{UAH} IS BOBI WINE A POTENTIAL NATIONAL LEADER OF UGANDA OR A POLITICAL ACTIVIST?
|
5:04 AM |
No comments |
IS BOBI WINE A POTENTIAL NATIONAL LEADER OF UGANDA OR A POLITICAL ACTIVIST?
By Oruni Oloya.
The time is fast approaching when Ugandans will know whether Hon Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine is a political leader of national significance or a mere political activist who got elected to parliament. We need to get to the heart of the issue regarding Bobi Wine's leadership or lack of it.
Let us face it, the only decision which Mr Kyagulanyi has so far made which has some national consequence was to run for election as member of parliament for Kyandondo East. That was a momentous decision which saw him get elected to Parliament and put him in the national limelight. As an outspoken and courageous critic of president Yoweri Museveni , Mr Kyagulanyi is riding atop the hysterical desire for change which is sweeping the country and declared his intention to run for president in the 2021 election. The main question is whether there is a pathway for Hon Kyagulanyi to rise to the top and how he will unite the country behind his presidential candidacy and possible presidency?
The first hurdle in the path of Bobi Wine is he does not have a political party. People Power at best is a pressure group. He could stand as an independent candidate but that pathway is fraught with uncertainty. For starters President Museveni could orchestrate a law stopping independent presidential candidates. There is also the argument that the People Power (PP) pressure group does not have a formal capacity to give Bobi Wine strong and structured support. Thirdly, there is the question of Bobi Wine's lack of experience although his supporters argue that a president Bobi Wine will have many advisers who will help him run the country. However, it is highly unlikely that Bobi Wine's presidential ambitions will amount to anything more than mere wishes unless he can either build from scratch the political party that can help him achieve his ambitions or somehow get one of the opposition parties to sponsor his presidential bid . So what are Bobi Wine's options?
Bobi Wine has so far not demonstrated any acumen for managing the process of organisational governing and governance of political mass mobilisation never mind managing its outcome through a systematic, coherent and structured approach . He has so far failed to transform the People Power pressure group into a viable vehicular organisation for strong, structured and dependable political mass mobilisation. Instead it appears that some supporters of people power who are currently members of opposition parties especially the Democratic Party have resorted to intrigue and plotting as a means to bolster Bobi Wine's chances of rising to the top.
According to Hon Muhammad Mwanga Kivumbi the DP chairman and MP for Butambala County one of the objectives of the 2018 DP reunion was "to create room for people power and Mr Kyagulanyi to operate within the Democratic Party". In reality it is highly unlikely that DP can give the presidential flag to Bobi Wine unless he either first joins DP and become a member of the party or if he negotiates a memorandum of understanding with the DP party. Otherwise the chance of Bobi Wine running for president on DP ticket is worse than the famous chance of Ms Betty Nambooze becoming Miss Uganda. Political parties simply do not operate that way. No political party can allow a non member to lead the organisation except through a formal merger, coalition or allegiance. And that is where Bobi Wine needs to demonstrate his leadership skills if he has any and rise to the occasion. Instead of allowing the reported intrigues which is currently engulfing the Democratic Party in his name to continue with smears and plots against the leadership of President General Norbert Mao, Mr Kyagulanyi should seize the initiative from the plotters around him, take control of himself and his leadership and seek formal dialogue with Mr Nobert Mao and the Democratic Party and all other opposition parties. Ugandans are striving to end the politics of opportunism in favour of politics of values and principles. Bobi Wine should not tolerate disguised Suubi particularism masquerading as DP parliamentary caucus to be associated with him. If he does , he will go down the same way of Abu Mayanya and Benediction Kiwanuka the two foremost leading Ugandans from Buganda who founded the first two political parties in Uganda. In 1952 Abu Mayanya founded the first political party the Uganda National Congress (UNC) while still a student at Makerere. Four years later in 1956 Benediction Kiwanuka founded the Democratic Party (DP). The duo were the leading political leaders in Uganda in the run up to independence ; it was Abu Mayanya who singlehandedly chose Milton Obote in 1959 to lead the UNC the party he founded which thereafter transformed into UPC. Meanwhile as first prime minister of Uganda Ben Kiwanuka led Uganda to self government in 1961. However, at independence in October 1962 both Kiwanuka and Abu Mayanya had been pulled down by their own fellow Baganda because of narrow minded self interest. Dr Milton Obote would never have become the prime minister to lead Uganda into Independence had some selfish Baganda around Mengo never pulled Ben Kiwanuka down because he was a Catholic and became Ben Kiwanuka correctly warned the Kabaka Mutesa to stay constitutionally above and out of politics. Instead the parochial courtiers at Mengo managed to plunged the Kabaka centre stage into politics by first founding the party for the Kabaka Yekka (KY) before they hatched the infamous KY/UPC Alliance between the Kabaka Mutesa and Dr Apollo Milton Obote, in order to serve their main interest for self aggrandisement. They, like the current Suubi mafia hoped to take the credit together with the influence and benefits of power which would accrue to their quarry . This in their myopic selfishness Ben Kiwanuka suffered a humiliating defeat contrived by the conservative and narrow minded elite of Mengo and Uganda was subsequently plunged into political hell. Similarly Abu Mayanya was torn away from the UPC and dumped in the Mengo establishment where he became the Buganda minister for Education in 1960 instead of being supported to remain and to excel in the UPC which he himself help found and which at the very least he might have served as Vice President and potentially eventually as president.
