People finder --- By Halima Abdallah
Nov 5 , 2003
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There is some good in losing a political campaign even if you are the one that spent a whole lot of money on it. Not only do you get to know who your friends are, you also learn a bit of humility. That is political loss according to Dick Nyai. Nyai, 61, was the representative for Ayivu County in Arua in the Sixth Parliament. He lost the seat in 2001 to Ms Zoë Bakoko Bakoru, who is now Minister for Labour. “Losing teaches one a very nice lesson,” says Nyai. “You get to know the good friends and learn some humility; that other people can also do what you did.” He describes it as “sheer arrogance” when one thinks that they are the only ones that can represent a county – or indeed, lead a country. “That reasoning is not well founded,” he says. Nyai is no stranger to losing elections. In 1988 when he made his political debut, it was to contest for the county’s seat in the National Resistance Council. He lost. He tried again in 1994 – for the Constituent Assembly. And won. In the 1996 elections, Nyai again successfully defended his seat against intrusion. But his election victories are not the only things that bring joy to Nyai as he reminisces. He speaks with fondness of a career as a journalist – one that he terminated to join politics – a narrow escape, and of an “exemplary” record in the Sixth Parliament. One of the major debates of the Sixth Parliament, 1996-2001, concerned the sale of the Uganda Commercial Bank. Nyai was opposed to the sale of the bank; he believed – still does – that this action was not necessary. Today he laments: “Government injected Shs 120bn to re-capitalise the bank and then sold it cheaply. I am still opposed to that sell of our only silver.” He faults government for not investigating Westmont Land Asia, the company that bought the bank. He maintains that Ugandans were capable of buying shares in the bank. Journalists had a soft spot for Nyai as a legislator. His presentations were often covered and he was perceived as vibrant and focussed on issues. And he would never budge once he had stated his position – usually one that was not popular with the Executive. Some of the bills he moved successfully include the Judicial Commission of Inquiry that investigated the banking sector. This bill followed the closure of three banks: International Credit Bank, Greenland Bank and Co-operative Bank almost at the same time as a result of financial scandals. Nyai also lists among his achievements the bill that ensured that government continued to finance the cotton sector from which many Ugandans still derive their livelihoods. Today Nyai is appalled at what he describes as the “absolute lack of respect” for Parliament by the Executive. How, he queries, can the president and his Finance minister simply cut the budgets of other ministries to ‘reward’ others without first consulting with Parliament? But Nyai’s political retirement has not been that easy. Many people tend to think that legislators have it made; what with all the connections that they make as they go about their day-to-day business. Not so for Nyai. He said, “Since I lost my seat, am still trying to find my level.” An NGO – the East African Watch Centre – that he has been trying to get off the ground just won’t move. The trouble, he says, is all the mushrooming NGOs dealing in mostly the same things. The centre aims to educate people on their constitutional and civic rights. Nyai is also a member of the Society for International Development Scenario Projects that, he says, is into “looking at the past and present and trying to predict the possible development for the future.” He does however own a pub in Luzira, a suburb of Kampala, called Amigos though it is not doing well at the moment. He blames it on the “harsh economic situation.” These are some of the things that have occupied him as he tries to steer away from his constituency politics “to allow the tempers cool after the elections.” “I did not want my presence to be a diversionary factor,” he explains with regard to a question over his choosing to stay in Kampala rather than his home area canvassing for future elections. “I have accepted my loss, there is nothing I’m crying about. I wish the Minister Bakoko Bakoru well.” Nyai reluctantly talks about the reasons that led him lose his seat. “I concentrated too much on the national politics to the detriment of my constituency. I abandoned my constituency,” he said. He also blames a portion of loss to the polarisation of politics in his constituency. But he says his constituents would credit him for being part of the lobby that finally got the Arua-Pakwach road tarred and the installation of the ferry at Wanseko-Panyimur as a transport alternative to West Nile travellers. In the meantime, Nyai nurses a dream. It is to do with reviving the Uganda People’s Congress in preparation for the opening of the political party activities. Nyai warns, “I will work to the best of my ability to reactivate the party.” He is hoping that the ground will be fair enough for, if it is, “the UPC will give everybody a run for their money.” He is a member of a committee appointed by party president Milton Obote in preparation for 2004 when the parties are expected to begin operations. Nyai trained as a teacher but ended up practising journalism. He had briefly worked with Uganda Argus for seven months in 1966, then taught from 1966-1969 and went on to join the East Africa Community as Assistant Secretary in the Personnel Division in Tanzania between 1969 and 1979. In was during his stay in Tanzania that he joined with groups that were planning to topple President Idi Amin after the latter attacked Tanzania in 1978. But Nyai did not fight using the gun. A BBC journalist, Tido Muhando, had done a voice test on Nyai and found he could make a good He found his way onto the airwaves – on Radio Tanzania – broadcasting anti Amin propaganda in Lugbara, his native language. “I persuaded Amin’s army not to fight a worthless war,” Nyai narrates. “I am proud to say that out of those broadcasts almost half of Amin’s soldiers refused to fight and went home.” Tanzanian technicians had clandestinely tampered with the transmission signals at Mityana in order for such broadcasts to reach a wider audience in Uganda. Nyai passed off at that time as Richard Anguyo because he feared that if his true identity were known, his relatives in Arua would suffer the consequences at the hands of Amin’s henchmen. After the coup that toppled Amin, Nyai went back into journalism. He joined with others to start the People newspaper, a UPC mouthpiece, in 1980. But the turbulent times were far from over as much for the country as for Nyai. Milton Obote was toppled in a military coup in 1985 that saw a lot of death, destruction and rape. As a journalist, Nyai attended some of the peace talks between the coup leaders and the rebel force. He says that he owes his life to a Maj. Kaka now in Rwanda for saving his life at the time. “A fellow journalist pointed me out to some soldiers with whom he was in a Land Rover that I was one of the Anyanyas who should be killed,” he narrates. The Anyanya are a tribe in northern Uganda. However, this became a derogatory codename that Southerners had for all government soldiers of the day because of the atrocities they are believed to have committed against the population. During this incident Nyai was arrested and taken to Ntinda Army Detach where he believes he would have been killed, but was released on Maj. Kaka’s intervention. He fled the city for his home village, Mvara, and returned to teaching. Today, the politician is trying to mellow down after what he described as a “hectic” heyday. “I danced and drank a lot while I was young which has resulted into weakening of my body,” he said. Nyai wakes up at his leisure, takes his cup of tea with Moringa and, later, a glass of milk with a bun. He spends most of his time reading, listening to BBC, and watching CNN to keep at pace with current events. Nyai also prays a lot and goes to church where he occasionally preaches. He has four children – all boys – two of whom are still going to school. The two older children are living independently. He lives alone after separating from his second wife. He says he is not ready to get into any relationship for now. “I don’t have a wife and I don’t intend to have one,” he said. He hopes that his sons will marry and bring him many grandchildren. |
© 2003 The Monitor Publications
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