a time for everything”. I have given NRM my 34 years, but time has come for me to leave the party. Maybe Besigye is right.

Maybe Dr Kizza Besigye is right. While watching news on TV on Wednesday evening, one news item broke the camel’s back, which is why I am resigning from the NRM party. It read: “President Museveni has directed the Minister of Finance to buy double cabin pickup trucks for MPs’ army escorts”.

At first I thought I was dreaming only to learn I was actually awake. I started supporting NRA/NRM in 1984 for reasons which are very many. NRA educated me and I will eternally remain grateful for that.

I have been defending government programmes all my life (even in situations where I felt that some programmes were anti-people) because I believed that the government had good intentions for Uganda, some mistakes notwithstanding.

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Not any more. MPs in the 10th Parliament received free cars from government worth Shs150m. They doubled their salaries from about Shs12m to Shs25m.
Today, the lowest civil servant in U8 earns about Shs220,000. A chief administrative officer, who overseas an annual budget of a district and implements all government programmes earns less than Shs2m a month.

A district chairman and an RDC, who are always on the ground suffer the same fate. So what entitles an MP, who is always in Kampala, to earn this huge amount of money on top of other benefits? If it is a question of insecurity, are MPs the only insecure Ugandans?

Related stories

  • Museveni has no money to buy armoured vehicles for MPs - Besigye

    He argues that the president is merely setting up the MPs for the public to shun them for wasting taxpayers’ money

  • MPs security cars to cost Shs1 trillion

    Ruhinda North County MP Thomas Tayebwa raised a matter of national importance and requested that MPs who want escort cars and UPDF sharp-shooters should register with the Clerk to Parliament

  • Museveni orders army snipers to guard MPs

    The Presidents says MPs will also be facilitated with new army pick-ups until the new security systems are put in place.

Idi Amin ruled this country without Parliament, so why don’t we disband the current Parliament and save resources for doing better things?
I have been at the forefront of defending social media and Mobile Money tax. My friends had offered to connect me to VPN, to which l rejected. My conviction was that government requires taxes to provide social services to its people. However, it appears the definition of people in Uganda today means MPs.

As an ardent member and supporter of NRM, l have reached a point where I cannot defend some of these government programmes and it is only fair that I resign from this party because I am not ready to continue pretending.

The Bible in Ecclesiastes 3 says “there is a time for everything”. I have given NRM my 34 years, but time has come for me to leave the party. Maybe Besigye is right.

For God and My Country.
Ntegye Asiimwe,
Former NRM supporter.

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