Lango gives mixed signals

On the road with opposition Presidential candidate Kizza Besigye

The Inter-Party Co-operation presidential candidate Kizza Besigye’s hunt for votes in Lango was characterised by an unfamiliar event in the political history of the sub-region a fortnight ago.

A fight that ensued between supporters of the opposition party, the Forum for Democratic
Change (FDC) and those of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) in Aloi trading centre, Alebtong District signalled the changing political terrain.

The scuffle, the first of its kind in the region, shocked the old residents of the village. It did not only demonstrate the deep rivalry between the two camps, but was a sign that the NRM party has gained some confidence to rear its head in Lango.

“These children are not fighting for a party but money. Politics has never been this way in Lango,” said Gandesio Ogwal, a UPC supporter. Ogwal’s statement was re-echoed by his friend Tony Ongom, 53, who blames the fight on the NRM’s recent gains in Lango.

The two men noted that the NRM had made some in-roads in the village, but reckoned that Besigye might win in Lango.

Lango gave Uganda its first Prime Minister and second President Milton Obote and it remains a stronghold of the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC). A collection of flowers in the UPC colours — red, blue and black — planted at the end of the main street, Obote Road, gives the impression that the party remains strong in Lango.

However, beyond the flowers, Lango region might be a little more competitive in the 2011 general elections than in the previous general elections.

When Besigye visited the region last week, there were uncoordinated movements and mixed reactions to his presence. The indications did not only come from the common man, but the political and cultural leaders as well. His support, as people observed, still exists.

At his rallies, thousands danced and ululated as elders shouted his praises. During several rallies, seasoned politicians of Lango, including Cecilia Ogwal, Ben Wacha, Angiro Gutomoi, Alex Okot and Ojok B’leo, as well as a host of district councillors who were previously in UPC, accompanied and openly campaigned for Besigye.

Several defected from the UPC and NRM to FDC. Some of the defectors claimed that they had been misled and others said they had realized that FDC would serve their interests.

The former NRM chairman of Aloro Parish, Amach Sub-county in Lira, Tony Gony, told the rally at the sub-county headquarters that he had left the NRM because of the threat to grab his land. “They wanted to take my land, they had even surveyed it,” he said.

FDC leaders in the region admit that the NRM could get between five and 10% of the vote in the February elections. The two new districts of Oyam and Alebtong are said to have the highest number of NRM supporters.

There were about 485,000 voters in Lango region in 2006. Besigye got 85% of the votes in Lango, while the NRM candidate, Yoweri Museveni, got 6%. However, going by the parliamentary and local council votes in the 2006 elections, the contest in Lango was a war for the local leadership within the UPC.

FDC got no parliamentary seats. Of the 11 directly elected MPs, six belonged to UPC, while four were UPC ‘rebels’ –the independents. Only Felix Okot Ogong was elected on the NRM ticket. Of the four Woman MPs, two were UPC ‘rebels’, one NRM and the other UPC.

However, there seems to be a shift in the parliamentary votes, with FDC and NRM poised to share seats previously held by UPC. The defections of UPC leaders to FDC have however, given FDC a boost. UPC has the largest number of councillors, 55% in all of Lango’s districts, but these might reduce as the party continues to lose its members.

Besigye’s vote is, however, threatened by the entry of Norbert Mao of DP and Olara Otunnu of UPC.

“We shall vote for Mao and Otunnu and let Museveni and Besigye split the votes in the west and then go for a re-run,” said Peter Okao.

This assumption could greatly affect Besigye’s performance. However, the long-standing hatred between Acholi and Lango could save some of Besigye’s votes.

“Otunnu is good, but where he hails from is my problem,” said Okao of Bala in Kole District.

After this year’s delegates conference that saw Lira MP Jimmy Akena lose the UPC leadership to Otunnu, who is from Kitgum, many people doubt that Lango will remain as faithful to the party.

“I don’t think that UPC is still a Lango party. We all know what Otunnu did to Obote. We know that he betrayed him in 1985. I cannot support him even if I am a life member of UPC,” says Sam Longo, who runs a stall in Lira Market.

As the country moves to polling day in about 18 days, there is mixed reaction to Besigye, Otunnu, Mao and Museveni in Lango. A section of voters say Otunnu is a traitor, Mao a vote spoiler and they are unsure about Museveni.

When you mention places like Aboke and Barlonyo to anybody in Uganda, the atrocities committed by the LRA rebels come to mind. However, in Lango, it raises mistrust and a feeling of betrayal by the NRM.

A section of the population say there is no reason why the NRM should benefit from the return of the displaced persons. “They were returned by NGOs and not the Government,” says Felix Ogwang.

The war sent many into camps and it affected the social and economic development in the region. Other than the towns, the rest of the areas have lagged behind. Education suffered in many rural areas because of the war. The roads are impassable and health centres lack drugs.

Besigye rode on these issues during his campaigns in Lango. He promised to revive agriculture and give each household an ox-plough and revive the farmer’s co-operative society. He also promised that his government will build roads in the region and help farmers have access to markets.

He encouraged his supporters not to lose hope as there were all indications that this time, he would win. “We have committees at every level and we are now more prepared than before. That is why we won by-elections in Mbale, Bugweri and Mukono, among others,” he said.

The tarmacking of the Soroti-Dokolo-Lira road has been the biggest infrastructural development in Lango for many years. But it is not clear whether that will translate into votes for the NRM in Lango.

The FDC leaders who accompanied Besigye to Lango, like Alaso Alice (MP), Elijah Okupa (MP), Ogenga Latigo (MP) and Nandala Mafabi (MP) asserted that the road was repaired because they put pressure on the Government to do so.

“For 25 years, the road was murram and several roads remain so. In 25 years if you calculate, the NRM has only constructed four kilometers of road in Lango per year,” said Latigo.

The fixing of the Corner Kamdini-Lira road means that access to the Lango region via the main highway is assured. However, most of the district roads are in a bad state. These include Lira-Pader-Kitgum, Lira-Bobi, Lira-Amolator and Lira-Aloi.

Lango region largely depends on farming as a source of income. For many years, cotton was the leading cash crop in the region. But it was hit hard by the war.