Andrew Mwenda ‘S Museveni-Mugabe Contrasting Analogy Is Not Only panic driven But Diversionary

Andrew Mwenda ‘S  Museveni-Mugabe Contrasting Analogy  Is Not Only panic driven But Diversionary 

When Romanian despot Nicolai Ceausescu and his ruthless wife Elena were brutally executed on Christmas day of 1989, it marked the end of Communist domination of most of Eastern Europe.

Causecescu had tried to stop demonstrations by ordering the security agencies to shoot at demonstrators resulting into the death of thousands of Romanians on the streets of Bucharest.

The despot had actually fled in a helicopter but he was tricked and forced to land in a remote village where he was captured, put on quick trial and executed (its believed that he was shot more than 30 times).

During the trial, Ceausescu had been asked about where he had put the millions of dollars he had stashed away in European bank accounts (like most thieving leaders) but he declined to reveal anything.

Ceausescu said he was betrayed by his generals – one of them had been in court making a paper areophane!- (which is why you should pity those who have a lot of trust in generals).

After the execution, his death became a worldwide sensation as live footages of the bullet strewn bodies of the Romanian despot and his wife Elena were displayed on global media.

 The then Zairian information minister said that on a day after Ceausescu had been executed, president joseph Mobutu rung him at around 3am and asked him bitterly why had allowed the Zairian television to broadcast such bad news!

Marshal Mobutu had been a very good friend of President Nicolai Ceausescu and had visited Bucharest just a few months before in 1988 with his favorite wife Ladawa.

It became evident that Mobutu was traumatized by the death of his friend with whom they shared expensive gifts.

Mobutu’s minister says that he quarreled and hurled insults at him for allowing the Zairian television to show the humiliating footages of the slain Ceausescus and then slammed the phone in total anger!.

After that, the minister says, Mobutu never mentioned anything regarding Ceausescu.

He also started spending long periods of time on holiday in Europe.

It seemed that Mobutu got so scared that he started spending less time on national duties and dedicated more time for himself and his family. He also stopped tormenting the then opposition leader Etienne Tsetsekedi which allowed him to stage so many rallies in Kinshasa

The Gist Of The Matter

The moral of Mobutu-Ceausescu story is that most dictators normally get traumatized when they see their fellow dictators lose power in a very violent manner.

And their fears are normally not unfounded because one revolution can have a domino effect on other countries which suffer from the same oppressive tendencies associated with bad leadership.

So when Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe got into deep trouble with his military, the comparisons between him and Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni were inevitable.  

Motor mouth journalist and spinner of the Ugandan regime, Andrew Mwenda quickly penned an article titled ‘’Why Mugabe-Like Downfall Is Impossible In Uganda ‘’   dismissing any comparisons between the situation in Zimbabwe and Uganda and insisted that the ‘smart’ Ugandan leader is completely immune to a military coup.

Mwenda argued that the circumstances between the Ugandan military and that of Zimbabwe differ and cannot ignite the same reactions and outcomes.

MUSEVENI IS MUCH YOUNG !

In his panic driven article Mwenda  makes very lazy argument that president Museveni is much younger, or actually 20years younger than Robert Mugabe and therefore still as the presence of mind to deal with the dynamics of power play.

It’s amazing that Mwenda still believes that only old age should account for the downfall of regimes.

Yes, Museveni might be 20 years younger than the Zimbabwean despot, but the circumstances of his continued stay might not favour him to stick around much longer.

Regimes have collapsed even when they were led by very young leaders.

 For instance Burkina Faso’s Blaise Campoare was much younger than Museveni is (around 62 years)when the Burkinabe rose up and drove him out of power when he (like Museveni is trying to do now)tried to amend the constitution to serve an extended period in power.

At 51 years, Former president Yaya jammeh of Gambia was much younger than president Museveni when he also failed to overturn people’s power and was driven out of power a few months ago.

