[UAH] Joseph Musoke: CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT (2)

Why I am running for the Presidency instead of a lower post

This has been one of the more popular questions from members of UNAA. 

I decided to run for the top position because I feel that I have the qualities needed to run UNAA. In my view, UNAA needs a leader who can listen to others, who can persuade without bullying, who can bring people together, who can run meetings efficiently, but above all, UNAA needs fresh ideas. I trust that I have all those qualities.

I am sure many members are aware of the current debate about the costly decisions by UNAA's current leaders in the Executive and the Council. One said he's been in UNAA leadership for 2 terms and the other has continuously been in UNAA leadership for a decade!  Over the past several years, we have also seen current and past UNAA leaders accuse each other of incompetence and they all cite specific examples to back their accusations.   In other words, longevity in leadership does not necessarily translate to competency. Wasn't that the argument Obama successfully made against McCain?
Besides, the main job for UNAA is to organize the convention. In 2007, I served for sometime on the organizing committee of the San Francisco convention. A few months before that, I served on the organizing committee of the American Bar Association convention in the same hotel in San Francisco.  

I have experience conducting meetings with several people, satisfying the requests highly demanding folks, managing several projects, drawing and managing multi-million dollar budgets.  I have been Director of Legal Services for a Fortune 300 company and a Director of Regulatory Compliance in a large pharmaceutical company.  I also have experience managing projects and running meetings as a Corporate and Securities Attorney in two of the largest law firms in the world.

Significantly, under the new UNAA constitution, the president's main duty is to implement the decisions of the Council, of which he is not a voting members. If I win, I intend to seek advice and counsel from all current and past UNAA leaders.

 

 How my campaign differs from previous campaigns
I am going to run a clean campaign without making ANY personal attacks on anyone. I will make it very clear to anyone that will support me that they cannot make any personal attacks on anyone. I am hoping that the other candidates will make a similar pledge. For the past several elections, I have contacted the candidates and their surrogates and told them that it would be in their interest and the interest of UNAA to eliminate personal attacks in campaigns. Each side would claim that the other side "started it". But end result is always the same, a divided UNAA after each election, with angry or bitter members.

In my view, it is not good for UNAA to have angry or bitter members. If I lose fairly, I will be the first person to congratulate the winner. Then I will join the other people on the dance floor!

I have never understood the need for personal attacks and insults on candidates for a non-profit organisation. Those insults no only hurt the candidates and their families, but they also affect other members. One common side effect is that members that had been friends, now become enemies. A second common side effect is the continuing squabbles over every little thing. A lot of time is wasted fighting over every little thing.

In conclusion, I promise to run a clean campaign that will, hopefully, help create an environment for a more enjoyable convention and a more united UNAA.