Ugandans are already benefiting from DP-NRM agreement, says Mao

Why this event and what informed the choice of Gulu City?
Gulu is my home. They call me the oracle of Gulu. Everybody in the world has a home because even the mightiest river must have a source. Even our Lord Jesus Christ was known as Jesus Christ of Nazareth. It was a very small and despised place. So, Gulu is home and we will be having what we have called homecoming and thanksgiving. Thanksgiving because God can renew anything and God can turn defeat into victory, weakness into strength. God can turn faith into success, so we shall be having a thanksgiving.

Why the homecoming then?
We have called it homecoming because for more than 10 years, I have been away from the arena of Gulu and also our home Acholi land. I left here when I was LC5 chairman and I basically left the arena. I have not been here; I have not been active on the ground. A lot has happened, there are many questions. Since that time, I was elected president of DP [Democratic Party], I have been struggling to revive that old party since that time I have tried to be part of the united front of the Opposition, since that time I have been involved in a lot of politics at the national level. I think I have neglected the home ground. So, the homecoming gives me the opportunity to reconnect with the home ground, to mobilise our people to open a new chapter of constructive engagement as opposed to the politics of destructive engagement.

What will you be preaching?
My message tomorrow will be about uniting Ugandans, focusing on development, unleashing the potential of Acholi land which has more than 16 percent of Uganda’s arable land, which has got a lot of natural resources. It is my hope that the people will be renewed in their minds. We want to plant new seeds.

Above all, we want to talk about partnership with the National Resistance Movement [NRM] and President Museveni. What does this partnership mean? Partnership does not mean that you agree on everything. It means that you have come to an understanding. Understanding means you draw a line on what you agree on and what you disagree on. That is what they call understanding.

We must understand each other as Ugandans and also we will renew that spirit of partnership which has seen me serve as minister of Justice spearheading national dialogue and reconciliation, constitutional reforms and the aspiration of all Ugandans to see for the first time ever peaceful change of government.

There is a new spirit that if we desire a better future we can work for it. We must imbue in our people a desire for something better. We must not tell people what to do, it is not my duty to tell the people these are the crops you should plant, this is the economic activity you should be engaged in. 

I must, however, let my people know that people who have such fertile land should not be poor. People who have such a rich history should stop lamenting, they should seek new opportunities, that we should play our proper role in the affairs of Uganda.

We have simply come to tell our people to lift up their hearts because the future will only be as bright as we make it. It is not a partisan occasion. This is not just about DP or NRM, it is about everybody. We are not here to take a stand against anybody. We are here to take a stand for a bright future particularly for our children.

You have said you’re the oracle of this place, or at least that is what they call you. Was your agreement to work with this government predicated on the fact that this region has increasingly tilted to the NRM, at least in terms of voting patterns and allegiance?
I don’t deny the fact that the voting patterns have changed but the change is largely because the guns are silent. The silencing of the guns is not enough because the Juba Peace Agreement needs to be implemented. Incidentally, on Sunday [today] we shall be having more than 60 of our children landing in Entebbe from the Central African Republic. We have been working quietly with the blessing of the President and some international NGOs and the government of Central African Republic to make sure our children return. 

We have extended the Amnesty Law for another two years so that we take care of that. The Northern Uganda Social Action Fund which we advocated for is going to have a fourth phase. Let us judge in a couple of years whether this cooperation agreement has achieved its objectives. My direct answer to anybody who would ask me if it is a good or bad thing. I say it is a good thing. 

Since you became Justice minister and your subsequent cooperation, has the memorandum of understanding (MoU) which you signed been implemented to your satisfaction?
The MoU states objectives, I think it is too soon to judge but the MoU is not between the NRM and Acholi. The MoU is between the Democratic Party and the National Resistance Movement. There are some misguided people who want to reduce it to be about Acholi. Of course, Acholi land will benefit if the MoU is implemented. The MoU is a living document, there are many things we can achieve through it.

Now as to whether I am satisfied so far, let me give you some examples. When you are a member of Cabinet, you have a seat at the table, you have a voice and an opportunity to ensure that voice is heard. For that voice to be heard, you must ensure you have massive support which I believe I have. The intention of the MoU is to guarantee a peaceful transition, when that happens people will thank the MoU but the biggest success of the MoU is that it has de-escalated tensions. Uganda was becoming a pressure cooker and anytime some people were expecting an explosion. The MoU has created a vent which has reduced the pressure because an explosion does not serve anybody. We have examples of Zimbabwe, Sudan, Libya where people thought there would be paradise instead the paradise has turned out to be hell. 

So, that is a major achievement of the MoU and when we hold a national dialogue and national reconciliation, when we renew the Constitution, then you are right. We have established a Cabinet standing committee on human rights. We can now address issues directly. We have a human rights department at the ministry, we have increased access to justice. Recently, we increased the number of High Court judges to 151. So, the chance to have a High Court judge hear your case is higher. In the coming three years we shall have a magistrate in every constituency. We have started mainstreaming alternative dispute resolution so that the courts are not clogged. We shall be soon launching a constitutional review commission process so that Ugandans can tell us what we want. These would not have been possible without the MoU through which we have brought some ideas. 

The constitutional review has been over promised, including before you joined the government. What are the timelines regarding this latest promise?
The head of the Executive is the President. We believe that in the next three months, we will have unrolled the process. Most of the proposed amendments are with us at the ministry of Justice so reviewing the Constitution is not going to take a lot of time because we have got a body like the Uganda Law Reform Commission which is just waiting to start the work.