There is another instance of Sgt Sameul Doe who captured power at 27 but was thrown out and executed at just 37 years in 1990.

Capt. Valentine Strasser assumed power when he was 25 years but lost it before he even clocked 30 years!

 So Mwenda’s reference to young age as immunity to military coup or regime change is so childish to be considered as an advantage for Museveni to continue clinging on power.

Leaders much younger than Museveni have lost power.

Purging Comrades With Loyalists

Mwenda also argued that while Mugabe has kept most of the bush war commanders in positions of command, president Museveni has managed to purge most of his bush war comrades and replaced them with young commanders.

M9 therefore reasons that these young commanders cannot plot an insurrection against their commander in chief because they feel a sense of gratitude to him for having elevated them to high positions of command!

By stating loyalty as a factor, Mwenda was trying to convince us that president Museveni has purged the army of his bush war comrades and replaced them with loyalist who cannot even think or dream of overthrowing their master.

If he was a good student of world politics he should never have mentioned or even insinuated about the word LOYALTY, as a factor that can deter the military from making a coup.

Mwenda who has been masquerading as a student of Ugandan politics since independence forgets that his friend the late president Milton Obote was overthrown by General Idi Amin who was a very loyal member of the UPC party. Obote had purged the likes of Brig shaban opolot from the army.

Even when you scan around Africa, you find coups like the Liberian coup where a much younger boy called SSgt Samuel doe overthrew president Tolbert who was also his relative.

SSgt Doe actually executed president Tolbert and arraigned his body before the Liberians in Monrovia.

EVEN current president Theodore Ngeuema of Equatorial Guinea overthrew Matthias Ngeuema who was his close relative in 1979. Therefore any reference to loyalty as a caution to a military takeover is wishful thinking.

This makes Mwenda’s argument about Museveni purging his bush war comrades a non-starter.

In fact it’s these soldiers who were not in the bush who have every reason to topple him because they have nothing in common with him. They might actually be thirsting for a new dispensation that befits their generational expectations other than getting stuck with bush war swansongs.

So Mwenda needs NOT to be blinded by groceries but generate constructive ideas that can advise our leader.

Mwenda dismiss the fact that President Museveni’s reign continues to get eroded by the same mistakes that Mugabe has committed in the last 37 years.

Our president therefore needs better advice so that we can have a peaceful transition. So while Mwenda is still praise singing that a Mugabe-like downfall is impossible in Uganda, there are obvious signs and symptoms that it’s very possible for Museveni to go the Mugabe way or even in worse fashion.

The author Fred Daka Kamwada is a blogger chat him up at kamwadafred@gmail.com

Sgt Kifulugunyu Has Died a Very Bitter and Frustrated Man with President Museven’s government

Sgt Kifulugunyu Has Died a Very Bitter and Frustrated Man with President Museven’s government  

Sgt kifulugunyu later received a heroes medal from  president Museveni which had no practical value to his life

It was around 2009, when I had gone to parliament to do some research work in the library when I bumped into Sgt kifulugunyu (I had gone to pick a snack in the canteen).

He was selling music CDs to whoever he met. He put some CDs on our desk (I was sharing the table with an MP who was my very close colleague at that time before radical politics separated us)

I was interested in kifulugunyu because I had watched him countless times on national television. At that time I was also writing war stories for one of the dailies.

So I wanted kifulugunyu’s war stories. So we soon made an appointment to meet at Sheraton gardens where I used to interview him every Sunday.

When he mentioned some interesting bits of his time in the army, I suggested to him that we could translate his story into a book.

At first he welcomed the book idea , but he later got scared by saying that the authorities might not like it. I advised him to seek for permission if he thinks it may put him in direct crossfire with the UPDF authorities, but he quietly told me that “federicko, nze ndeka mwana wange, sirina geletera bizibu.

