Charles De Gaulle (1890 - 1970) was right when, out of disgust at the behaviour of French politicians said: 'I have come to the conclusion that politics are too serious a matter to be left to the politicians'.

The violent scenes witnessed during the recent elections of the NRM office bearers go to confirm De Gaulle's contention and to explain why many people are progressively getting fed up with politics and politicians.

In Uganda for example it is a fact that many didn't turn up to vote in the last election and from what we are observing, even fewer Ugandans will vote come the next elections.

We saw politicians physically fighting while others drew guns.

Others even shot live bullets injuring people of the same party. What is it that pushes people who can't fight for their country or their parties want to fight or kill for a party office?

And yet, there are more important issues for politicians to fight for but they never do. There is poverty to fight but politicians are fighting for offices instead when the voters are struggling everyday to eke a living.

The real people struggle everyday for jobs, they struggle to get clean drinking water, shelter, better health care while politicians are fighting for monies that go with political offices.

And while these fellows are fighting, the voters are watching as they wallow in abject poverty.

It is not surprising therefore that many people are progressively getting fed up with politics and politicians. Should it surprise anyone that millions didn't vote in the last election and that even fewer Ugandans will vote come the next elections.

Henry Kissinger and Jay Leno must have both been critical observers of politicians. While former US Secretary of State Kissinger said that Ninety percent of the politicians give the other ten percent a bad reputation, Telecaster Leno was more to the point: 'If God had wanted us to vote, he would have given us candidates'.

It is imperative that we find a way of removing bad politics from our lives. That way, not only shall we save lives, we shall save a lot of money which money we can use to make the lives of all Ugandans better.

August 6 - 12, 2010 blog comments powered by Disqus

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