Seeing the challenges and having plans on how to solve those challenges during campaigns is something very easy, but after being elected to the post, all the plans someone had during campaigns disappear.
What makes them disappear is allowing many self-seeking people to drive your plans. This is slowly getting into the camp of the newly elected Member of Parliament for Soroti City West, David Calvin Echodu.
Hon. Echodu has the capability to make Soroti City West the best constituency and the Teso region free from political fights. However, vultures, having known that Mr. Echodu is too wealthy and does not fight for or hide anything that is meant for the community because what he already has cannot be compared to others, are now trying to divert Hon. Echodu from his original team of people with good plans.
My tour of Soroti City made me discover that Soroti City West, where Hon. Calvin Echodu represents, has a higher illiteracy level than Soroti City East, a poorer road network compared to City East, and lower revenue collection compared to Soroti City East. To make this constituency admirable, Hon. Echodu has to work on these issues urgently, and to do so, he has to set up a powerful team on the ground.
What I have discovered is that Hon. Echodu, being a busy person because of the many assignments, has a gap with his electorate, who have now started complaining about whom they should approach in case they have issues to raise with their Member of Parliament since he is too busy, even to pick phone calls from the electorate.
I would like to advise Hon. Echodu that at the moment he should set up an active team on the ground that will handle the concerns of the electorate on his behalf. Even though he may be invisible in the constituency, activities should be moving on.
When this does not happen, trust me, Hon. Echodu, your electorate will not feel the difference between the former Member of Parliament and you, the current Member of Parliament.
The writer is a senior veteran journalist.
