Forgiving John Patrick Amama Mbabazi

GREED. FORGIVENESS, AMBITIONS

Hon Mao was quoted in the Daily Monitor of January 25, 2016, to have said that he found an imperative to forgive Independent Presidential Candidate, Amama Mbabazi for what might have gone wrong in Northern Uganda while JPAM was still in government. This was at Kaunda Grounds, in Gulu, while pitching for his preferred Candidates.

As a survivor of the Northern Uganda twenty years’ inferno, I have utmost respect for Hon Nobert Mao for his contributions to the prevailing peace in Northern Uganda. In fact, while President Museveni basks in glee over the prevailing peace, unsung heroes like Hon. Mao, should be the ones taking full credit. Mr. Museveni has always resisted peaceful means. Hon. Mao with his colleagues organized around a strong voice, and became household names in every Acholi home during the humiliating war of abrasion.  He ably led a troop of non-combatants who opposed the NRM’s planned annihilation of the people of Northern Uganda.

We all recall the miseries of the 90s, when an articulate and vicious Mao challenged the regime with solid and candid arguments over their plans to radically reduce the northern population by planting a permanent war theatre there. Then Salim Saleh, with his Divinity Union, came for our land, in the pretext that Acholi land could be transformed into “food basket of Africa” amidst the war. 

Apparently, they had marked the entire Amuru to be owned in a long term arrangement by Divinity Union. There were murkier plans than that. What we know now is that Amuru’s potential is not really just a food basket. It is a highly valued oil well, with a rich ecosystem boasting of immense wildlife – a potent for tourism in modern day Uganda. All that wealth, had it not been for the likes of Hon. Mao, Hon Zachary Olum, Hon. Reagan Okumu and others, Amuru would have become an exclusive private estate under the management of Divinity Union as early as the 1990s. Forget that they have now managed to sneak Madhvani in there!

Hon. Mao has fought many battles for peace. Not the kind of wars that Museveni fights – wars of decimation, deportation of citizens into concentration camps, and so forth. Mao fought the ideological wars that eschewed the master plan of annihilation.

In essence, the surviving Acholi population owes their very existence and prevailing peace to the efforts of the able generation of the Mao’s.  To many, they are rightfully Acholi legends, and unsung national heros. They were the leaders that Acholi needed the most, and they performed meticulously to their expectations.

Therefore, the clout that Hon. Mao carries himself with is extraordinary. This explains why I was startled when I read that for all that have passed under the feet of Mababzi while he was a decision maker in this regime, Hon. Mao found forgivenessfor Mbabazi. For me, that is courageous of Hon. Mao. The courage to confront the odious reality when one needed to press the button for accountability, is indeed, statesmanship.

To me, it appears that all those who destroyed this country, will never be made properly accountable. And, it is OK, if the forgiveness, however premature, will get this country to another stage of unity.

The forgiveness from the legend, after-all, is a trade-off, given that JPAM has taken a position as a transition one-term leader, post Museveni era. Even then, I am only guessing from the cue in Hon. Mao’s revelation that JPAM agreed to support his (Mao’s) candidature during the 2021 Presidential Elections.

In the that context, would Mao also forgive Gen. Museveni, Gen. Biraaro, Gen.Kony, Ongwen and others, on my behalf? I mean, Gen. Biraaro, like JPAM, have maintained their defence of the NRA atrocities in Northern Uganda.   Personally, I find it objectionable for such denials, given that the narratives of the over two-decades of mayhem in northern Uganda, are incomplete without an inquest.

Prevailing Peace in Uganda Exposes Museveni’s Anarchism

SOCIETAL VIOLENCE

One of the confusing issues for voters in this campaign is that President Museveni is solely responsible for the prevailing peace in the country. In fact, the prevailing peace has exposed Mr. Museveni’s anarchism and the tendencies to manufacture violence as means of solving problems where peaceful means could suffice. Through violence, Museveni has been able to manufacture consent of unsuspecting voters.

