By Andrew Cohen Amvesi
ARUA
Lillian Paparu Obiale, the Arua district woman Member of Parliament (MP) has called for unity in the National Resistance Movement (NRM), saying there is no single person who is bigger than the party.
Paparu made the assurance while presiding over the Arua district belated 38th NRM Liberation Day celebration at Eruba primary school grounds on Friday.
Paparu, who represented Richard Todwong, the NRM Secretary General as the chief guest during the occasion, warned that if anyone thinks he or she is above the mass NRM party, then the person may end up crashing.
“NRM is a party of collective efforts and it is a structure, it is a system and there is no single person who is bigger than this party. Even the party chairman, the President, always says he is not bigger than this party because the party is made up of people, it is made up of members, it has systems and it has structures. So, if anyone thinks he is above this party, then you might end up crashing and don’t blame anybody for it,” Paparu warned.
“For us the political leaders, I think let us not intimidate each other. We all have positions for those of us who passed, maybe we might be going to seek re-election, so don’t assess another person but you assess yourself before you point figures to another person. We have brothers and sisters who have attended this function who have even contributed to this function and they are yet aspiring. That is the good will because it is our mighty party,” Paparu remarked.
She said development is not only done by those who are already elected but also by any other party member.
“Being here is a sign of unity, you are not waiting for that, let me first pass to become an MP to come here, this is our government, you are a party member, you are most welcome and that is the way to go. You know when you are going to contest, don’t start acting or equating yourself to the person who is already in that office because it is still a process but the other person is already in office. Give respect, let us have healthy competition in this district as we Vurra people are known for having good hearts,” Paparu advised during the function attended by hundreds of locals including a delegation from DR Congo.
In his remarks, Boniface Alioni, the Arua district NRM Vice Chairperson cited the prevailing peace in West Nile, improved health and education sectors, tarmacked roads and the extension of electricity to the various districts in the region as some of the key achievements the NRM government has registered in the last 38 years in power.
He, however, noted that the only big challenge still affecting the NRM government is the high-rate of corruption which needs to be fought by all stakeholders.
Similarly, Geoffrey Okiswa, the Arua Resident District Commissioner (RDC) appealed to the people of Arua to join hands with their leaders in fighting corruption.
“We have folded our sleeves in keeping the light of the NRM’s meticulous voice on zero tolerance to corruption. I want to thank the people of Ombamba village in Ajia sub-county who recently made a wide alarm when one of our own (Joachim Andiandu, the Arua district senior environment officer) extorted money from them. We had to close our eyes and we had to grab him and take him through the process of the law and as we talk now, he is sorting it out with the Judiciary and of course, what CAO has done, he has already interdicted him,” Okiswa said.
“So, we are going to be very serious about this matter. Probably, we can do it while smiling because our core value of patriotism indicates love. We shall come to you while we are smiling but we shall grab you decisively and ensure that you vomit that money that you have stolen and you go through the courts of law and then you defend yourself. Secondly, I want to appeal to our people of Arua district to ensure that for us as a district, the peace which has already come here must be sustained for not only development but for socio-economic transformation,” Okiswa added.