So although he managed to give me stories from his time he joined the Uganda army in 1964, and enjoyed narrating his time in president Amin’s army , he stopped talking when it came to the NRA bush war OF 1981-86.

The only thing he told me about the bush war was that he made morale boosting songs like motto wawaka with Brigadier chef Ali, kino kyekisera (which happens to be president museveni’s favorite) and many others.

He also told me how he , together with the likes of Katenta Apuuli , Tom Butime and Kirunda Kivejinja started a radio in the bush on which they used to broadcast bush war activities.

I squeezed him about why he was so mean with the bush war stories and he told me to back off those stories.

He however expressed shock at the amount of money (he reportedly received five million shillings) he was given as a retirement package.

Incidentally, every time there is a national event to celebrate the day the NRM took power in 1986, Gen Elly Tumwine and president Museven usually requests for Sgt Kifulugunyu’s song , kino kye kisera to be played by the Uganda police band.

But its interesting to note that while the same Tumwine enjoyed kifulugunyu\s songs , he couldn’t propagate or lobby for him to get better pension.  

In fact I had promised sgt kifulugunyu that we needed to move to nomo gallery where Gen Tumwine sits to make him understand what the NRA veteran was going through. But the sergeant declined my suggestion.  He was such a bitter man but he tried his best to conceal his bitterness with the system.

Much later on , he was given a heroes medal which , am told had no practical value for him.

THE SHOCKERS

• ·         By the time I met him he looked 44, but he confided in me that he was actually 66 years old. Yet he was dating women of not more than 24 years!

• ·         He had a balding part in the middle of his head which sounded like a drum when he slapped it!

• ·         He possessed very powerful hands that if he held you in his arms, you wouldn’t escape. His secret was his dedication to physical exercise. Every day he walked all the way from his home in Kawempe Tula  to Kampala city center. And he was always jolly, singing any time to anyone who requested him.

• ·         He was one of the biggest womanizers in town. I enjoyed walking with him especially from Sheraton to Wandegeya. He would sign off by telling me , gwe federicko , weraba, nze ngenda kuzina kantu kange e kalerwe! (Am not translating that one) in fact he confided in me that he gets sex everyday from the various women he had in nakulabye, bwaise, kalerwe , kawempe etc.

• ·         He actually never knew the total number of children he had
•  
• He claims to have met president museveni in Mbarara school where , Museveni came as a scout and taught them how to make ropes and other scout related activities in 1958 . 

·         He claims that he was part of the  the contingent of the Ugandan that army blew up the kagera bridge in 1978. That the engineers who blew it were brought from kilembe mines. 

Although he was given a heroes medal, there was no monetary value attached it. No wonder he died very bitter and frustrated with the regime.

At the time of his death , he was pushed in a wheel barrow like a sack of charcoal!

Rest in peace comrade Sgt Kifulugunyu

The Author Fred Daka Kamwada Is A Blogger

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Has Rt Hon Speaker Rebecca Kadaga Degenerated Into A Populist?

Has Rt Hon Speaker Rebecca Kadaga Degenerated Into A Populist?

When the Kenyan judiciary, particularly its chief justice David Maraga made a historic judgment that nullified the august 8^th elections, the African people jubilated because they had not witnessed such a brave and decisive ruling in African politics.

Most Africans were even more amazed by the nature of institutional independence that was exhibited by the Kenyan judiciary.

It had been a norm for all institutions to be swayed and guided by the domineering manipulations of the executive.

So Hon Maraga became an instant hero of the African political elites.

In Uganda our speaker Hon Rebecca kadaga had tried to assert the independence of legislature by making some rulings that defied the wishes and aspirations of the executive.

For instance the manner in which she handled the issue of the NRM rebel MPs who had been sacked by their NRM party was regarded as a typical case of independence of the legislature and a sign of complete separation of powers within the three state institutions i.e the executive , legislature and judiciary as we know them.