The credit for the prevailing peace in this country should be accorded to the people of Uganda who have scorned violence, the religious and traditional leaders who have mediated for ends to senseless conflicts.

President Museveni should not run a campaign premised on falsehood that he is a champion of peace, whereas he is not. After all, what Ugandans enjoy now, is relative peace, as opposed to a well-deserved absolute peace.

Since independence, Uganda has endured senseless conflicts. To an outsider, Uganda is known for producing cruel savages like Idd Amin, and now a new breed of dictators like Museveni who refuses to leave power, even when his continued tenure is evidently a liability to everything Ugandan.

We have not been lucky with leadership in this country. Amin caused us much pain and indignation; Dr. Obote went to the left, and apparently stole 1980 elections. President Museveni has done everything - even in excess - exceeded all, and remained the active ingredient of violence in Uganda.

Mr. Museveni’s violence can be traced back to his student’s days. Since 1965, the president was involved in forming militant organizations: FRONASA, Uganda Patriotic Movement et cetra. All these organizations were premised on ideology of violence as mode of obtaining social transformation. His predominant narratives are hewed with ingredients of violence and destruction.

Once you embark on studying the various posturing or manifestations of Mr. Museveni, you find no grain of peace and peacefulness in his etic views of society. From his justification of violence using theories and anecdotes from revolutionists while at Dar es-Salaam University, to the practical approach of conscripting children into his NRA ranks, this President has been the most active ingredient of violence in Uganda.

In fact, President Museveni spent nearly 25 years of his rule either fighting, or creating situations that could generate conflict so he could fight. Northern Uganda was a war theatre for two decades. There is no land in East and Central Africa where Museveni’s army has not set foot. Everywhere they went, the attendant violence and destruction of such places, like Bor in Southern Sudan, becomes characteristic.

The violence that characterize election years are always reflective. Promises to crash opponents, return to the bush if not elected, commissioning Police and armed atrocities on opponents to instill fear and uncertainty among the populace. President Museveni always wears military attire and poses for pictures while firing his AK47. Such pictures help to reinvent his image and reputation of violence, and to cement that in the psyche of the population that Mr. Violence is still in charge of this country.

The disappearance of Mr. Christopher Aine, and the arrest of many Go-Forward supporters in Ntungamo and the infamous “poking the “something” “something” of the Leopard” are not isolated incidences. The speculation over the death of Mr. Aine is nothing strange, or far from a possibility. One of the sons of Kifefe was martyred in the same way. After all, every part of Uganda has mass graves and heaps of skulls to show for this regime.

Ugandans should be bold and honest to confront this violence by placing it behind us on February 18^th, 2016. The real active ingredient of insurgency and violence in this country is Mr. Museveni. This, precisely is the reason the country is so tensed up right now with illegal recruitment of militias.

Lastly, the numerous contradictions that he (Mr. Museveni) is not willing to hand over power when defeated at the polls, only signify a possibility for violence. Any prospects of stealing votes this time using any means, including the Biometric Voters’ Verification System, certainly will plunge Uganda into turmoil. Let’s defy.

END

Uganda: 2016 General Elections cannot be qualified as peaceful, free and fair.

#UGDecides2016

The International Election Monitors are in Uganda and they need to be oriented that there will never be a “peaceful”, “free and fair” elections. This will help them when reproducing, or recycling their rather menacing reports that usually concludes that “generally the elections were peaceful, free and fair”.  At least, the 2016 general elections cannot be qualified as peaceful, free and fair.

First, it is important to note that the 1995 Constitution makes it impossible to hold a truly “free and fair” elections anywhere in Uganda. It concentrates too much power in the hands of the President, and it is designed in such a way that an incumbent, when seeking for re-elections, contests as the state - not a Party candidate. 

As such, it is very difficult to separate the incumbent, his Party and the State – they are inseparably fused. The Constitution does not require that an incumbent relinquishes power to a neutral Party, so as to separate the individual or his Party from the State. This is critical. While contesting for the Presidency, this particular incumbent President continues to implement Party programs using State resources - funds his old pledges, orders road constructions, commands extra-judicial arrests of opponents, et cetra.

