The executive director of The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has distanced herself from a social media campaign advert circulated by the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party.
Titled; The future is female - Winnie Byanyima, the campaign advert says: "Winnie has enjoyed a storied career both professional and political. She's currently the executive director of UNAIDS. She didn't come out of the blue to get where she is. Winnie secured her future under Sevo [Museveni]. Woman, you too can."
The advert seeks to influence women to vote for the incumbent President Yoweri Museveni who is seeking to extend his rule beyond 35 years. Museveni is battling it out with 10 other candidates for the presidency in the elections slated for January 14, 2021.
Now Byanyima, previously the executive director of Oxfam International, and wife to opposition doyen and former Forum for the Democratic Change (FDC) president Rtd Col. Dr Kizza Besigye, has angrily denounced the advert through the Uganda Women's Movement, saying her association with NRM ended in 2000 when she quit the party and co-founded FDC.
In a statement sent To The Observer, Byanyima says she's shocked that the NRM wants to take credit for her political and professional strides instead of addressing the exiting girl-child challenges. Byanyima says her global career growth is attributed to her parents and teachers who modelled and shaped into the admired woman she is today.
Byanyima's NRM advert comes just weeks after the same party conveniently picked out of context her husband's praise of President Museveni as a strategist who thinks 10-20 years ahead. Besigye, in the now doctored clip, was saying Museveni has selfishly strategised to keep himself in power for his personal and family benefits.
Below is the statement from the Uganda Women's Movement over NRM-Byanyima advert.
The Uganda Women's Movement at large is shocked by the credit that the National Resistance Movement Organization (NRM-O) political party wants to take for the strides Hon. Winnie Byanyima has made.
Winnie is a committed member of the women's movement in Uganda, Africa and a renowned global social justice advocate. Winnie's parents, both political activists shaped her values, work ethic and socialist feminist stand.
Her mother, a women's rights leader in Mbarara inducted her in women's club activities when she was 8 years old. She is grateful to her teachers at various stages of her life, who inspired and challenged her to be the best she could be. Winnie credits her activist sisters and brothers of Uganda's Women's Movement for learning from them the skills and attributes that have helped her grow.
Winnie disassociated from the NRM in 2000 and co-founded the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) political party which she remains a loyal member of. Her public service nationally and globally was enabled by family, friends, amazing teachers, hard work and a passion for justice and excellence.
As such, therefore, she takes great exception to and offence by the NRMO political party campaign advert that falsely seeks to portray her as a supporter or client or product of the NRMO and someone whose life has been shaped and/or defined by the NRMO political party.
Contrary to what the campaign advert claims, women and girls in Uganda and across the world have a right to vote in elections, be elected in positions of leadership and make their voices heard in any process that will ultimately affect them, their families, and their communities. These in addition to her hard work is what propelled Winnie's career both in political and professional spheres and not claims by the NRMO or any other individual to have 'secured' her future.
To the women in Uganda, we all have a right to political participation as a necessary step to achieving global gender equality and democratic governance. No individual should claim to have given us this right.
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