Dear Mr President, Gen. Kainerugaba, I must call you so, although you haven’t assumed the seat. (Of course, you have exhibited immense presidential powers already).
Sometimes, our parents still see us as children even when they have themselves become children – you know that Shakespearean cycle, “The Seven Ages of Man”! Unlike many other critical Ugandans, while I abhor your ascendancy to the throne, I have come to appreciate my limitations.
I realised so quickly that (a) I am unable to stop your rise as your father worked tremendously well to ensure all opposition groups were thoroughly weakened; and that (b) – and this might shock you – that you are actually the best candidate for this transitional phase and could potentially save Uganda from going the direction of Sudan or Libya.
And I can tell you, brother, so far, your execution is dangerous, thus this open letter. But while I am aware you might miss it, I am confident one or two close associates of yours will read it.
THE BIG THINGS
Procrastination is not just a thief of time, but is also a thief of opportunity. I will say one more time, Mayor Erias Lukwago, LoP Joel Ssenyonyi, Bobi Wine, Miria Matembe, Nation Media Group or my friends Dr Sarah Bireete, and journalist Timothy Karyegira are unable – even if they so badly wanted – to stop you from ascending to the presidency.
You are wasting valuable energy on small things. Your father did just well enough to emasculate all of us. Look at us, no organisation, no nothing! We are all running for dear life.
Thus, embrace your window like a “planned kid,” and don’t flex with us small people. Soldier, the only and actual stumbling block you face, ironically, is the same man who has enabled you to rise.
Don’t allow his doubts about you to eat into your time. Just be smart about it. At this point, if your father still has some dirty work to do, you should not be the one to do it for him. Good soldier, you are wrong or being misled that just exhibiting power cements a presidency.
Sadly, the “small people” over whom this exhibition is happening are darlings of the country. Paul Ssemwogere “lost the election” in 1980, but your father could only work with him, not isolate or threaten him.
Bobi Wine, Erias Lukwago, Joel Ssenyonyi, Ssemujju Ibrahim Nganda, Miria Matembe, Dr Bireete, have major constituencies behind them. You have to change course entirely and seek alliance. These are not your enemies – but rather could help you bring you close to the people.
The same applies to Nation Media Group (Daily Monitor, NTV, and their sister channels). These are the eyes and ears of the people. Nation Media Group Uganda has so superbly performed the function of government oversight way better than our overpaid parliament.
I struggle to understand why you have chosen to court unnecessary bad press – local and international – focusing on small things, which are actually useful to the country!
POWER FOR POWER’S SAKE?
As soon as you finish taking care of your father – and securing the support of the people – you will have to form a government. No, you cannot use Museveni’s government. At least, you might have to reappoint them, and sign them appointment letters.
But forming government means vetting the people you want to run the government. I want to propose that you spend more time thinking about what you will do differently. Are you thinking ideologically or just power for power’s sake?
Which questions is your government seeking to ask and answer? How are you going to make sure the country can generate its own revenue and not be entirely reliant on donor money? How are you going to fight corruption?
You haven’t even concluded the Anita Among case, which you so proudly and loudly opened. Look, your father has a lot of dead wood. Are you planning on keeping them? Are you thinking about their replacements?
What is PLU ideologically? Are there any political economic questions you are seeking to respond to? Look soldier, with the exception of journalists, Andrew Mwenda, Alan Kasujja, lawyer Kiryowa Kiwanuka, and maybe one or two other persons, the country treats most of your associates as simple court jesters.
Even if your plan is to build a North Korea, it begins by having the right people deliver on goods and services. You are simply threatening the best Uganda has. The point I am labouring to make is this: after you have incarcerated all supposedly antagonistic groups (pundits, civil society, activists, critical media), new and angrier voices will definitely emerge.
This is because violence against civil criticism begets even angrier criticism. You have the chance to chart yourself a different path.
yusufkajura@gmail.com
The author is a political theorist based at Makerere University.
This morning , a family friend who knows Mw.Sserunkuma personally and is also based on the hill told me that I should not waste my time commenting on articles that Mr. Sserunkuma puts out.
The person told me : ” Yusuf has been in constant contact with Balam Barugahare ; he is now on a mission that forbids him from listening to anything that his readers say ” . This person goes further to say that Balaam is notorious and smooth ” pimp” who knows how to prepare his recruits .; that Balam takes over from where AAA stopped when her services were no longer need .
