“Historicals” — Museveni, Sejusa, Besigye; the latter two are on the right side of history
[Commentary: Towards Democracy In Uganda]
Having realized the dangers being posed by his war-time comrades, also known as National Resistance Movement or “NRM Historicals,” as they start to actively withdraw their support from his dying presidency, Uganda’s dictator Gen. Yoweri Museveni has sought to neutralize and weaken their capacity to politically engage with the wider Ugandan population.
He had physically denied them political space in any manner or form. In his mind, Gen. Museveni is haunted by the fear of his former Comrades aligning with the countrys political opposition in a bid to topple his regime; and so, within the NRM party, Museveni is deploying divide-and-rule tactics.
He is making the so-called young generation loyalists, mainly hand-picked “yes”-men and “yes”-women, to frustrate the political ambitions of the former bush war fighters. He is also actively using the NRM party Electoral Commission, headed by Tanga Odoi, to rig the “Historicals” out of politics all together.
Who in his right mind believes this can work for long?
The daring and cryptic statement made by the chairperson of the NRM electoral commission, Tanga Odoi, that NRM historicals should ‘go and hang,’ is believed to have been made with the full endorsement of Museveni himself.
This public denigration and humiliation by Museveni of the men and women whose sacrifices in the Luweero Triangle bush war enabled him to come to power in the first place, follows increasing criticisms and condemnation from many “Historicals” against what they see as Musevenis run-away dictatorial tendencies and his fanatical quest for a family-centered, rather than people-centered, political hegemony.
For many of these NRM “Historicals,” the last straw has been the sole-candidacy debacle, as well as Musevenis increasing flirtation with the idea of “one-family” politics and the repulsive “Muhoozi-project.” Only a coward would rather eliminate his opponents then allow the voters to select the best person to lead.
This, in addition to the cacophony of many other misplaced political machinations and maneuverings by the dictator, which have led to increased political strife and instability in Uganda.
As a result, many of Gen. Musevenis former comrades-in arms, have decided to turn their backs on a man they perceive to be power-hungry. He is seen to have betrayed the core principles and aims that took them to the bush in the first place.
A number have joined the struggle to dismantle the Gen. Museveni regime, following in the footsteps of the likes of General David Sejusa, the Chairman of Free Uganda (FU) and National Coordinator of the Platform to Rescue Uganda (PRU).
Other war-time fighters like retired Colonel Kizza Besigye are already in the thick of the battles for a new democratic Uganda without Gen. Museveni.
In an attempt to hoodwink Ugandans to support his continued stay in power, Gen. Museveni has now gone into over-drive offering carefully-selected loyal youths ministerial jobs and high-ranking positions in state house, as well as in the police, army and, most especially, in the Special Forces Command (SFC), which also acts as the presidential guard and is commanded by none other than the Presidents own son Brigadier Muhoozi Kaneirugaba.
Ministerial jobs have gone to fanatical proponents of the sole-candidacy drive, like: Frank Kagyigyi Tumwebaze, who is famed for carrying out special missions assigned to him by Museveni meant to destroy any signs of democratic opposition within or outside of NRM; and, Evelyn Anite, the young lady who shamefully knelt down at the now infamous NRM Party Kyankwanzi meeting to “beg” the partys caucus to endorse Gen. Museveni as the sole candidate for the post of flag-bearer in the 2016 elections.
NRM top party jobs have been awarded to the likes of Richard Todwong and Justine Kasule Lumumba, who are being rewarded for stifling any signs of democratic practice within the NRM party and for spreading the gospel of “Museveni-sole candidacy” across the country.
The falsity of this phantom “inter-generational transfer of power” concept lies in its fake core principles, which so evidently point to nothing but absolute loyalty to Gen. Musevenis vision of forcefully extending his stay in power as he sets out to create a Museveni family dynasty in Uganda.
All these youthful political, military and security functionaries can only qualify for office if: they are 100% loyal to Museveni, fully supportive of his sole-candidacy as flag-bearer of the NRM party in the 2016 elections; they are behind the Museveni Family-Project as regards to who can inherit the presidency should anything happen to The Sole Candidate in the years to come; and, they are frenetically opposed to any form of democracy in the politics of Uganda.
These attributes, even in the eyes of a 10 year old child, do not represent any real intention, on the part of Gen. Museveni, to transfer political power from the older generation to the young generation, in a way that is inclusive of all Ugandan citizens.
No wonder, then, that Gen. Musevenis own former war-time Comrades are up in arms against these dangerous political game plays by him and are determined to stop it. After all they know the man better than anyone else and have observed him at close range as he diverted from every single principle that the bush war was about.
The NRM “Historicals” have indisputable reason to feel betrayed by Gen. Museveni in a political journey, where, instead of establishing a lasting and sustainable democratic dispensation, he set out to consolidate power in his own hands, and continues to entrench power in hands of his own extended family.
The Luweero Triangle bush fighters feel even more betrayed and pained when they realize that they created a monster who is now terrorizing and destroying the Ugandan nation at will.
In a recent public communication to his fellow NRM “Historicals”, General David Sejusa, the Chairman of Free Uganda (FU) and National Coordinator of Platform to Rescue Uganda (PRU) was brutally honest when he reminded his colleagues that they, the NRM “Historicals”, brought Gen. Museveni to power and now they have the patriotic duty to remove him and save Uganda from total destruction.
By the look of things many Historicals are heeding General Sejusas call.
Dr. Vincent Magombe, is Secretary Free Uganda Leadership Committee; Press Secretary
FU; and, head of Diaspora Mobilisation Platform to Rescue Uganda (PRU)
