The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Third, we must ask ourselves whether Besigye and his radical extremists represent better values for progressive change than Museveni and his corrupt NRM. This can be deduced by looking at both the leadership and follower-ship of Besigye’s radical extremist wing within the FDC. Its leaders are NEITHER drawn from the economically productive segments of our society NOR are they linked to it by interest or association. Instead they are drawn entirely from the professionalclass. It should be obvious,therefore,that their interest in power is for opportunities it offers them as salaried employees of the state.
Besigye’s followers are a virulently intolerant, angry and abusive army of radical extremists. Unemployed and perhaps unemployable, their best skills are at hurling insults and abuses at anyone and everyone who dares express a view contrary to their own. Once in power, they would most likely transfer this intolerance into the government and use security forces to stamp out dissent, thereby turn our country into a fascist dictatorship. So they are not agents of the liberal democratic values that we would like to see.
The desire for change is admirable but its practical implications cannot be ignored. In an ideal world, I would like to see Museveni go. I am intimately aware of the failures and limitations of Museveni as president and of NRM as a government. But I do not agree that we hand Uganda to radical extremists simply because we are tired of Museveni. Surely we cannot be blind to the risks of the most likely alternative.
Those who supported change without thinking about the quality of the alternative – George Bush in Iraq, Barack Obama in Libya, the warriors in Somalia and Yemen etc. have created outcomes worse than the problem they sought to solve. Aspirations without plans inevitably turn into tragedies.
Uganda needs a transition. But this must be led by a third force. This should attract moderates in NRM and FDC and independents. It should alsodistinguish itself from NRM’s incompetence and corruption and from the intolerance of FDC’s radical extremist wing. Only then can Ugandans feel confident that a post Museveni political settlement offers a better future. Short of that, Museveni will rule for life.
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amwenda@independent.co.ug
Sad to see an educated man such as Andrew with this kind of narrow thinking. Education and exposure are supposed to widen people’s horizon but the reality is for some, the benefits are hardly realized. Another side of the coin
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Besigye-can-t-govern-like-Museveni/688334-4491626-7bmc39/index.html
The rebuttal from Dr. Bossa is an example of an exchange between two Ugandan “elites” that tend to follow the narrative that in every “political nonsense” there is “political strategic sense.” They try to follow an illusion that there is a “Presidential political notebook” ever written. This is further from the truth. In reality, Uganda is following an unprecedented political roadmap which is being rolled out (primarily if not largely), by the ongoing by-elections. This roadmap is following a social paradigm shift that if effecting political outcomes. The election of Robert Kyangulanyi a.k.a Bobi Wini could be instructive. Bobi Wine’s victory wasn’t only against the incumbent FDC official candidate but also over NRM’s “mass party” candidate. This was a defeat at the feet two fairly organised political parties. This can only be an indication, that outside Uganda’s political superstructure, there is an informal movement that is “not complying” with the misrule/disorganisation within the political parties. This is the very point that Mwenda in so many words has tried to recognise in these pages but is only undoing, is that he does not want to accept and realise its roots- Besigye. Having failed to realise his dreams within the FDC early enough, Besigye broke the rigid walls of party politics and decided to build bridges with well meaning political players who were focused on regime change. In his efforts, he has teamed up with 4GC, SUUBI, TJ, JEEMA and Ken Lukyamuzi’s CP but no one of which has paid him handsomely or, immediately as the partnership with Bobi Wine. Bobi Wine has a non-structured “command” of the youth. The youths are most troubled demographic segment of the Ugandan population. They constitute more than 70% of the Uhandan population and not less than 83% are unemployed. This is the “New Resistance Movement” (NRM). And as for now, Robert Kyangulanyi is its “de facto” president. The problem with reality is that it lacks “intellectual connotations” and, therefore, it lacks the praxis of the elites theories.
1.You know what?There will be no oderly political sucession in Uganda instead there will be a coup which i think is fair coz Ugandans have invested alot in the the economy.
2. I think a coup just happened in Uganda although it was not noticed and fortunately it did not materalise why do i say so KB has been abnormally silent and was the Brain behind all the chaos in parliment,decline in tax reveune collection and the sacking of Kahyihura.
3.Was the consitution of Uganda under test with those clowns of Judges in Mbale i dont think so why do i say so?One key role of parliamnet is to pass laws but the Judges think otherwise me thinks that; its a test on Laws and morals and how to deal with minority and majority views for example;(i) Laws and morals all lead to obidence/compliance(ii)Laws apply to all while morals is a matter of opinion(iii)Morals are not subject to change while Laws are ammended or even annulled.
3.Business could not be conducted in parliament for 3 days coz of rowdy MPs so what was the Sergent at Arm and Speaker supposed to do?
4.MPs have the biggest say in matters of the consitution they actually represent our views.
5. The issue of conflict of interest will always araise when MPs are performing their roles ; it would be foolsih of them to shoot themselves in the foot and propose amendments that are not in their favor may be some jugdes of the consitutional Court should be elected as MPs.
6.In the UK minority issues were dealt in the follwing ways(i)The Obsence Publication Act of 1959 was enacted to cater for those who enjoy pornograhy(ii)Punishment of Incest Act,1908 to deal with incest(iii)Race Relation Act,1996 to deal with racism.
7.KB is not healthy for Uganda coz both KB and his wife have an axe to grind with M7 i hear Anselm is a student at Harvard Univerity because Muhoozi also attended Sandhurst a pretigious Military Academy in Britain do you know the amount of tution for Havard or MIT university?