Bobi Wine is currently at the threshold of national political significance. Once again like Abu Mayanya and Ben Kiwanuka before him he is similarly surrounded by myopic and self seeking advisers. Mr Kyagulanyi can show leadership through strength of character by resisting the allure of premature political greatness which he is being promised by the self seekers. Bobi Wine must now chose between whether to first build his capacity for later leadership through allegiance with Mr Norbert Mao and the Democratic Party and other opposition leaders and parties who are also in the struggle to bring about constitutional and democratic change in Uganda or risk certain failure by entering into direct competition with Mr Mao and the DP and others as well as president Yoweri Museveni and the NRM. The writing is on the wall. Now Mr Kyagulanyi should show his leadership skills and make the difficult decision and start direct dialogue with Mr Norbert Mao and DP and other opposition leaders and parties without pre conditions or presumption except the desire to serve in the struggle for change. If he humbles himself now he will live on with the potential to become a national leader and a promising future president of Uganda. But if he continues with his present posturing through his People Power movement and to listen to his Suubi advisers and hangers on then he will eventually get caught in political no man's land, be exposed and no doubt he will go under.
The writer is a political commentator and author of the book 'What is Right for Uganda'. --
-- By Oruni Oloya.
The time is fast approaching when Ugandans will know whether Hon Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine is a political leader of national significance or a mere political activist who got elected to parliament. We need to get to the heart of the issue regarding Bobi Wine's leadership or lack of it.
Let us face it, the only decision which Mr Kyagulanyi has so far made which has some national consequence was to run for election as member of parliament for Kyandondo East. That was a momentous decision which saw him get elected to Parliament and put him in the national limelight. As an outspoken and courageous critic of president Yoweri Museveni , Mr Kyagulanyi is riding atop the hysterical desire for change which is sweeping the country and declared his intention to run for president in the 2021 election. The main question is whether there is a pathway for Hon Kyagulanyi to rise to the top and how he will unite the country behind his presidential candidacy and possible presidency?
The first hurdle in the path of Bobi Wine is he does not have a political party. People Power at best is a pressure group. He could stand as an independent candidate but that pathway is fraught with uncertainty. For starters President Museveni could orchestrate a law stopping independent presidential candidates. There is also the argument that the People Power (PP) pressure group does not have a formal capacity to give Bobi Wine strong and structured support. Thirdly, there is the question of Bobi Wine's lack of experience although his supporters argue that a president Bobi Wine will have many advisers who will help him run the country. However, it is highly unlikely that Bobi Wine's presidential ambitions will amount to anything more than mere wishes unless he can either build from scratch the political party that can help him achieve his ambitions or somehow get one of the opposition parties to sponsor his presidential bid . So what are Bobi Wine's options?
Bobi Wine has so far not demonstrated any acumen for managing the process of organisational governing and governance of political mass mobilisation never mind managing its outcome through a systematic, coherent and structured approach . He has so far failed to transform the People Power pressure group into a viable vehicular organisation for strong, structured and dependable political mass mobilisation. Instead it appears that some supporters of people power who are currently members of opposition parties especially the Democratic Party have resorted to intrigue and plotting as a means to bolster Bobi Wine's chances of rising to the top.
