There’s a thriller book titled “The Lying Tongue” by Andrew Wilson, and also a Bible verse; The Deadly Sins; Proverbs 6-16-19: A Lying Tongue, which God detests. Bobi Wine, otherwise called Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu seeks to out-flank both, and is a let-down in his political message, not that the public expected much from a local musician turning into a political maestro.
Ordinarily it doesn’t serve much useful purpose engaging in chauvinistic diatribe, but Kyagulanyi, president of the National Unity Platform (NUP) party, message last Friday to a crowd in Luweero town on his country tour stop over shouldn’t go unexamined. It was a let-down laced with tribal hate, chauvinism, gregarious lies and generalization from someone aspiring to lead Uganda through a democratic dispensation, stability, unity and prosperity, coming off more as if representing a tribal clan of yester generation, not cosmopolitan diversity.
Today, we get phone calls from scammers impersonating representatives of legitimate organizations to steal confidential information and customer loyalty. In the age of social media, conspiracies have become abound, shared among family, friends, large groups, ourselves, and not very different from what Kyagulanyi is doing in a desperate quest to become Uganda’s president. Many can see him coming as a false and dangerous demagogue who should be neutralized through democratic means.
Probably knowing that NUP supporters are mostly a motley youthful collection, without much factual information, and desperate on many socio-economic fronts, Kyagulanyi sought to consolidate this base by whipping tribal sectarian jingoism. It could also be a reckless provocative to court trouble with a myriad of unsubstantiated accusations bordering criminal libel against President Yoweri Museveni because he has so far been denied since he began the latest fan fair
On the alleged sidelining of Kabaka Ronald Mutebi who never was, and probably would never have been without the personal, direct and policy continuous support from Museveni, Kyagulanyi’s tongue lied to itself. But in any case, while some Baganda cherish their ‘kingdom’ however moribund as it hasn’t in its centuries old existence built one factory to create employment, Kyagulanyi should know that majority of Ugandans don’t consider Kabaka Mutebi a symbol of universal value. Museveni’s policy and administrative intervention on land matters in Buganda to save millions of vulnerable peasants from local sharks cannot be interpreted as ‘aiding land grabbing’.
Being truly unhinged Kyagulanyi went into idle talk alleging that Museveni is non Ugandan citizen, citing what former president Milton Obote said decades ago, but neither saved Obote nor UPC government from collapse. False accusations over citizenship aren’t new in Uganda or Africa, but have never been solution to those seeking power. It’s laughable like claims the diminutive Frederick Chiluba made against Zambia’s founding leader Kenneth David Kaunda, he replaced in 1992. Today, Kaunda’s legacy continues to stand tall in Zambia, Africa and the world while Chiluba isn’t even a footnote. Museveni, 79 and whose lineage is traceable from Kyamate, Ruhama, Ntungamo, Ankole of being a non-Ugandan citizen is the lowest anyone seeking to lead a country can go. In any case those allegations were previously made against Idi Amin, Godfrey Lukongwa Binaisa, and Museveni but didn’t prevent them from making their contributions to Uganda. No one, least Kyagulanyi, will erase Museveni’s good record in Uganda, region, Africa and the world.
Empty accusations that Museveni is a cold-ruthless murderer even when made with hyperbole, have never stood much for anything. Dr. Olara Otunu when still enjoying the global echelons including at the United Nations secretariat accused Museveni and NRM of committing genocide in northern Uganda but it didn’t serve or save Otunu. Everyone today knows that Otunu’s politics and reputation collapsed, is back here eating humble pie without the galore from the battery of CNN, BBC, AFP and Reuters that probably no longer even know his address.
In listing archbishop Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, Gen. Kasirye Gwanga, Dr. Suleiman Kigundu and other Baganda who in Kyagulanyi’s estimation are high profile, he alleged to have recently been murdered by President Museveni, he believes can generate hate and turn Museveni a pariah. Good luck. But the medical reports of many of these deaths do exit although Kyagulanyi is least competent to comments about them particularly when the immediate next of kin haven’t.
Kyagulanyi claimed that because Museveni isn’t Ugandan he doesn’t care about the people of Luweero he supposedly used to climb the power ladder as if Museveni was meant to carry them on his head to prosperity. Many know that Luweero has actually received the most amounts of public resources for affirmative action government programs but wantonly abused and wasted mostly by the same people although the prevailing political correctness doesn’t permit public candidness. It’s not surprising that it has become a cliché song to hold Museveni personally liable as if he was supposed to carry each Ugandan household on his ageing bald head. Regardless, Luweero is among rural districts undergoing massive economic transformation with industrialization not witnessed elsewhere in Uganda. The road networks are equally new and expansive facilitating connectivity and doing business. Luweero veterans have over the years received over 330bn in direct government compensation aside other devolvement programs. Kyagulanyi joins a long list in Buganda including Dan Muliika, Hussein Kyanjo, Nsubuga Nsambu who whenever they face stiff disagreements often retreat into unhelpful chauvinism hoping to whip false support that have invariably collapsed at first test.
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