Musinguzi's pull-out was cowardly move By Ssemujju Ibrahim Nganda
I find the withdrawal of Reform Agenda’s James Musinguzi Garuga from the Kinkizi West parliamentary by-elections race cowardly, and a blow to Uganda’s democratisation process. Musinguzi's lawyer Ngaruye Ruhindi announced, a day to the Jan. 14 nomination, that his client was pulling out. This was shortly after the High Court in Mbarara had dismissed Musinguzi’s application to postpone the nomination until the Electoral Commission investigated the presence of the army in the constituency. The lawyer said thus, “Musinguzi has made it clear that he will not participate in an election that will put his constituents in more trouble and increase trauma. He says during the previous election, one of his supporters lost his manhood and another one an eye”. This statement alone shows how cowardly Musinguzi as a politician is. How do you pull out of a political contest on mere suspicion that your competitor is likely to endanger your supporters? What sort of politician is Musinguzi who abandons food and chooses to starve simply because a wild child has threatened him? The statement that one of his supporters lost his manhood and another his eye is more troubling. Who told Musinguzi that contesting an election is an introduction ceremony where a girl introduces her fiancé to the parents? It is only on such occasions that one may not expect injuries. The Baganda say “Ensi eguula mirambo” which literally means attaining freedom may involve sacrifice. Musinguzi should go for priesthood. He would make a good pastor. The House of Bishops of the Church of Uganda recently postponed the consecration of Muhabura Diocese bishop-elect; Rev. Can. David Sebuhinja to save lives. They sensed the consecration would compound the chaos in the diocese. This is religion. Politics calls for boldness and bravery. If Musinguzi had lived during the colonial days he would certainly have been labeled a collaborator. And collaborators those days were traitors. I didn’t know that Musinguzi was that submissive. Suppose thugs attacked his family and threaten to injure his wife and children. Would he abandon them or put up a fight and die for his family. Political struggles and the fight for freedom involve sacrifice. It may be in human life or property but you have to lose in order to gain. Freedom is never got on a silver platter. The Mau Mau in Kenya asserted during their uprising against colonial maladministration that, “better war than peace in chains.” Why didn’t Musinguzi advise his friend Col. Kizza Besigye to withdraw from the 2001 presidential race when Kalangala Action Plan and other Movement forces were pouncing on their supporters? People lost their lives, others lost property but the struggle had to continue. Remember an incident in Kireka along Jinja Road where a soldier reversed his pick-up double-cabin and drove into a crowd of supporters and five people perished? Does Musinguzi want us to believe that the lives of the Kanungu people are more precious than those of other Ugandans who died in the struggle for Besigye’s political reforms? One thing I have noticed about our opposition politicians; they always withdraw from a race as soon as defeat stares them in the face. They also bash courts of law once they lose a case but hail them once they emerge victorious. We all saw and heard what happened when Winnie Babihuga of Reform Agenda lost a case against her rival Winnie Masiko, a Movementist. It is such a thing that makes the opposition’s struggle seem less genuine and make us believe that all politicians are devils. But most important, Musinguzi has forgotten that President Yoweri Museveni’s political conspiracy has been exposed by the numerous political contests we have had. If the opposition had boycotted the 1996 and 2001 general election, we would never have known the true colours of some politicians. For example, Museveni would not deploy his Presidential Protection Unit (PPU) in Rukungiri. Also the PPU men would not have shot into a crowd of Besigye supporters and one person died. It would also have been difficult for us to know that Kalangala Action Plan headed by Maj. Roland Kakooza Mutale could cause havoc. Musinguzi should know that losing an eye or manhood only serves to strengthen the struggle against bad rule. If we continue engaging the powers, we would have so many Ugandans with no eyes and no manhood. One day with the presence of the media, these people would know their aggregate disgruntlement and their collective strengths. Once we get to this level, a revolution would be inevitable. What Musinguzi is doing is to block the revolution from taking place. By the way, Ugandans ought to study the politics of boycott and internalise it thoroughly. After the 1996 presidential election, Democratic Party (DP) faithful gathered at their President General Dr. Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere's Lubaga residence and wept. Museveni had trounced them with about 74 percent of the vote. They under these circumstances made a regrettable decision never to participate in any election organised under the Movement political system. This decision was communicated to journalists at a news conference thereafter. Five years down the road, the same people quietly choose to reverse their decision. The result was that they lost their constituencies. Conservative Party (CP) candidate Ken Lukyamuzi humiliated DP Secretary General Damiano Lubega and it would require Allah’s intervention for him to ever recover this Lubaga South seat. Finally Musinguzi ought to understand that his Movement colleagues are shameless and arrogant. Amama Mbabazi would never be affected by Musinguzi’s pull out. How do you expect people who used the army to capture power in 1986, to be ashamed of using the same army to maintain it? This would be expecting too much. People ought to understand that Museveni does not conduct elections because of his respect for democracy. He is doing it to market his company, the Movement, to attract foreign investors (donors) who supplement our budget. The only way to get out of the current political stalemate is to engage the authority and expose their dirty tricks. Disgruntled Ugandans would automatically and naturally rise against them as Kenyans did or otherwise. __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com