As a result of these land mark decisions, the speaker enjoyed a very big national appeal. The ruling party and the members of the opposition all believed in her as an independent minded speaker, who couldn’t be compromised.

The Age Limit Weevil

But the issue of the age limit debates seems to have watered down her profile. Her shining star has dimmed because of the manner in which she handled the parliamentary sessions which resulted into a scuffle between some members of the opposition and security agents who entered the house and forcefully threw them out, on the orders of the speaker.

 Get me right here; am not saying the speaker was wrong to throw out the opposition MPs who were frustrating the session.

In fact, although I agree with the rebellious manner in which the rebels conducted themselves-(given the fact that it was the only option they had since they have no numbers to frustrate the impending amendment of article 102(B)), I thought that one of the options she had was to adjourn the house.

But to be fair to her, even the adjournment wouldn’t have had the desired effect because the opposition MPs were determined to cause chaos in the house at any opportune moment.

So what am I saying?

The only viable option was to suspend the chaotic MPs, which couldn’t be achieved by peaceful means-thus resulting into the chaos that we all witnessed.

Having said that, I think it’s fair to say that the opposition Mps were right to be as chaotic as they did because of the tyranny of numbers of the ruling party which they faced. And I think it’s also fair to say that the speaker was equally right to make that decision to kick out the chaotic MPs.

This brings us to the question as to why the speaker had to go out of her way to apologize to each individual MP who had been kicked out of parliament. Do you apologize for having done the right thing?

By visiting each Mp, at their residence and hospital, the speaker demonstrated lack of the necessary backbone to make tough decisions.

It showed that she was ashamed of her actions, yet she used the law to do it!

The Damn Letter

What actually shocked some of us much more was her decision to write to the president asking about the ‘strangers’ who stormed parliament on that day.

Although the letter seemed to make sense in some respects, it was weird that she wrote it almost a month after the incident!

Why did she take long to write the letter to the president?

Then when you dig in you find contradictions in the letter itself, which make her look pathetic in this matter.

For instance she talks of strangers storming parliament, yet the inspector of police addressed the issue by owning up to those strangers who stormed parliament!

Yes, Gen Kale Kayihura openly said that he was responsible for coordinating security agencies that stormed parliament.

Therefore the explanation of the IGP puts the issue of strangers to rest.

But you wonder why the speaker still insists that she wants to know who they were and where they came from! Oh dear me!

When she made the decision to kick out the MPs, did she expect them to walkout peacefully?

In the event that the whole situation degenerated into a chaotic fight between the security agents and the mps, it was obvious that things had to turn bloody.

She had to therefore, stand by her decision because , logically , that was what she had to do. Even if she had adjourned as many of us first argued , the Mps would have staged the same confrontational approach.

In fact, at first the speaker was resolute when she said that the MPs wanted to stage a coup.

But you again wonder why she turns around to regret the incident by writing letter to the president.

By taking a contradicting stance , speaker kadaga is simply exposing herself as someone who cannot make difficult decisions –yet that is one of the most important ingredients of leadership.

Great leaders stand by their decisions as long as they are done in good faith, legally binding and taken for the good of the country.

She seems to be obsessed with being more populist than being principled.

IS KADAGA A POPULIST?

The speaker Kadaga visits one of the Mps Hon Namboze who sustained injuries during a scuffle with the security agents

Accusing Hon kadaga of being a populist is not completely off the mark because she has done it before. For instance when the issue of homosexuality arose in the country, she traveled overseas and bashed the whites for propagating the vice. She was given a hero’s welcome on her return and she went on to pass the anti-gay bill without quorum!

As we speak now, the anti-gay bill was scrapped from the law books, because it was challenged in courts of law and nullified accordingly.

That is the price you pay when you do things with a populist intentions.

Hon Kadaga should recollect her independent self desist from playing games of cheap politics.

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The Author Fred Daka Kamwada Is A Ugandan Blogger

Get in thouch with him at kamwadafred@gmail.com

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