The person adds that Mw.Sserunkuma was “deployed ” to visit two particular political prisoners with the mission of convincing them to ” accept the realities” , beg to be pardoned , set free; a reward was attached.
Mbu , Mw.Sserunkuma decided to introduce his bait through having a casual political conversation .He tried to reason that it is much easier to get along with Muhoozi and fight him from within later .Its notable that like Mr.Sserunkuma has repeatedly tried to bait his readers with that deception , he also to trick his targets into believing that Muhoozi will be a weaker foe than his Dad ; then he realized that his “targets” were already too bitter to entertain anything that Mw.Sserunkuma was there to suggest . He abandoned the idea , the idea that he is here to sell to the clueless .(It was after that visit that Mw.Sserunkuma put out an article in which he mentioned that he had an argument with at least one particular prisoner )
I got even more damning information that I have decided to keep to myself .
Having read this article, I am now more than sure that my source was on to something: Mw.Yusuf Sserunkuma has stepped in the red-light zone. He, therefore, has no no need to respect the views of his readers , let alone even recognize our presence . That explains why he doubles down on that Sudan/ Libya crap even he is supposed to know that tyranny and crude personal aggrandizement led to their disintegration .
So , its kind of pointless to say anything more
We wish him luck in his new adventure , See him when we get there
Mr Yusuf you remind of a poor man who is giving advice to a rich man on how to use his money. Mr Yusuf you have been advising the “opposition” on how to capture power from President Museveni for the last 40yrs and the so called “opposition” has failed,now you think you can advise General Muhoozi on how to capture and manage the country! So General Muhoozi should abandon the true living examples of his father President Museveni and his uncle President Kagame on how to capture and preserve power and take up lectures from you. Please tell me this is a joke.
When president Museveni was capturing power in the early 80s he crushed all the opposition, some run out of the country while others were forced to join his government. There was nothing like opposition. There was only NRM. Later after many years the opposition was established under President Museveni terms.
Therefore right General Muhoozi is on the right track, infact he is not even brutal as in the real meaning of being brutal, no one has died yet. He needs to toughen even more and consolidate power right now. The opposing forces should not expect a red carpet to statehouse from General Muhoozi, his job is to make it hard not easy for any opposing force otherwise he will end up in exile. In future he will established a new opposition on his own terms.
Lastly one of the way to know if one has grown wise in Uganda is when you start supporting Museveni when initially you never supported him, welcome on board of the real world Mr Yusuf although it had to take you over 40yrs of President Museveni’s rule to realize it anyway God guides whom he wills.
Sam, we have a Luo saying, “mac nywalo buru” loosely translated: fire gives birth to ashes.
Please do not give false hope to Gen MK and his opportunistic, parasitic and obscurant sycophants. E.g., without the UPDF uniform, MK is a nobody.
In other words, because their fathers hurt very many innocent people, as fate has it; through out history the sons of bloody dictators always end up badly.
E.g., ask Saddam Hussein and Gaddafi from the their unknown, restless graves; where have all their militarily powerful sons gone?
The irony is: while millions of Ugandans are sick and dying for a breath of fresh air, from the 45 years and counting of the bloody and abominable foul in our State House, here comes Dr. Yusuf cheerleading and sanitizing the indelible stain.
Except of course bewitched: Dr., Dr. Yusuf is not only glorifying and worshiping a false god, a self-confessed bloody criminal against Ugandans/humanity; but also volunteering a Presidential Advisory (PA) Public Relation (PR) (false relation) services.
In other words, how can the current abuse of: office, rules of law, power, terrorism (abduction, torture and/or forced disappearances, etc.), become the automatic qualification for BLOODY Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba to become the president of this country.
At least not my president?
A matter of caution to Dr. Yusuf: if a senior citizen like Dr., Hon Miria Matembe, a former ardent supporter of Gen MK dad, our 86-year-old PROBLEM OF AFRICA, could be abducted from a Gym and falsely charged for being sectarian; what will stop a mad wrongdoer, MK from getting Yusuf abducted over the slip of a tongue?
In other words, only a fool will go closer to a megalomaniac!
Otherwise, 50 years and more of the same foul, sights and sound of arrogance are unbearable! It is like living with the inextricable slippery leech parasites on our back and butts: that many Ugandans are desperately looking forward to the day when the Tibuhaburwa’s family are off our backs and our Military Uniform is peeled of Gen MK and father’s back, so that they start picking their own bills and pay for their lunch.