…”in an ideal world, I would like to see Museveni go…” Very feeble logic Mr Mwenda. In any world Museveni will go, nobody lasts forever.
so if you are “thinking succession” there are several levels of analysis. The quality of one opposition candidate is by no means the most important. Even an ideal replacement candidate can become irrelevant if the institutions of the nation are rotten beyond repair.
The levels can be read as:
-the inevitable; at some point Museveni will no longer be president.
Then the desirable or the possible
-policy changes: many poor policies will have to be changed; the domination by an ethnic minority should be ended. the bloated administrative structure should be rationalized.
-structural changes: the presidency is too powerful in comparison to the legislature and and judiciary, this should change. Kampala is too powerful compared to the countryside. The districts are simply absurd; too many, too small, too poor.
Then the undesirable; the possibility of these is what makes the question of succession important
-constitutional collapse, whereby the nation fails to put together a viable government (Somalia, Congo)
-Geographical collapse, whereby the nation fails to continue functioning as a unit (Somalia)
Sserukeera, you sound so young, if not in age,then in mind. We elders who have the benefit of hindsight know that no successor of a Uganda president was known prior to assuming office; not even by the successor himself.
1. Start with Obote: Despite his bragging that he had Mutesa in his pocket, Obote never thought even in his dreams that he would be any bigger than a premier who was being kicked here and there by the deadly DP guys,let alone his own UPC internal underminers a la Grace Ibingira, Magezi and other headache causing politicians who were just unmanageable. Mtesa blundered by stoning government vehicles and an excuse was availed which made the invasion justifiable. Obote was therefore His Accidency till his successor;
2. Gen Amin: This one was forced to be president. People will not agree but that does not change the facts. I personally, while in the Boy Scouts served President Amin a beer in Rock View Primary school at night when there was a sort of social evening with the Asian community. He was telling people in the hall where we all were (while the DC(District Commissioner) was on the stage chairing everything)that he wants people to elect a good president because the bad one has ran away. The DC who was like an MC sort of said “will everybody in the hall shut up so I can announce what I want to say” It is Amin himself who whispered to we who were near him that “we should all keep quiet because the DC is angry with this disorderly noise and first listen to him” The DC proceeded to say what he wanted ‘ that a harmonica team was coming to perform…..Gen Amin was compelled by Ugandans to be president. He said people should prepare fpr elections and he was told we already have a president YOU.
3.Come Prof Lule…. the gentleman did not expect he would be president…this I won’t waste time on. I know all readers will find out how and why how was instated and removed….
4.Come Godfrey Binaisa… He personally said, “I was walking on Buganda when a landrover that was passing stopped and I saw Museveni and Mpambara in. They parked, came and called me that they have been looking for me. They did not give me time to ask and I boarded and went with them to Entebbe. When we reached there they told me they want me to be president, I agreed” Do you think Binaisa knew,expected or wanted to be president?
5. Obote might have been maneuvered into the presidency but chances were slim that he would ever be reinstated. Another Langi or Acholi soldier, maybe Oyite Ojok could easily have made himself the interim president,then get Muwanga or some other muganda puppet to enforce a guaranteed-results-elections whereby he would be now endorsed by the people. So Obote’s second presidency is also an accident.
6. Gen Lutwa was His Accidency to boot. i won’t say much about him, leaving the discretion to readers.
7. Visionary:He himself told a journalist that ‘for every morning that finds him alive, it is a victory’ Ruzindana and some other compatriots I don’t recall swear the visonary had deserted to Scandinavia and are surprised he returned. Did such a person expect even in his widest dreams he would ever be president? Sserukeera, whether you believe it or not those are the facts as were.
8.It is a fact which is disputed by many but nevertheless true that a president is appointed by God. So pray hard another His (impossible Her)Accidency comes tolerable and give him all cooperation. It is a know fact that the more opposition and hostility a president meets, the more hostile he becomes.
In conclusion, I can authoritatively assert that the next president is now not known by anyone including HE himself.
Of course Museveni ruling for life is your burning desire, Mr. Mwenda. You, Tamale Mirundi, and others will find it hard to live comfortably once the old geezer goes.
All said and done, the topic of succession is still (as i write) debatable. Many theories will arise to arrive to who the next president of Uganda will come to be. Off course the incumbent is entrenching and still perpetuating his leadership even when some Ugandans have written him off. Evidently, the current president has the power to manipulate the politics to favor himself as a competent leader much as this will utmost never benefit Ugandans if not by coincidence.
The current system seems to have arrived to the destination while most Ugandans have not only started the journey but are on try and error for where to begin. Most Ugandans including myself still have confidence in Museveni but this trust he has abused accidentally or has been overtaken by events beyond his control.
Politics will definitely determine our future because as always, the laws of nature and or even demand and supply determine the market prices.
If Ugandans are ready for any change, the next president should not be a politician but a leader who will rule by law
A leader who will rule by law? But that’s what Museveni is doing already. He uses the law to his own advantage and creates laws which help him prolong his shelf life. He uses law as his regulatory tool to direct our behaviour towards his policy goals. We need a leader who will be subject to the rule of law.
None of you is venturous enough even by educated guesswork to presume a name,tribe,profession or even generalise a region whence the presumed successor will come ? Even the daredevil prophets of ours who outdo each other to predict things?
If you can’t; then it proves my theorem that even “the successor does not know himself”.
Even if the oft claim made by him and his supporters about Museveni having excelled in organizing (the bush war) were true, for whose benefit and interests was he organizing? The ants, the bees, the mafia, the criminal syndicates, you name it, too, are organized. Succession in Uganda has always been through a putsch, why would it be any different this time around? That is how Uganda rolls. Mark you Uganda is not Cuba, neither is Museveni Fidel Castro.