In the New Vision of February 11th 2013, a one Kintu Nyago referred to as an NRM Cadre under the title ‘Mulwana’s Success a Result of NRM’s 27 Years of Peace’ has tickled me into trying to put sense back to where it belongs.
For long I have tolerated the lullabies that many of the government functionaries keep singing for us telling us how the NRM Government has been the best thing to happen to this country since the cure for Syphilis was found. While I selectively believe this assertion, I find the extraordinary lust to spring onto any opportunity to heap unnecessary praise on the NRM Government in Uganda by obviously over zealous cadres very embarrassing especially considering that some of them known to me have had saner backgrounds of logical reasoning prior to being engulfed in their current roles.
In the article, the author kicks off by stating that “… most commentators have ignored the fact that Mulwana’s success was premised on the 27 years of President Museveni and the NRM’s good Governance.” The key word I noted here is ‘Premise’ which if looked up gives the contextual implication that all the late James Mulwana achieved was a result of the NRM laying a foundation for him to do what he did.
I urge Mr. Nyago to take time off and either read a biography on the late industrialist (if any) or use the seemingly efficient Intelligence agencies at his disposal to do a thorough background check on this fallen hero. A quick internet search would have saved him the embarrassment of uttering such unfounded falsehoods with a jelly-jam foundation.
Mr. Nyago further asserts that; “Museveni leadership to date, reflected stability and certainty. It established and supported democratic constitutionalism and the rule of law, and set up market friendly policies and an enabling developmental state. All these shaped Mulwana’s success …”
Now to the classroom of Entrepreneurship Mr. Kintu Nyago. It is a fact that Mr. James Mulwana began plying his trade when Uganda was still an infant nation. Entrepreneurs are ideas people who transform the abstract into reality. From the time he is alleged to have started honing his skills as a bouncer at a night club, dabbled into trade (initially petty and later serious) got the Chloride Battery dealership into Uganda, set up the Nice House of Plastics was the NRM even on the heavenly agenda?
This nation might have been going through all those tortuous times but that didn’t imply that the late industrialist was not already on his success path. I personally have a memorabilia of a Nice Bowl that my mom bought for me as a 10 year old which I used for drinking porridge since it always allowed me to take more than 2 cups at once and I made ten years before the lovely NRM you are praising came into power.
Genuine success in business is not a one night affair (aka Kagwirawo). It can not be attributed to one or two or only three factors. In most cases it is a mish mash of activities, decisions, events and interactions that lead one along this path. While the NRM you obviously unreservedly praise for obvious reasons could have come in at a latter stage, it only contributed to a career that was already in full throttle. Mr. James Mulwana was already a winner, he had discovered the magic formula and was marching towards his destiny. Even if the NRM hadn’t come to power, the late James Mulwana would still have achieved all this because no individual or group of individuals would have stopped what he had set his sights upon. It is the main reason he weathered the Amin and Obote era storms.
So, my humble advice to you and also speaking as an entrepreneur, please take time and find the kind of lullabies that are suitable for advancing the visibility of your seemingly good party but save us the entrepreneurs the embarrassment of being all looked at as NRM creations. Some of us may be but not all of us are. I am sure the next thing we are about to hear is how the NRM is the premise behind the success of Sir. Gordon Wavahmunno, Mr. Adriko, Mr. Aga Ssekalaala among others. While at it, whenever tempted, make these assertions when these personalities are still with us so that we can get the truth from the horse’s mouth.
Otherwise I wish you the best with your career as an NRM cadre as I retreat back to what I do best.
Long Live James Mulwana (R.I.P). You were one true industrialist that I really believed in. There aren’t that many on my list by global standards.
Twitter: @wirejames
The Wire Perspective 