The election of new members of the East African legislative Assembly (Eala) takes place in April, a month before the tenure of the current MPs expires.
Recently, BEECHAM DAVID OKWERE, a lawyer with Kajeke, Mugaru and company advocates in Kampala, expressed his intention to run for an Eala seat.
Okwere, a member of the East African Community Youth Ambassadors Platform, told Edris Kiggundu why he is not overawed by the fact that he has never held any national elective office.
What has inspired you to join the race for Eala?
One of the reasons that inspired me to stand for Eala is my involvement in the East African Community as a youth ambassador. I am part of the team that helped in the peace process in Burundi, specifically working with the youth. It is the youths that are normally used to fan conflict.
They are the ones who suffer most when there is war. So, what I saw out of these assignments is the fact that there is need for youth representation in Eala.
On which political platform are you going to contest for EALA?
I was born in the generation of NRM. I have grown up during the NRM regime, I studied during this regime and I started work under the same regime. So, I will definitely seek to go to Eala on the NRM party ticket.
But in NRM there is stiff competition. About 70 former MPs and ministers all want to go to Eala and there is talk that the party’s central executive committee could even choose the six party representatives. Do you stand any chance?
If I am to look at the number of people who are interested in Eala, they are about 200. Many of them are former ministers and MPs who lost in local elections. There are those who have declared based on their personal ambitions. On my side, it is quite different. Like I said, I am a youth ambassador under the East African Community.
And we have other youth ambassadors from Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania. In total they are more than 10,000. They have all endorsed me (shows me a petition containing signatures). They have said they need someone like me to represent voices of the youth in Eala.
Eala has already had youthful representatives such as the speaker Dan Kidega, Susan Nakawuki and Fred Mbidde. Some say they have not performed to public expectation.
These people have done a good job in my view but they have been serving the interests of the political parties that they represent. For me, I come under the platform of the East African Community youth platform, which is a regional grouping.
What are some of the pertinent issues in the region that you think Eala needs to deal with?
Our region is prone to civil wars. Many of these wars are caused by bad leadership and lack of democracy. The first thing to be addressed is for people to understand what democracy is all about. Secondly, people should know that war is no longer a solution to our political problems.
If we spend a lot of time in war, when do we have time to compete with other continents or countries? Look at the youth from USA, China and United Arab Emirates… They are manufacturing watches, phones, making cars, etc. Thirdly, Eala should create more avenues for employment, especially for the youths. We need to have policies and laws that facilitate this.
Ordinary people do not see much relevance in Eala and the EAC. They believe these are elite-based bodies that do not benefit them.
What we must understand is that regional integration is about collection of people. Let us copy examples of the USA. The nations of the south and north came together and they are now much stronger.
You cannot compete globally if you are not one. Ordinary people need to know that if we don’t come together, we shall continue to be slaves of the white man, donors and other groups.
Some contestants now tend to look at Eala as another avenue to make money, not to serve the country.
Having been with the East African Community for long, my analysis is that most people have not yet known about the existence of Eala. When you tell people that I am standing for Eala, they ask you: ‘what is it about?’ So, the exposure of Eala has not been much.
In terms of money, I don’t think Eala MPs earn much like how other people may be getting. The money they get is usually allowances such as travel, accommodation. My proposal, which would reduce expenditure, is to have resident MPs, stationed say in Arusha as opposed to this system where the MPs move from one country to another.
What would you consider to be your weakness going into the EALA race?
I think to me, I don’t see any weakness. I have tested myself before and I don’t see any weakness anywhere.
Someone could say you are politically inexperienced. You have never held any elective political office.
This can’t be a weakness because politics has got no school. Leaders are naturally born, not made. In my own conviction, I believe I am born naturally to be a leader.
If you are to look at Nelson Mandela, Julius Nyerere, Martin Luther King, and President Museveni…they did not go to any leadership school. I have all what it takes to reach the topmost level.
What is you final word as we wind up?
I believe in unity, I believe in togetherness and serving community. I promise that I would work with everybody if I am elected to Eala so that we can compete with other continents. I call upon our MPs to support my candidature; they will not regret.
ekiggundu@observer.ug