The second problem is inherent in this concentrated Presidential powers, which makes him the appointing authority of the Electoral Commission. This has entrenched a culture of clientelism and affective ties, enabling the incumbent to exploit patronage for political legitimation. For instance, the President has ensured that key positions in the Electoral Commission are handled by individuals closely related to him. Both the influential positions of Secretary and Spokesperson of EC are handled by his confidantes and Party loyalists.

The third, is the exploitation of affective ties. The President has appointed his son as the head of the elite Presidential Guard. He has appointed his trusted lieutenants, to head the Police, and transformed the Police from a civil force to a partisan NRM Police. Given his continued occupancy as head of state, the President remains commander-in-chief of all these armed forces during elections. He orders, and deploys them to stifle the operations of his opponents. The personalization and ability to deploy the armed forces as he wishes, makes the “fair” from democracy’s free and fair” lexicon, obsolete.

Are the elections free? This question can best be answered by understanding the inherent relational processes that results from the imbued culture of clientelism and exploits of the affective ties. First, all state organs are headed by cronies and cadres of the President. The EC chair attested that EC derives its livelihood from the executive, which compromises its independence.  

Every head of government agency owes their loyalty to the person of Mr. Museveni for their jobs, not the State. During elections, they must organize all their resources to pay back. This is the directive that the Secretary General of the NRM issues to civil servants, to actively support positions taken by the President, even when it is illegal. Second, when the President orders arrest of people who stop his Party members from breaking the law, and such actions leads to the disappearance of  individuals like Mr. Christopher Aine, the head of security for Mbabazi, it is coercion. 

It is a restraining force intended to strike fear and trepidation in the hearts of the voters. Then the Police blocks Opposition candidates with tear gas and shoots indiscriminately at Opposition rallies using live bullets. The impartiality of the Police in elections, makes the entire process devoid of the “free” component in democracy’s “free and fair” lexicon. The manner in which the Electoral Commission has responded to some candidates, in particular, Dr Besigye, demonstrates that they are no longer in charge of this elections. Clearly, EC has capitulated to a subordination under the NRM Police and their illegal “Crime Preventers” intended to bully villagers and supposedly, tinker with the voters’ registry.

END

Can Opondo, Museveni or any Spokesperson be honest?

 

NRM DECEPTIONS

The nearly 30 years of the NRM rule has made us apathetic to two jobs over Siasa – that of organizational Spokesperson, and Political Commissar. The NRM government has taught us that these positions require unconscionable individuals who should lie, manipulate, dupe, disrespect, and deceive people without remorse.

And, it is increasingly conspicuous that the NRM self-perpetuates by adherence to duplicitous means. It nourishes its cadres with falsehood and the attendant cover-up strategies and makes them Spokespersons. That is what the tightly controlled NRM media and public relations are all about. Their job is to procure legitimacy to the false ideology that, unfortunately, has found itself webbed-up in catastrophic contradictions.

Mr. Ofwono Opondo exudes these traits in his articles that are predictable, flat, boring and with little value to public debate because it lacks authentic contents. Opondo appears either malicious, falsifying, condescending, or coercive like a headmaster. There is nothing straight and truthful that he can utter. Everything that comes out of his nib is twisted, or an abridged form of reality. Distortions.

Mr. Opondo’s recent article titled, “Besigye and Muntu should be honest” (Read: DM of January 11, 2016) is in such light. In that article, Mr. Opondo exemplified his characteristic derision, and natural ability to always dump the reputation of anyone who disagrees with their deceptive politics into a greasy political sink, forgetting his own, in his closet. And in the article, his usual subject of ridicule was Presidential Candidate, Dr Besigye. His vain attempt was to deliberately mislead young readers that Dr Besigye personally banned political parties in 1990, whereas it was not. In fact, the important question that we should be asking is, can Ofwono Opondo and his boss, Mr. Museveni ever be honest to Ugandans?

