{UAH} Why , More Than Ever, Uganda Needs A Binaisa In State House - Obbo
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Charles Onyango Obbo
Why, more than ever, Uganda needs a Binaisa in State House
Posted Wednesday, August 21 2013 at 01:00
In Summary
The presidency fell on Binaisa's lap like manna from heaven. He didn't work for it. But once in State House, he liked the thing...
Slowly, the politics of 2016 is beginning to take shape. President Museveni has made a soft launch of his campaign, schmoozing with long-neglected veterans and plying Buganda monarchists with mea culpas.
Also, The Monitor reports that Opposition tree shaker Dr Kizza Besigye and "renegade" Gen David Sejusa, once sworn enemies, recently broke bread together in London. From London, Sejusa declared that to beat Museveni, the Uganda opposition needs to radically reorganise.
What all this reminds us is that winning and keeping power, or trying to take it from the Big Man in State House, is hard and dangerous work. And that is part of Uganda's problem and why our leaders tend to be bad. Because they put so much effort and take high risks to get power, they come to office with a Messiah complex. They feel that because the regime they removed was so hopeless and cruel, they "saved" the country from it, hence they are saviours. Thus when First Lady Janet Museveni said during the 2001 campaigns that her husband's work had been cut out for him by God, you can understand where it came from.
Secondly, they also feel that they earned the power through their sweat and blood. That their victory was possible because of their individual perseverance and clever strategising, not the sacrifice of the thousands of their rebel fighters who are killed, and supporters who are imprisoned, tortured, or exiled. Therefore, they don't feel a sense of gratitude, or the need to honour the sacrifice of the many by way of fair distribution of development and opportunities, and building a free and democratic society.
That is why I think that to unleash its energies and end the cruelties that still persist in the Museveni era, Uganda needs a president like the late Godfrey Lukongwa Binaisa. Binaisa, who was president for just about a year between 1979 and 1980, was unique that he was the only leader Uganda ever had who didn't come to power through taking up a gun, conspiring, stealing votes, or scouting for the job.
After the National Consultative Council (NCC) of the Uganda National Liberation Front (the coalition that took power after the fall of military dictator Idi Amin) removed Yusuf Lule after just 68 days from office in June 1979, they settled on Binaisa as successor. There are many stories about what happened next, but my favourite (which is probably the wrong one) is that the NCC sent soldiers to pick up Binaisa from his daughter's flat on Jinja Road. The good man was on the balcony smoking.
As he left, some suspicious members of his family were wailing, and looking to put announcements in the media that he had been abducted by unknown men in military uniform. They only calmed down when they learnt that he had been sworn in as president.
The presidency fell on Binaisa's lap like manna from heaven. He didn't work for it. But once in State House, he liked the thing and declared famously that the "chair [had become] sweet". Binaisa's presidency was nothing like the country had ever seen. It was a chaotic, nearly-lawless, and free-wheeling period. Journalists like Kakooza Mutale (later NRA/UPDF rogue major), would publish the most blasphemous stories, be hauled in for questioning, and would be back the following even doing more controversial stories. It was a free for all.
Binaisa's greatest contribution to politics, was also his biggest fault. He didn't take the job too seriously. That was the source of his downfall, but in the process he also taught us that you don't have to kill for the presidency.
A Binaisa confidante told me a story that I have had occasion to write about before, involving him and Museveni in 1980. Although Museveni had played a key role in installing Binaisa in State House, the bald-headed one later removed him from Minister of Defence and appointed him Minister of Regional Cooperation.
Museveni had come back to town as leader of the FRONASA group, he was a "fighter". He felt that Binaisa had demoted and belittled him. One day in early 1980 there was a big rally in Mubende. Binaisa and Museveni were in the house.
At one point, Binaisa stood to go to a makeshift presidential washroom. It was a special unit, and only the president was supposed to pee there. As he entered it, Museveni – who was not supposed to be there – emerged. He shoved Binaisa aside and returned to the pavilion. What do you think Binaisa did? He just shrugged it off! Imagine what would happen to a minister who fluked the presidential washroom today.
We need someone who will return a sense of humanity and proportion to the presidency. We need a Binaisa. Otherwise the viciousness, theft and political dirty games will continue.
cobbo@ke.nationmedia.com & twitter:cobbo3
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