2016 Memories: Real Voters Are Not Online; I was told.

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After losing the 2016 Mayoral elections in Gulu; unlike others, I chose silence over living in denial.

I, like many others, felt betrayed by our leaders in the Forum for Democratic Change Party.

The Party was then divided between faithful and its leadership.

Hon. Bongomin (Abonga), then District Party Chairman and newly elected Chairman of Laroo Division, Gulu Municipal called for a reconciliatory meeting.

During the meeting that also served as a feedback session; a bitter skimpily dressed lady pointed her finger to my face and said:

“In mere gin mu neki ene gin ma icingi ni,” literally meaning, as for you; what let you down was that which you have in your hands. I carried an iPad with me like I always did during elections.

My fingers were between my legs, but I never doubted what she meant.

I had been told countless times that I would never win by being online.

“Real voters, are not online” I was told.

I knew I was running against two well-financed candidates who never lacked the logistical means to facilitate a robust grassroots campaign.

All I had was an IPAD to intellectually stimulate the minds of elite voters and they adequately massaged my ego to a point of feeling indebted.

There were moments when I felt anything was possible. Elections have always had surprises.

In any case, the FDC brand had previously sold so well that a mediocre candidate excelled in elections like a Hero.

While I felt betrayed by my leaders, this lady offering me feedback triggered an interesting debate in my mind.

I was the only candidate with a website in the race, and the greatest traffic online, but why is this lady ignoring the blatant betrayal of my Party leaders?

Why would carrying an iPad to a campaign trail offend a voter?

As I wrote my memoir later titled ‘My Mayor. The Political Campaign Story of a Poor Elite and Rich Illiterate’ chronicling my experience running for elections as Mayor of Gulu Municipal then, I realized elected leaders think exactly like their voters. What may be different is what they do after elections.

Around my campaign office, I got less than 10 votes, yet it was densely populated with these elite voters who could afford touch-screen phones and regularly bought bundles.

In one boda stage, I was openly told, “you educated people will chase us out of town with your big phones” which implied the iPad.

An iPad, just like my social media campaigns were symbolic and I never noticed the identity it gave me.

I never realized I made my dilemma dire by speaking about attaining a Master degree in Peace and Justice Studies on a United States of America scholarship hence better suited to address their post war urban livelihood recovery programs.

Symbolically, I belonged to a different class of people and not the downtrodden who understood the voters.

While I felt betrayed by my leaders, I believe my leaders also realized I had symbolically lost an identity with the voters by only comparing my education to the incumbent.

In my mind, I was going to be the educated Mayor since the incumbent had negligible education.

Ironically, his negligible education and inadequate exposure and rural mindset made him the most ideal candidate to the voters.

Unfortunately, these are lessons one only learns after losing an election. I learnt the hard way. I learnt that who you think you are does not matter in a rural campaign, but what the voter thinks you are matters.

Good luck in your next local elections.

Caption: September 2015 Press Conference at NUMEC launching Campaigns accompanied by Hon. Bongomin (Abonga) Chairman FDC Gulu Municipal

Written by

Aliker p'Ocitti

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