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GRATITUDE FROM PRESIDENT MAO |
Dear comrades and friends,
A week ago, the Democratic Party took the bold step of
entrusting its leadership to the younger and progressive generation.
The new team, of
which I am captain, is determined to revamp Uganda's oldest party by
attracting new members, recruiting candidates for elective positions,
reviving grassroots structures and raising funds for activities.
Naturally, my election has attracted a lot of discussion because when I
announced my candidature, not many people would bet on my victory. Even
in the midst of all the turbulence that rocked the party - court cases,
physical scuffles, verbal abuse - I kept my head. I stayed focussed on message. I treated even those who hurled
insults at me with the utmost respect.
The delegates came in very large numbers. They defied three cold nights. They
sacrificed their resources to get to Mbale fom all corners of Uganda. Methinks, our rank and file
members do not get the credit due to them. The delegates came because
they love the party and want it to get moving. They want the party to
fulfil its historical mission of instituting genuine democracy in
Uganda and ending the era of one man rule.
The process of getting to Mbale was rocky but as Shakespeare said, "All
is well that ends well". The process was not 100% perfect but it fully complied
with the party constitution and the laws of Uganda. Few of our members
decided not to attend the delegates conference for reasons which they
stated and perhaps for other unstated reasons. We continue to reach out
to these our members with olive branches. Our message to them mirrors
the words of our Lord Jesus Christ - "Come, let us reason together".
We continue to pray that we shall be able to reconcile those who
disagreed with Mbale to the new realities within the party. There is no
turning back the clock. The party is no longer the same.
I would like to thank all of you my friends for the support you have
given us. A big thank you to you all!! I thank you also for the many
words of congratulations and for the advice you have given and continue
to give. I pledge to do my utmost for the party and for Uganda.
I am back from Gulu where my homecoming was held last Saturday. The
former President Ssebaana Kizito and members of the new leadership team
were there. The warm welcome we received show that what we did in Mbale
has given new hope that even the seemingly "impossible" is possible and we shall work at
it with diligence.
THANK YOU.
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