Letter for Bobi with best advice he needs to hear

By Abbey Ssemuwemba

Dear Hon.Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine,

Most of us are so happy that you’ve finally got bail, and now able to be with your family and, most importantly, get treatment for your wounds. There are many politicians out there, and many musicians hoping to join politics, but it looks like, for now, God has picked you for a major role to shape the politics in our country. I’m assuming you have an interest in becoming a president at some point. I hope the contents of this letter will serve to inspire and enlighten you on the way, and to fully prepare you for the journey that lies ahead.

A lot of opportunists , or ill-informed people, are going to tell you to drop any cooperation with Kiiza Besigye, if you want to shine. That will be a mistake. Opposing a dictator is like building a skyscraper, and it requires a well-connected team in place, and, trust me, there’s no leader in opposition with as many connections as Besigye. This is partly because he has been in the game for a while now. Just like in construction, behind building a skyscraper, there’s usually a plan drawn up by an architect. You can’t put the roof on until you’ve got something in place to support it, like walls. So you get your bricks in first, and the roof can go on afterwards. Then you gonna need a quantity surveyor, because unless you literally own Bank of Uganda, like Museveni does, you’re probably going to be conscious of the costs. So, It’s a good idea, before you start anything, to know if you can afford to build whatever it is that you’re going to build. Otherwise, you might be facing financial ruin. You’re still an independent MP without any political party, no proper network on the ground. So, you need other parties to help you as much as possible.

Being a good opposition politician for me is about three different things. It is about valuing work done by already those opposing the government. It’s about negotiating with the government over some crucial issues. It’s about project management in order to add value throughout the lifespan of the opposition process. Now, the opposition in Uganda is a giant beast with many different facets. It’s not easy to know who is genuine and who is not. This is something you’re going to work out yourself over the years, like Besigye did. Over the years, you are also going to learn that Museveni isn’t a president because he is loved by majority of Ugandans or wins elections fairly, but he is president basically because he knows how to manage the system and the little numbers(in and outside Uganda including donors) supporting him, or around him. I think it was Einstein who said, ‘not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted, counts’.

You’re going to be attempted with bribes by the government, if it’s not already happening. Please, never be corrupt, because you will be found out by the people whether you meet Museveni at night alone or not. You will also probably experience the bully factor. Somebody in the govt is going to speak to you on TV or privately like you’re nothing; and you’ll be expected to dance to their tune. Don’t stand for it. Use all your charm, communication skills, and powers of persuasion to get them to play fair. A lot of ministers work on the old adage that ‘might is right’. It’s not. ‘Right is might’. If you’re in the right, then stick to your guns, and get them to see sense, even if they bring in more SFC soldiers to teach you another physical ‘lesson’.

Like I said before, you’re likely to be subjected to whatever Besigye has been through. You will be arrested again at some point, and you will get bail again. You will be isolated, you will be spied on,e.t.c. Once you’ve chosen the right side you think is ethically in the right, you will be OK. I think Gandhi, previously being a lawyer, once said, if you’re in the right, the law nine times out of ten, will come to your aid.’ Personally, I think God will come to your aid whenever you choose the right side. Byebyo munange!