Besigye’s retirement is a big loss for Uganda
By M Suleman
16th January 2012: There is no doubt that the retirement of Dr Kizza Besigye will have massive implications for the ruling NRM, the opposition, and the country as a whole. To begin with, the biggest loser is the NRM/NRA. For sure NRA/NRM will not rule Uganda forever. For sure NRA/NRM during its lengthy civil wars and long stay in power has committed a lot of horrendous crimes.
For sure these crimes will have to be answered and that is why NRA/NRM is reluctant to relinquish power. But given the winds of change blowing over the continent, the NRM cannot be so sure. If the NRM was to fall, the only political leader who can contain the anger of the country against the NRA/NRM is Dr Besigye.
He knows who is who in NRA/NRM. He has demonstrated no lust whatsoever for blood and revenge, but above all, he has the charisma that can prevail over angry Ugandans not to seek an eye for an eye. Given what the NRA/NRM has done to the country, any new leader may not be able to stop angry Ugandans doing what Egyptians and Libyans did.
As far as the opposition is concerned, I think Besigye’s retirement is good for them. Let those in the opposition who feel that they have what it takes to weigh in against Museveni and his cartel give it a try. After the 1996 elections, it became very clear that Uganda had become an Animal Farm. It became clear that unless one was from the ruling class, unless one was from the class that went in the bush, one cannot be allowed to rule Uganda.
From the 1996 elections, it became clear that it was not the support one has, or being the best opposition leader that matters in the struggle for the presidency. It was also not about manifestos, or about age, or charisma, or international approval. In fact, it was about nothing and about no one at all except Museveni himself.
While I salute the fore-sightedness of all the politicians who joined and stayed in the Inter Party Cooperation, I also challenge those who always thought Besigye was seeking power for power’s sake to step forward now and prove their worthiness.
For Uganda, it is a big loss. In Besigye we had a man who joined a militia (NRA) out of patriotism, out of love for his country and people regardless of tribe or religion. In Besigye we had a man who saw and challenged the senseless destruction of people’s lives. In Besigye we had a man who stood for nationalistic ideals, ideals that have now been thrown out of the window and replaced by personal interests. In Besigye we had a man whose message resonated and was accepted across the country.
Whilst he has never ruled it out, over the last few months, Besigye has consistently and publicly refused to support any suggestions of an armed struggle to remove the NRM dictatorship from power. His consistent view has been that removing Museveni using the gun not only costs lives but also offers no guarantees that the new Generals will not turn out to be as bad as some of Museveni’s Generals.
As a nation, we are therefore losing a highly brilliant Ugandan, one who understood Ugandan’s socio-political and economic problems and had the home-grown solutions to resuscitate the country. END: Please login to www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories and anytime mid-week for our news updates.
What a nice article.
we shall miss KB, but believe it or not he has done his part and played it very well for all of us to see and learn. People still had hope and believed in him.
long live KB, alluta continua!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
Suleman has written an article that bemoans the departure of Kizza Besigye. The article shows his total belief in KB and all that he stands for. I believe there are many people in FDC and Uganda who think alike. Unlike opportunists who rushed into FDC hoping that Museveni was going to fall immediately KB went back to Uganda and challenged Museveni, I speak from the position of an independent Ugandan who personally beg to differ because I do not think Kizza Besigye is what most common people think he is. First I strongly disagree with the leadership skills and political clouts acccorded him. I think those who hurriedly joined FDC due to lack of historical understanding of our country’s political development and social settings must realise that their leader was a founder member of NRM and the first Political Commissar of the party that has reduced our country to ashes. KB is a qualified medical doctor who took professional oath to protect lives not to dash to the bush to destroy them. He out of nowhere decided to join the mad band who could not reconcile their loss in the 1980 election or opt for a legal remedy. In the bush, KB as the NRM Political Commissar and the physician to Y K Museveni was the architect of the killer strategies that put in place the NRM machinery of murder and utmost brutalities against innocent Ugandans until achievement of power and after. KB’s disagreement with his co-killer was based not on political grounds but on social issues which most Ugandans do remember. KB has never renounced his membership of NRM and is known to be secretly communing with Yoweri about the crime against humanity they commited against the people of Uganda. People must remember that by the time KB left Uganda to go for a self styled exile in South Africa, he had already put in place the most destructive strategy of elimination of Acholi and Langi by moving them into the Internally Displaced Persons’ Camps(IDPCs)which saw the death of very many innocent people in the North. He played on people’s emotions when he saw the situation getting out of hand in the camps and all over the country where their killer machine was ruthlessly mowing down innocent people like the youths burnt alive in the train wagons in Teso and Museveni had encroached into his social territory with such insulting impunity. As leader of FDC,KB showed no clear leadership thoughts, focus and sense of direction. He does not potray a leader with strategic foresight and ability to plan coherently. His actions as a leader is full of incoherence, trial and error moves,silent fear and lack of consistancy and self confidence hence he has been trying everything without clear vision. The latest mishap is the walk to work strategy which was started as a national political protest against bad governance but ended up being used as a protest against fuel pricing. What a mess. No focus and no sense of direction. Prior to the 2012 election he had boasted that he had put in place his party structure’s grassroot networks which will make it difficult for Museveni to rig the election and if the election was rigged, they will make it difficult for Museveni to govern. That has not happened. The half-hearted walk to work was centred around him not a mass mobilisation across the country as it could be. Always started from his house and ended near it. He did not want the all opposition party front without him leading. There are murmurs that Besigye and Museveni have held secret meetings and resolved to distrub Museveni’s government which is protecting both of them against being charged for mass murders they commited in Luwero and across the country. Kiiza Besigye has been playing Fox and Dog game with Museveni. Ugandans should keep their evidences for the court when times comes. Praises of a leader who have lost many elections shows how narrow minded one is.
Cpl. kale KayiHura. will never stop or divert the hostile multiple rocket fire and mortar projectiles from landing between the dictator’s legs or on the roof of his bed room when that day comes. The Ugandan ex commandos are watching the situation and examining the best strategic positions for trapping the criminals.
Besigye has done the right thing.He has pointed out the way to Ugandans and it is now up to us to follow.He is not a coward and much as he knew all about NRM operation,he chose to step dowm.He is going to be a very good elder and good advisor to us Uganda. He trully has Uganda at heart because he is one of us.I am very proud to say that in Uganda history Dr Besigye has been the best leader with wisdom. He has acted like King Solomom. He could no longer tolerate to see how Uganda as a country is being destroyed in the hands of NRM, and the best he could do is to step down for the sake of the people.I believe that he will gain back that which we think he has lost. Before his retirement he made a very strong remakable statement He said”Let us support Federalism System of govrement in U ganda for appropriate and true reason because Federalism is not,in and of itself a solution to all political problem.All the previous and the current political leaders have not made such a steatment as he deed.Most of these political leaders have some hidden agenda and will manifest it self when they come to power.Even if tomorrow NRM is out,it is true that The army will want to rule by force unless the public say no and elect their leader.
Besigye be rest assured that Ugandans love you and will call you back at the right time.For now just keep calm and do not let the fire within you and for your country dies.