Mr. Ofwono wrote: “By the way it was Besigye as NPC who on October 3, 1990, addressed a press conference and issued a written statement ‘banning’ political party activities in Uganda, and as one of his political officers then, I have kept that statement up to now.”

In this piece, he was being malicious, and blackmailing. The truth of the matter is that no individual in a government, can come up with such a major decision to “ban” political party activities in a country without a consensus from the ruling Party. The banning of the political parties was a fundamental mistake that this country has not yet recovered from. It laid the foundation for the sham electoral processes, commercialisation of elections, and permeated it with violence leading to the endemic corruption in society and failures in government. The root of that decision lies in the falsehood of the NRM ideology and can be traced back to President Museveni’s early desire to become Uganda’s ruler for life.

From inception, Mr. Museveni argued that the major problem of Uganda was sectarianism based on politics that divided Uganda into religion, tribes, chauvinism etc and NRM, as an organization, came up with a spurious solution – ban political parties, install Individual Merit.

By banning political parties, the NRM as a whole planted the false perception that multiparty politics was the cause of conflict in society and yet Mr. Museveni has been the most active ingredient of conflict in our society. NRM ensured that Parties were restricted and it ruled under a single party democracy. This was the basis of the draconian law, Article 269 of the 1995 Constitution that effectively restricted political parties to Kampala headquarters.

It is therefore, a falsification of pathological proportions to attribute “banning“ of political parties, a major turning point in Uganda’s political development, to a single act, of a single bearer of the Office of National Political Commissar.

The truth is that, President Museveni is petrified of fair competitions. That is why he has absconded from the Presidential Candidate Debate slated for January 15, 2016.  Mr. Museveni despises democracy, averse to the truth and rule of law. He evades any moment of public scrutiny and hides behind “peace and security” sloganeering.

Mr. Ofwono Opondo, and his colleagues have made a very bad reputation for the job of Spokesperson. They slaughter the truth without the requisite decorum! Opprobriously!

END

The problem of self-regarding Elites of Uganda

Wishy-Washy ELITES

The online dictionary defines “elites” as “part of a group that is superior to the rest in terms of abilities or qualities” (Refer to Classical Elite Theorists such as Pareto, Mosca, Michel, Mills, Putnam etc).  For this article, elites are those who have attained certain privileges in society, such as higher education, formal employment, exposure to the global common, and individuals who self identifies as intellectuals.  It is expected that people who hold themselves as elites in society are also conscious of their social, economic and political conditions to be able to fulfill their roles in society. Seemingly, a good number of these so-called elites, are either naturally or deliberately unconscious, or are out rightly wishy-washy and too self-regarding to acknowledge the precarious conditions in which Uganda is plunging itself into, as a modern State.  

There is a general consensus among Ugandans that the leadership of President Museveni has been appreciated, but it is in overdose of same under performance. Clearly, given the situation of infrastructure, social services and endemic corruption, the performance, mission and vision of Mr. Museveni has tapered off the curve into a steep decline.  The elite groups should be able to capture and synthesize these obvious trends to enable them set pace for meaningful change. And yet, paradoxically, the Ugandan elite is remote in their demeanor and insensitive to any notion of change.

Obvious trends

Since 1996, the most potent Presidential candidates have emerged from Western Uganda. All of them have been a splinter group from the mainstream NRM. This also shows how well established the NRM is on the ground, given nearly two decades of No-Party Democracy in Uganda. It is important to understand that leaders emerge from within a society to reflect societal aspiration and economic interests. To illustrate that the contemporary Ugandan society is neither critical nor proactive, it has not produced any leadership outside of the traditional contenders – Museveni (NRM) and Besigye (FDC) since 2001. Further, because of the accumulated wealth in western Uganda, the expression of economic interests from this region is more compelling than from any other regions. Therefore, change or no-change, for the groups that associate with this regime, theirs is an in-house thing. It is the people from the North and East of this country, whose expressions of economic interests does not capture the mainstream national sentiments.

