By Spy Uganda
Kampala: Earlier this month, violent confrontations between candidates and supporters were cited in the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party primary elections across the country with most of the cases recorded in Western Uganda Districts of Isingiro, Ntungamo, Sheema, and Sembabule something that left many lives lost and scores injured.
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..the truth is; the same non party members Will still be met by at the general election. Better allow them early to vote & may be recruit them. Me, I vouch for using of the national register. Whoever wins the primary will more or less hv won the general election…
— Frank K Tumwebaze,MP : Psalms 124 : 1-8 (@FrankTumwebazek) September 13, 2020
It is against that background that the elected Kibale East legislator and NRM party flag bearer dubbed Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Hon Frank Kagyigyi Tumwebaze has come out with problem solving answers to many barriers cited in the party’s elections.
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Tumwebaze advised that there is need to discuss and resolve the issue of electoral registers since in every primary election disputes have largely stemmed from that issue. “What if we did away with the issue of the party register and used the national register of the Uganda Electoral Commission in our primaries?’ He asked.
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Tumwebaze went further and lectured, “When our national chairman H.E Kaguta Museveni guided that every person missing on the register but can be identified by the NRM village branch committee as a party member should vote, some non party members in some areas voted & this angered some contenders hence a reason to embrace the national electoral commission register.
Members register is ok & it's needed. & it's different from a voters register. Not every member may be eligible to vote. https://t.co/oYsQzQMq9T
— Frank K Tumwebaze,MP : Psalms 124 : 1-8 (@FrankTumwebazek) September 13, 2020
He further said, “NRM flag bearers who win the primaries will still need to be voted by the same non party supporters in the general election. And if that is the case why bother with a separate party register?”
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The educator reveals that since those non party members were numerically stronger and ended up tilting votes, it was an implication that they will influence the outcome of the general elections and since NRM is the largest membership party there is no way the non party members can outcompete them.
That is debatable. Because for those non party members to be numerically stronger to tilt the vote it means still they would influence the outcome of the general election. But again we are largest membership party so how can the non party members out number? https://t.co/IB59sVmW01
— Frank K Tumwebaze,MP : Psalms 124 : 1-8 (@FrankTumwebazek) September 13, 2020
Commenting on the excuses by some party members who say they were trounced over president’s directive of mass voting that was infiltrated by non party members, Tumwebaze supported idea and said their participation in NRM primaries will help the party to recruit them after winning opposition in the general elections.
Later, Minister promised to author his opinion in detail on the above subject to further lecture on how the cited challenges that had since led opposition parties to draw loopholes in the ruling party, can be solved in abid to strengthen his party.
I will author my opinion in detail on this subject in the wider media & make myself more clearer . Thank u all that have picked interest in the debate https://t.co/D4G6YgTpTG
— Frank K Tumwebaze,MP : Psalms 124 : 1-8 (@FrankTumwebazek) September 13, 2020
