My Ugandan jaw dropped. Here were locals who had protested and successfully halted a major development. Today, the injunction remains. The site stands empty. Towards Malawi’s historic presidential election rerun this June, Malawians led by civil society organizations and the opposition protested regularly, calling for the resignation of the Electoral Commission boss, Jane Ansah. Her crime?
Failing to deliver free and fair elections! Whenever civil society and the opposition called for a protest, people turned up, not just two or three career activists and a few street dogs. No; thousands of real people turned up. During one of the numerous protests, I chanced upon the protesters marching through Lilongwe; cars were idling in the traffic jam waiting politely for the protesters to give way, while (hold your breath), police officers nonchalantly looked on.
My Ugandanness marveled like Bazungu who gape at our daredevil boda bodas. It especially infuriated the protesters anytime the police teargassed them. The Malawians seemed unaware that more than Covid-19, protests kill and swiftly.
As a Ugandan, I was bewildered. Is it not the sworn duty of a ’good cadre’ police to employ excessive zealous force, teargas protestors, spill some premium protestor blood, manhandle journalists covering the protests, beat and drag protestors and bystanders to ‘safe custody’, and use live ammunition against unarmed civilians? The Malawian opposition for the presidential election rerun formed an alliance backed by civil society.
The alliance was fruitful; it had a significant proportion of Malawians backing it, and it lacked that essential component of state-sponsored intimidation. The solution, therefore, for the long suffering Ugandan opposition is clear. Our opposition needs expatriates to support it, Malawian expatriates.
On October 2, Joseph Kabuleta, a contender for the presidency, rubbished my deep-seated optimism that a galvanized opposition can unseat the incumbent President Museveni. Kabuleta argues that flooding the race with many contenders will whittle away at Museveni’s votes, as apathetic voters will have more choices.
Thus, Katumba oyeeeee. Opposition politics in Uganda is not for the fainthearted pussyfooting Ugandan. It is not for bleeding hearts who seek world peace and the meaning of life. It is not for us desktop warriors (for that is the bush we have chosen) arguing ferociously on social media. It is for people who probably chew glass ‘for just.’
Like the patron saint of Uganda’s hounded opposition, Kizza Besigye, life is clearly not interesting enough for them. They yearn for prison, relentless online trolls, endless court cases, teargas and pepper spray in their soft parts and some very dead Ugandans on their conscience.
Do we even still remember the strange comedy of errors that was Besigye’s rape case or was that our Ugandan comedic imagination? National Unity Platform’s Kibalama Nkonge disappeared, then resurfaced in UPDF custody, which UPDF initially denied knowing him, then later clarified that they still did not know him.
Kibalama now sits pretty in his house heavily guarded by state security ‘as thou’ he is a ‘Nantaba.’ His claims of $5 million as the price of an obscure political party reminds me of that girl in my primary school who enthralled us with tales of her father’s car – it was apparently powered not by fuel but Omo washing powder.
With 2021 hot on our Covid-weary heels, the opposition is outgunned (pun intended), as usual. Some unpatriotic Ugandans even wonder why we bother with elections. Bobi Wine stands accused as a usurper, too young, too druggy, too backed by homosexual outside countries to be president.
Besigye, seems torn between giving up on you elitist Ugandans or reverting to chewing broken glass. Thanks to the police, FDC’s Patrick Amuriat is no longer forgotten. As for the Democratic Party, if only it was sharp as the tongue of its leader, Norbert Mao. Mugisha Muntu’s Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) lacking dramatic chaos, preaches on the need for structures, preparing for life beyond Museveni.
For their calm coherence, ANT suffers, muddied as an NRM mole. Uganda People’s Congress is gunning for that dead party slot. Kasita, Uganda House still stands. Ugandan bazukkulu, while Malawi offends us with its success, the solution is clear. Tusaba gavumenti etuyambe. Bring in Malawians to support our opposition.
The author is a tired muzukulu, who is tired of mediocrity and impunity