According to Hon Muhammad Mwanga Kivumbi the DP chairman and MP for Butambala County one of the objectives of the 2018 DP reunion was "to create room for people power and Mr Kyagulanyi to operate within the Democratic Party". In reality it is highly unlikely that DP can give the presidential flag to Bobi Wine unless he either first joins DP and become a member of the party or if he negotiates a memorandum of understanding with the DP party. Otherwise the chance of Bobi Wine running for president on DP ticket is worse than the famous chance of Ms Betty Nambooze becoming Miss Uganda. Political parties simply do not operate that way. No political party can allow a non member to lead the organisation except through a formal merger, coalition or allegiance. And that is where Bobi Wine needs to demonstrate his leadership skills if he has any and rise to the occasion. Instead of allowing the reported intrigues which is currently engulfing the Democratic Party in his name to continue with smears and plots against the leadership of President General Norbert Mao, Mr Kyagulanyi should seize the initiative from the plotters around him, take control of himself and his leadership and seek formal dialogue with Mr Nobert Mao and the Democratic Party and all other opposition parties. Ugandans are striving to end the politics of opportunism in favour of politics of values and principles. Bobi Wine should not tolerate disguised Suubi particularism masquerading as DP parliamentary caucus to be associated with him. If he does , he will go down the same way of Abu Mayanya and Benediction Kiwanuka the two foremost leading Ugandans from Buganda who founded the first two political parties in Uganda. In 1952 Abu Mayanya founded the first political party the Uganda National Congress (UNC) while still a student at Makerere. Four years later in 1956 Benediction Kiwanuka founded the Democratic Party (DP). The duo were the leading political leaders in Uganda in the run up to independence ; it was Abu Mayanya who singlehandedly chose Milton Obote in 1959 to lead the UNC the party he founded which thereafter transformed into UPC. Meanwhile as first prime minister of Uganda Ben Kiwanuka led Uganda to self government in 1961. However, at independence in October 1962 both Kiwanuka and Abu Mayanya had been pulled down by their own fellow Baganda because of narrow minded self interest. Dr Milton Obote would never have become the prime minister to lead Uganda into Independence had some selfish Baganda around Mengo never pulled Ben Kiwanuka down because he was a Catholic and became Ben Kiwanuka correctly warned the Kabaka Mutesa to stay constitutionally above and out of politics. Instead the parochial courtiers at Mengo managed to plunged the Kabaka centre stage into politics by first founding the party for the Kabaka Yekka (KY) before they hatched the infamous KY/UPC Alliance between the Kabaka Mutesa and Dr Apollo Milton Obote, in order to serve their main interest for self aggrandisement. They, like the current Suubi mafia hoped to take the credit together with the influence and benefits of power which would accrue to their quarry . This in their myopic selfishness Ben Kiwanuka suffered a humiliating defeat contrived by the conservative and narrow minded elite of Mengo and Uganda was subsequently plunged into political hell. Similarly Abu Mayanya was torn away from the UPC and dumped in the Mengo establishment where he became the Buganda minister for Education in 1960 instead of being supported to remain and to excel in the UPC which he himself help found and which at the very least he might have served as Vice President and potentially eventually as president.
Bobi Wine is currently at the threshold of national political significance. Once again like Abu Mayanya and Ben Kiwanuka before him he is similarly surrounded by myopic and self seeking advisers. Mr Kyagulanyi can show leadership through strength of character by resisting the allure of premature political greatness which he is being promised by the self seekers. Bobi Wine must now chose between whether to first build his capacity for later leadership through allegiance with Mr Norbert Mao and the Democratic Party and other opposition leaders and parties who are also in the struggle to bring about constitutional and democratic change in Uganda or risk certain failure by entering into direct competition with Mr Mao and the DP and others as well as president Yoweri Museveni and the NRM. The writing is on the wall. Now Mr Kyagulanyi should show his leadership skills and make the difficult decision and start direct dialogue with Mr Norbert Mao and DP and other opposition leaders and parties without pre conditions or presumption except the desire to serve in the struggle for change. If he humbles himself now he will live on with the potential to become a national leader and a promising future president of Uganda. But if he continues with his present posturing through his People Power movement and to listen to his Suubi advisers and hangers on then he will eventually get caught in political no man's land, be exposed and no doubt he will go under.
The writer is a political commentator and author of the book 'What is Right for Uganda'. --
"When a man is stung by a bee, he doesn't set off to destroy all beehives"
Disclaimer:Everyone posting to this Forum bears the sole responsibility for any legal consequences of his or her postings, and hence statements and facts must be presented responsibly. Your continued membership signifies that you agree to this disclaimer and pledge to abide by our Rules and Guidelines.To unsubscribe from this group, send email to: ugandans-at-heart+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Ugandans at Heart (UAH) Community" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to ugandans-at-heart+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ugandans-at-heart/CAFxDTfoDbNAqTGQgFeENQ92r3Cz5Lj4n6RdDA918Sp0A%3D2b0qQ%40mail.gmail.com.
0 comments:
Post a Comment