This trend gives rise to potentially two parallels; 

One - any Presidential contest has been monopolized by Candidates from Western part of Uganda since 2001, and it will remain so for a while. For instance, both NRM and FDC are led by people from the West and are structured such that, the current leadership and the one thereafter, will be occupied by their own.  Fo instance, currently in FDC, Mugisha Muntu is on standby to replace Dr Besigye; Mbabazi is on standby to replace Museveni. For the NRM, a more elaborate family rule has been anticipated. These patterns reflects the glaring gap both in the unequal distribution of socio-economic privileges, and human resource development in the last 30 years. In other words, for individuals from the North and East to make any serious inroads into national leadership, it will require, on the minimum, two decades of a radical change in the current political and economic formation.

Second – there is the delusional convenience that afflicts the elite groups, making them an obstacle of change. Many of these people who are reluctant to support the forces of change, are deliberately unconscious, illusive, or self-regarding, given their temporary convenience of employment and perks of power. Their real fear is change that would alter such state of minimal appeasement the market for trading their loyalties. This, precisely explains how the elites have become opportunistic and predatory.

The Obvious Choice

Going into 2016, Dr. Besigye is the most experienced, fearless, consistent and dedicated agent of change among the candidates. Besigye draws such humongous crowd out of his charisma as a natural leader. His enduring dedication has adhered him to the masses. Further, Dr. Besigye has been very instrumental in exposing the “bad” and the “ugly” of this regime beyond what other people could have imagined.

Lastly, there has never been a free and fair elections held in Uganda to claim that Besigye “failed” to win. Clamoring on his previous unsuccessful attempts at wresting power from the claws of the Leopard is only subversive to the causes of change. These elites did not expect Besigye to pick up guns to fight the regime for rigging elections. KB has maintained that obtaining power by the gun will further entrench tyranny and deprive Ugandans of experiencing the true exercise of their power, which is the bedrock of meaningful democracy. If these are not exceptional attributes of a capable leader, then who else is better placed to offer alternative leadership to this country?

END

Living in Arrears: A poem

POETRY

Achiri walked in my hut stealthily, today

In the middle of the night, and kindled the old rusty lantern

She called out for me, asking whether I was asleep and OK

I responded to Achiri that I was sleeping but not asleep

Couldn’t she see that I was already sleeping, tucked under my blanket?

Poised for the swiftness of the night to take me asunder

In my silence and growls, and sighs, I was having a nightmare already

I do not have to be asleep in these adverse times to have a nightmare

It just has to be night, and it was declared

How could one sleep without a nightmare?

I have five mouths yawning at me to feed

Four little people who depend on me for their need to be fed

I depend on my paltry civil service salary as a Dad

But my salary is always in arrears

Taking its time

To come late, four, five months at a time

And yesterday, my boss called me to inform me that even for this month

My salary was coming in arrears.

Then I asked my boss whether his was also coming in arrears

For which, he choked on saliva and spat a cogent lie

So, I went to bed early with enough in my mind

I resigned in my retreat and I couldn’t get asleep

Just don’t ask me why, unless you don’t work

I was hiding from my reality, but the nightmare caught up

Then early morning, the landlord came knocking

He, of course, wants his rent

The month had ended promptly without arrears

He wants it now, there and then

I could see that even before his physical presence encroaches my personal space

I waited for evening to come as quickly as it could to salvage me

So I went to bed early again like I always did

How could I have fallen asleep with my life in arrears?

I was in bed by 5pm, covering my head to toes

The radio was on, with news of growth in GDP of 6% annually

I tried even further to ignore it

But that, in itself, was my nightmare

Thereafter, I could only wish that as the darkness peels to dawn

And so the time lapse that stood between now and my salaries

Yes, these days, I go to bed pretty early to sleep, but I never fall asleep

I am a civil servant in a country where the economy grows impressively

But arrears also grows proportionately by the same percentage

Achiri says I should try to sleep over it, not into it

But it is cold, and I shiver.

Achiri’s mother just left us

She does not want to live her life in arrears

Wouldn’t you understand her?

