I don’t normally criticise politicians in opposition (minus Bobi), but I’m sick to my back teeth, of people asking Norbert Mao to drop his war with NUP. I understand where Brother Erias Lukwago (whom I respect so much) and others are coming from here, but let’s not pretend to a consistency that doesn’t exist, or fall into the trap of defending the indefensible because Museveni is somehow also benefiting from such fights or misunderstandings. I refuse to accept that ignoring illegalities in NUP — allegedly protected by the state, is anything other than making the same moral error in reverse. Refusing to debate something does not mean it does not exist.
Whilst there is genuine disgust at the way FDC have been hounded in the past by Mao, Abed Bwanika and several others now in NUP, the issues relating to NUP as a party should concern everyone who’s pioneering democracy in Uganda.
There is a certain level of moralising that just isn’t correct. Selective amnesia is a big issue at the moment. People who give a damn generally give a damn about anyone and everyone. When Mao and Bobi were attacking Kiiza Besigye at the DP reunion in 2019, I didn’t see DP or NUP supporters criticizing them. But now he has turned his guns on their demi- god, their tails are up.
And the hypocrisy is really easy to explain too. NUP is being looked at as a child still teething that should be protected, but it has messed up the opposition big time.
The first stage of dealing with a problem is admitting you have one. Bobi is a problem in the opposition but he has followers, and this should be discussed. He is like a bad pastor in the country with a huge following. People love and hate who they’re told it’s OK to love and hate — told, that is, by politicians, tribes mate, the media, and celebs of all types. But it’s about focus and integrity, really.
It’s very possible that Bobi and NUP are the work of Museveni, and this shouldn’t be ignored anymore. I recall that in WWII the US government had no problem contacting the mafia in order to work out a deal to prevent union problems in the docks. I also read that in the 19th Century New York Politicians protected various gangs as they were useful at election time. I think that’s where the movie, ‘Gangs of New York’ emanated from.
If Americans, the champions of democracy, managed to crack deals with gangs, I see no reason why Museveni could not do so with a musician and his Firebase team, as both a short and long term strategy to weaken the opposition and ease his son into power.
Just think about it, here we are all falling out with ourselves over Bobi’s endless photo shoots, Hon. Zaake and the juicy positions in parliament, but, in the meantime, Mr. Muhoozi’s visits to Rwanda, Muhoozi ‘s retirement from the army, high prices of goods, Ukrainian war, etc., are topics rarely discussed. Is it all part of a big plan to make us more distracted and subservient?
Just absolutely a melting pot for fascism to eke its way in and there will be possibly some of these NUPs quite well instructed in encouraging it. These discrepancies are so glaringly and disgustingly obvious that you’d have to be wilfully ignorant to be able to ignore them.
Enough said rant over.
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