The Democratic Party shall rise and shine again - Part II
In the first part of this article we promised to consider the question of what needs to be done to revive the Democratic Party. We need to do five things to remain relevant. First, we must realise that ideas are what make an organisation. Voters will elect us not because of the organisations we stand with, but rather what we stand for.
Second, we must clarify our historical fundamentals. Our credibility must be beyond reproach on issues like human rights and good governance, on private enterprise, etc. The party should resist the temptation to reduce its agenda to a mantra of regime change. Yes, we want regime change, but regime change is but a means to an end. It is not an end in itself. The fundamentals of change must be crafted, agreed upon and articulated.
Third, we must reach out beyond our traditional core constituencies and historical base. We must speak to the middle class and also to those aspiring to get there. Fourth, we must begin to talk to the electorate, as it will be, not as it was. Old messages do not work anymore. We must not churn out party messages as if we were addressing a 1960s electorate.
Fifth, we must seek to get elected because the “best government is the best politics”. Those who when given the chance to lead, lead well, will continue to be re-elected again and again. There is no point in being mere commentators without transforming ourselves into the party of choice at elections.
The writing is, therefore, on the wall. Do we remain on the old beaten path of smug partisanship or do we embark on a new course leading to the kind of politics in which the day-to-day problems of the people are met with fresh ideas?
How can we build a modern, vibrant and progressive DP that deals with Uganda’s teething problems with bold and innovative ideas? These are not only key to winning elections but also to the re-building of our party and the grassroots as well.
How do we reverse our party’s flagging fortunes in national politics? All of us are summoned to make our contributions. The Democratic Party is the party of ideas.
No party beats us in the arena of public policy. Our party needs a think tank to initiate, debate and prepare the policy positions of the party. The party needs a leadership academy to spearhead a training programme for up and coming leaders. As a beneficiary of these training programmes I want more young people to benefit too.
Our goal should be to further traditional DP values with modern means. The old way of politics are becoming increasingly irrelevant as the voters become more educated, independent and less partisan. Moreover, the composition of the voters is changing. There is a demographic shift. Many of the voters are young people.
There is the generation X which is more sceptical and has a different attitude towards government as a whole. These new voters hold the key to power. These new voters do not want any intermediary. They have to be talked to directly in the language they can understand.
If the Democratic Party is to shape and dominate public debate it must not only renew itself radically but deliberately. If we are to be the party of choice we must renew our organisation. There will never be enough card carrying members of any party to enable a party to win on the basis of its members’ votes. To win, a party must appeal to multitudes based on its ideas and values and also its political strategy.
We live in a country that has been dogged by armed conflicts from all corners, that has a weak economy, that is more divided than ever and whose promise of democratisation has been betrayed. Is our party in its current form capable of inspiring Ugandans to grapple with these challenges? I say unless we collectively resolve to rebuild our party, we shall have betrayed the millions that cherish the ideas and values that the party stands for.
So if the party is going to end its days of wandering in the Sinai Desert of confusion and toxic dissension, and walk confidently towards Canaan, then the leaders and members have to stop worshiping false gods in the shape of golden calves fashioned to assuage short term goals. Instead, we should believe in ourselves and our historical mission as Uganda’s indispensable party and indeed the conscience of the nation. This analogy also applies to the Ugandan Opposition as a whole.