That is the peril of inter-generational marriage

Achiri’s mother would want to look trendy like other women

To hold in her arms, well-nourished and well-dressed children

To sleep in her own house where we are the Landlords

To have a husband that sleeps and endures bright dreams

And yet, all these noble wishes are in arrears

So, I end up sleeping alone, and not falling asleep because I am cold

I am an old and tired civil servant with my life in arrears

I am boring, bold; I live in your area!

End

© 2016 Destiny’s Collection. All Rights Reserved.

Museveni's many lies about industrialization and everything else

FALSE PROMISE

There is an interesting insect in Acholi called Ojot-jot. This insect is seasonal, and it is one of the easiest to dupe into a trap. What one has to do is to simply mimic the sound it makes with the tongue, and the insect will unquestioningly advance towards the sound, thereby falling in traps.

The post conflict Acholi society appears so easy to ensnare like the Ojot-jot insect for President Museveni.  Recently, while campaigning in Gulu, Mr. Museveni pledged to transform Gulu into an industrial hub if given a fifth term mandate.

I am not sure that anyone believed President Museveni. Because I didn’t. I don’t. If some people believed that, then they are as easy to ensnare as the Ojot-jot insect. President Museveni has previously stated that Northerners are like insects trapped in the bottle, busy eating themselves up during the war. While campaigning in the region, Mr. Museveni could have forgotten that he is the chief instigator of wars and violence in Uganda. He apparently, and without remorse, demanded loyalty from the Acholi for ending the LRA war. What an irony!

Many misguided youths are running around the streets misleading the voters that Museveni brought peace in Northern Uganda. For the record, the reverse is true, and it is only unfair to credit Museveni with the prevailing peace in Acholi without duly crediting the Acholi Religious Leaders and MPs such as Hon. Mao, Okumu, Okello Okello et cetra, who pressed hard for a peacefully negotiated end to the war. Museveni had by design, transformed Northern Uganda into a war theatre, and resisted any idea of peaceful negotiations, which set the entire region for annihilation.

The unforgettable squalor in internment camps was not by choice, rather by design. Its everlasting impacts are evident and there is nothing to celebrate about peace. The “peace” that Mr. Museveni is talking about is relative, in fact partial. The society is pretty deeply injured, physically and spiritually. There are widespread cases of un-diagnosed post-traumatic stress syndrome. All the chaos have sunk into the household levels where brothers are killing each other over trivial issues; domestic violence and drunkenness are widespread social problem that attests to an interstitial instability eating up our society, subtly. It is far from Uhuru in Northern Uganda!

Therefore, to speak of industrialization, the President needed to show a National Policy, a strong credential of having industrialized any district in Uganda, and a budget to support that pledge. To me, that pledge was incredibly hollow and imprudent.

The bare truth, the inconvenient truth, is that the President lacks in credentials in industrializing anything – in fact, his tract record is clear, and it is that of de-industrialization.

Look, this government ran down Jinja inits first 10 years in power. Jinja, the now ghostly industrial hub of Uganda, sits at the source of R. Nile, where our major Hydro-electricity has been generated since 1950s.

In 30 years, the President has failed to transform Uganda from a pre-industrial to industrial nation. He has even failed to mechanize agriculture. He is now offering hoes and pangas. Look, Jinja had a factory for hoes and pangas, and it was run down, too.

The post conflict Acholi is a vulnerable society that the NRM has easily duped and fooled like the insect, Ojot-jot. This is what the NRM is good at. They pry on vulnerable minds, moments and a population with packs of empty promises and distortions as ideologies. The promise to industrialize Gulu is one of those baits - hollow pledge. In 30 years, there is no track record anywhere, in any district or Municipality which has industrialized, there are no policies where government is involved in setting up industries since they liberalized the economy. What magic wand would they use to industrialize Gulu? 

I find President Museveni’s pledges in this campaign generally to be deceptive. He is committing to nothing concrete if you paid much attention to his speeches.

END