EMPTY DREAMS; Chairman Norbert Mao’s Transition
Claims Are Good on Paper but Realistically Shallow and Not Applicable
· Chairman Norbert Mao interestingly Considers President Museveni Stupid Enough To transition Himself out of power!
Embattled DP
party president and recently appointed minister of justice and constitutional
affairs Hon Norbert Mao claims that he defected to the NRM camp after writing a
cooperation agreement to propagate the much needed peaceful transition from the
current NRM leadership to another.
The DP
leader recently made a pact with the ruling party in which he scooped the ministerial
position after making some political concessions.
But it must
be noted that some of the concessions he claims to have agreed with the ruling
NRM party appear good on paper but very comical when it comes to their
application.
The DP party
president insists that one of the reasons that compelled him to make a
political pact with the NRM party was to oversee the political transition from
president Museveni’s leadership to another.
When
subjected to serious scrutiny it appears that chairman Mao envisages a scenario
where president Museveni will hand over power to him or another political force
in the foreseeable future which he categorically claims to be 2031.
But is
president Museveni so stupid that he can create a direct arrangement that pulls
him out of power?
As the transition
idea was yet to sink in, news filtered through that some senior citizens from
Mitooma had endorsed president Museveni as the sole candidate for the 2026
elections!
This Mitooma
pronouncement had the immediate effect of throwing Norbert Mao’s transition
claims into the political dustbin.
This implies
that as of now, the transition from the Museveni leadership has been postponed
up to 2031 and beyond!
By that time
in 2031 chairman Mao will either be 63 years old, while president Museveni will
be 86 years old.
Perhaps at
that time political events will swing in a transition direction that has got
less of Museveni in the picture but it’s foolhardy to rule him out of the Uganda’s
political equation even at that advanced age.
Why?
Look here;
many people forget that president Museveni’s father Amos Kaguta died when he
was over 94 years old!
This
obviously means that the Kaguta family genes have got the potential for a very
good life expectancy.
Remember
Amos Kaguta lasted those 90 years without the privilege or trappings of power.
What do you expect of a Kaguta who is enjoying direct privileges of power?
Today
president Museveni is 78 years old and will therefore be 88 years old by 2030.
When put graphically,
this means that by 2031 president Museveni will still be much younger than Pele
who is still alive at 82 years old and much younger than President Paul Biya
who is 89 years and still firmly in charge of Cameroon!
Biologically
speaking and with some good discipline Museveni can live up to 2040 when he
will be 95 years and therefore at the same age as the late queen Elizabeth who
passed-on last month at age 96.
This means
that between now and 2036 Gen Museveni will still be in good physical condition
and probably still in power.
By that time
in 2036 chairman Mao will be around 78 years of age!
Now, unless
Mao has another transition route he intends to use, it’s hard to see his dream
come true with mere hope. Mao’s transition projection is also faced with
another obstacle in the name of the Muhoozi project.
If president
Museveni happens to exit the politics the MK project is the only viable option
on the table for the NRM today. How will
Mao maneuver this MK project?
The only
option available for Chairman Mao is to continue with the power sharing
arrangement with president Museveni and then hope to continue doing so with Gen
Muhoozi in some senior capacity.
Because
fairly speaking, Museveni has the capacity to sustain himself around for
another twenty years. At that time Gen Muhoozi will be around 68 years and
relatively at a mature age to takeover power without any hustles.
Where does Chairman
Mao fit in this whole political equation?
With all
factors held constant, it’s hard to envisage a situation where president
Museveni wakes up one day and transitions himself out of power.
Norbert Mao
is simply trying to fool Ugandans that he can champion the regime change
narrative on a government where he serves as a minister. In other words, he has
failed to adapt to the new realties. He wants to continue professing opposition
narratives when he is actually deep in government.
He needs to
wake up and smell the coffee. Someone should remind him that he is already in
power and should endeavor to enjoy it as it comes. Mao needs to forget the crap
about transition. Mao also has the problem of thinking that a transition can
only be a reality when he becomes president. The truth is that he has already
transitioned into power.
Otherwise he
sounds like a clown whenever he talks about the possibility that president
Museveni will simply transition himself out of power.
The author Fred Daka
Kamwada is researcher, blogger policy analyst.
Ends
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