The NRM retreat for the new members of parliament is so far going on very well, the turn up has been excellent, the level of discipline is very high and the morale of the participants is equally high. The time keeping factor is excellent and the desire to learn that has been exhibited by the members is excellent.
There are specific areas where members have shown great interest for instance the political economy, the demystification of the gun and instructions about the gun. They are truly excited about when they will go to have the first shooting because this is something new.
One of the biggest benefits out of this retreat has been to enable members to bond with one another. We expect that this bonding will help members to relate well with one another in the 11th Parliament. We have missed our brothers and sisters in the 10th Parliament who could not attend because they are attending to national matters. However, we know that within a very short time after swearing in, they should also be able to catch up.
The level of instruction has been excellent, the secretariat team has endeavoured as a team to deliver a product and if there is anything that has not gone well we keep improving every day that passes it is continuous improvement and I want to express our gratitude to the secretary general right HON. KASULE LUMUMBA, the deputy secretary General Richard Todwong, The national treasurer Rose Namayanja deputy national treasurer Jackie Kyatuhaire and the directors and the the entire staff of the secretariat for the job well done.
We are also very grateful to the national chairman President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for making it possible for this retreat to happen and giving us a team of instructors both political and military. We are deeply indebted to the director of the NALI, Brig David Kasura , he is a very jovial but tough man and he is a very well informed instructor, without whose words of wisdom the retreat would not have been what it is today.
This is the third day of the retreat for new MPs-elect of the NRM party in kyakwanzi and so far so good. Academically we have been able to cover a number of topics including political economy ,the origin and organisation of man ,we have also learned some Kiswahili including the national anthem and the east African anthem in Kiswahili.
We are now going to tackle more advanced issues that affect the governance of society and we are also going to look at the rule and responsibility of a leader, what is it that we must do as leaders in order to transform communities that we lead
The MPs are waiting with a lot of anticipation for the official opening and interacting with the national chairman as well as other participants and the instructors who will be joining us for the two weeks. But so far what they have gone through shows you that that they are prepared to take on the task that lies ahead of them as leaders who have been elected. They have demonstrated maturity, high level of discipline and organisation, high level of the desire to learn something that has propelled the meeting to be organised.
We pledge to work harder to ensure that the remaining weeks are successful in order to prepare our leaders who are going to serve this country and transform the society into a middle income status.
A leader who has been elected is like a doctor who has been trained. The doctor is trained to diagnose sickness. In the same way, a leader is elected to diagnose the problems of society and also prescribe the medicine on how society must be managed. Unfortunately in Uganda many elders become elders without training unlike a doctor who is trained to become a doctor so the impact of this training is that it equips the leaders with tools of analysis, management ethics and also aspirations in what we should make our people given the competitive nature of the world we live in.
The President will have an opportunity to have a first impression of the group as a team. He will later talk to them and give them the foundation and genesis of the liberation problem and protracted war and then he will enable them look at the future and appreciate the challenges as leaders as we work on the development of our country.
The President has been longest in it all, he has seen it all and we would love to benefit from the worth of his experience.
We continue to urge participants to maintain the same level of discipline they have demonstrated so far.
We have a few cases of MPs facing petitions to their victory and we are making arrangements to enable them attend their court sessions should they be summoned to do so. As a party we know we can’t succeed together if our members are still in court but as a party we shall do whatever it takes to ensure that we facilitate the process, we will enable them to go attend but above all that we equip them with the necessary information to enable them defend themselves.
We urge all our MPs-elect not to abandon their people. Five years is not a long time, they should stay close to the people they lead. They should, however, not carry the burden of the constituency on their shoulders. Let them work together with government to ensure the welfare of the people, that is the only way they can be sure of their re-election in the next parliament.
We thank you and we wish our NRM MPs-elect fruitful deliberations.
Emmanuel Lumala Dombo,
Director Information and Public Relations
NRM Party