UGELECTS2016
When the minders of the Democratic Alliance gather to select their united Presidential candidate for 2016, I will have made my choice known. In the process of making this choice, I have considered several factors, for which, a background may suffice.
On Saturday, June 27, 2015, I hosted a group of young African scholars for a sobering debate. The discussion that started with the discourse on modern tyranny in Africa culminated into debating two questions: should Ugandans forgive, trust, support, and promote JPAM if he is genuine in his opposition to President Museveni? The second question was; have we done justice in judging Dr Kiiza Besigye (KB) as a failure because he did not ascend to the Presidency in three successive elections in a period spanning 15 years?
This debate started with a scholarly dissection of the contours of Uganda's body politics in the last 40 years. Several references were made to works of renowned Ugandan scholars such as Samwiri Karugire, Oloka Onyango, George Kanyeihamba, Mahmood Mamdani and so forth. An inspiring 2011 work by Angelo Izama and Michael Wilkerson, “Uganda: Museveni’s triumph and weaknesses” in the Journal of Democracy, was handy with its analysis of Uganda’s political development from 2001 to 2011, covering Rtd Col. Dr Kiia Besigye’s 10 years of active participation in elective politics.
The AfriGroup2016 resolved as follows: In 2001, when KB declared his interest to contest against President Museveni, he had covertly mobilized a number of his comrades in the army and government. Interestingly, JPAM and the rest of the establishment violently resented the challenge by claiming among other things, that KB was jumping a queue. Besigye’s candidacy in 2001 was a shock even among the opposition and it indeed galvanized the political space, leading to a two-man contest, between President Museveni and KB. The outcome of that fierce contest remains a landmark in our recent history. It also cemented the place of KB in our political history. At the time when Dr. KB emerged, people were suspicious and doubted the real intentions of KB. The regime portrayed it as a fight over Ms. Winnie Byanyiima, and a case of a sore disgruntlement. Fifteen years down the lane, KB has won over sceptics and critics alike. His courage and resolve to cause change in the governance is uncontested.
Therefore, for 2016, JPAM should not jump the queue ahead of KB. He should support Kiiza Besigye, if elected Democratic Alliance unity candidate. The AfriGroup2016 team hereby urges Dr. Kiiza Besigye to contest for the Presidency in 2016.
The NRM propaganda machine has falsely claimed that KB is too aggressive, angry, vengeful, a serial looser of elections etc. Evidence shows the contrary.
Dr. KB has demonstrated extraordinary trait of resiliency amidst state brutality. Everyone is angry at the brutality meted against KB. Strangely, he is not! Through activism, KB has become legendary, to the levels of Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela of our times. KB may not have won the 2001 and 2011 ballots, but he won hearts and trust. #KB2016reloaded is required to rise with the momentum of enduring public trust to restore sanity in our corrupted government.
Further, KB’s activism has scored many successes; it has inspired JPAM to reawaken that NRM is taking us nowhere; now than ever, independent MPs are rejecting being "herded" like imbeciles to tow improbable Party lines; multiparty politics was redefined, with tolerance; northern Uganda has now become a game-changer, for a government that bayed to alienate it, etc.
The role of Amama Mbabazi in perpetuating corruption in Uganda requires more time for scrutiny. His sadistic ideology of tapping into people’s phones, employing preventive arrests, policing people’s private life through POMA, widespread corruption and so forth, needs reconciling.
Rtd Col Dr Kiiza Waren Besigye remains the most formidable candidate for this generation for the President of Uganda in 2016. He is ready now!
END.
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