The Chant of Savant

Saturday 3 April 2021

Like Kivengere to Amin, I Dearly and Faithfully Love Museveni

Responding to my open letter to President Yoweri Museveni in the Daily Monitor, some people owlishly and iniquitously accused me of hating His Excellency. How can I, in the first place, hate a good dude like Yowe? Who am I to hate a lad of God from Rwakitura? I know. His hecklers call him a dictator, and many names. Others say he’s a bad.  Ask ‘em why. They say because isn’t good. They say he’s bad because he’s bad. For, my part, I neither call him a democrat nor dictator but the son of God. How many Ugandans and others remember the late Festo Kivengere, especially his masterpiece “I love Idi Amin?” Janan Luwum, the late prelate who defined the commitment of the men of the cloth to fighting injustice even under a coldblooded dictator like Amin?             Essentially, Kivengere wrote his book not to show his hatred to Amin. He did so to show his love for a person who misruled UG as if he’d live forever. Although in this case, Mr. Museveni, whom I love and follow dearly is different from Amin, there are some commonalities. Amin and Museveni are Ugandans, presidents who grabbed power after evidencing some weakness in the upper echelons of power. 
     Secondly, they both pulled the mass after becoming presidents; and were acclaimed like heroes on the days they pulled down the regimes of their predecessors. 
    Thirdly, they promised a lot of positive changes thereof.  Fourth, equally, though in different styles, they both didn’t make good on all of their promises not to mention not being aware about how hoi polloi viewed them.
Fouthly, the duo had connection with Julius Nyerere of Tanzania though antithetically whereas one’s cloned and the other destroyed. This connection with Tanzania’s a lot to do with the history of Uganda, especially after the Tanzanian People’s Defence Forces (TPDF) supported Amin’s opponents to wage the war that saw him going to exile after his army’s badly defeated in 1978; thus pulling his regime down unceremoniously. Another fact is: Uganda is the only country on earth that hosts many more Tanzanians than any. Similarly, many Tanzanians who visit or got to Uganda for studies and other reasons feel more at home in UG than in any country in the East Africa Community and Africa generally.
Now, let me tell why I love Museveni whose foes love to hate. Like Kivengere on Amin, Museveni’s a good guy whom many misconstrue. Do you know that even Amin’s comportments many don’t know? Ask for any Ugandan who knows how much Amin fleeced from the public coffers. You’ll get nobody. This shows how Amin’s trustworthy when it comes to public lolly. Comparably, Amin’s better than the likes of Jommy Kinyatta who used presidency to enrich himself, Joseph Mobutu, Congolese aberrant who turned the country into his private estate, Felix Houphouet-Boigny (Ivory Coast) who pauperised his country by building a basilica in his hamlet not to mention the zaniest Jean Bedel Bokassa (CAR) who crowned himself emperor spending a big chunk of the national budget on his hogwash emperorship. 
Apart from his being a wholesome guy, I love Museveni for doing Uganda a favour. Guess what. When he took over many decades ago, he promised Ugandans he’d not overstay in power. He knew how abhorrent this is. Again, for the fear that Amin and the likes would return and recapture power and terrorise UG, Museveni decided, out of great love, to soldier on to see to it that Uganda is always safe.  Instead of turning Uganda into his private estate, using office to hoard wealth, build  a basilica or anything like it in Rwakitura or crowingly unction himself Uganda’s emperor or president for life, Museveni decided to serve the people from the above-mentioned looming danger. Who wants the Amins to come back from their tombs and destroy beloved Uganda? Being a good guy, I once heard him complaining that whenever he wants to call it a day, the NRM compels him to stay on. Whoever hates him, for this revelation, the penny will drop. For, being a good guy who respects the authority, Museveni, against his will, has been in power for a while, which his detractors use to call him a tyrant, which he’s because of the NRM, without knowing the reasons why he’s been in office for such long. What’d you do if you’re him? If he were a bad guy who disrespect authority, he’d have been in retirement many years ago. Is it wrong for me to love such a democrat really?
I love Museveni for his love of everything. Have you ever hearkened or seen him  beautiful talking about his cows? The other day, I heard him saying that cattle are his relatives. Museveni loves cows dearly the same way he loves Ugandans. Knowing his love of almost everything including mama Janet and family, how can any God-fearing type like myself hate Museveni?
Another reason I love Museveni’s nothing but his mission, to be precise, the one the NRM gave him to complete not to mention the other of uniting the East and Central region to complete the message that Mwl Nyerere didn’t actualise. With such big missions and visions, can any sane person hate Museveni? I once heard Museveni telling those who want him to relinquish power to think twice. For, he doesn’t only have the mission but somewhere to retire and look after his  dear cattle. Museveni’s love for Uganda and the EAC’s caused him a lot of suffering politically.  Let me wind up with this piece by quoting Kivengere in that “on the cross Jesus said ‘Father, forgive them, because they don’t know what they are doing.’ As evil as Amin was, how can I do less toward him?”  Like any human being, Museveni will one day die or became senile to rule. Then, why hate him instead of loving him and pray that he understands this natural science?
Source: Sunday Monitor

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