Mr President, you still have chance to save Uganda and your image

Mr President, I want to believe that you still remember that in 1996, I was on Museveni team that was soliciting for votes in Kigezi. On that team, which was chaired by Shem Bageine, I was the in-charge of mobilisation and I we did a good job.

During one of your campaign rallies in Rukiga Constituency, Kabale District, I was honoured to host you with your dear wife Janet Museveni at Kitanga Parish, where you had your lunch in my room. As you were leaving just outside my room, if your memory does not betray you, I honestly engaged you in these or similar words: “Your Excellency. Thank you for availing a great opportunity to Ugandans to make their own Constitution within their country and by themselves. When you were promulgating it, you told the whole world that if anybody tries to change it, you would go back to the bush. Now Your Excellency, as you embark on this campaign exercise and after winning the presidential elections, which I am sure you will, never be persuaded or tempted by any force either from within or outside, to tinker with the Constitution.

You must be number one, as the Fountain of Honour, to observe, respect and defend it.”
I further intimated to you that: “Be on the lookout for those self- seekers, bootlickers and sycophants who will praise you with their lips while their hearts are far removed from you and Uganda. They are not sincere and if you are not careful, you will discover their treachery when they have already ditched you and Uganda. You should be punctilious when dealing with them.” After thanking me for my advice, I blessed you and we continued on the campaign trail.
From that short but assuring encounter, I convinced myself and many others I met that we have a leader who is out to revere the rule of law and Constitutionalism. It did not take me long to realise that I had been duped.

I was dumbstruck when in 2005, some dishonourable MPs, after pocketing Shs5 million each, defiled the people’s Constitution by removing Article 105 on the two five-year presidential term limit, which you, holding a Holy Book, had sworn to preserve, protect and defend. That heinous and egregious act, Mr President, was the starting point of the chaos, turmoil and disorder majority of Ugandans are excruciatingly undergoing today.

Mr President, although hope among Ugandans is drastically diminishing because of the prevailing anxieties, you still have a chance to save Uganda from sinking as well as salvage your image. I am sure you are aware that majority of your unpatriotic MPs, advisors, and cronies are plotting to murder the Constitution by removing Article 102(b), which is about the age limit. God save Uganda from the greedy and rapacious mafia.

Mr President, this time stand firm and demonstrate your spirit of patriotism by flatly rejecting their selfish demands. If it means to die, then let it be instead of betraying your country. After all, as Caiaphas advised the Jews, it is good for one person to die rather than have a whole nation go into extinction (cf.Joh 18:14).

The mafia, Mr President, started their deleterious project long ago. This nefarious project of theirs was treacherously designed as early as 2015. In a local newspaper of February 10, 2015, the despicable MPs were indecorously quoted to have said: “Give us cash, rule for life. “MPs demand Shs300m each to remove presidential age limit.”

With the huge number of MPs, how much money in sum would that be? The same newspaper on March 18, 2017 carried a story: ‘M7 to set up team to scrap age limit’. This proved to doubting Thomases that you are symbiotically considering their demand. Should you bow to their pressure, it will be a recipe for disaster. Yet we have not heard any contrary view from you. Mr President, do not hide behind the smoke. Ugandans want to see the fire. Tell the world whether or not you want Article 102 removed from the Constitution. Currently, there is talk that NRM lawmakers are set to convene in Kyankwazi to plan the removal of Article 102(b). Is this true Mr President?

Mr President, your long stay in power is neither good for you nor the country! Even you testified to this in 1986 when you said, “The problem of Africa are leaders who overstay in power.” As the Fountain of Honour, I entreat you to hold in high regard that title by honouring your word. In case you have forgotten, let me remind you about what your opinion, and rightly so, on age limit was in 2012.

During an interview with Mr Patrick Kamara, he asked for your opinion on the issue of age limit and you candidly said: “If you want very active leaders, it is good to have the ones below 75 years.” And when he asked you whether you would go beyond 75 years, you said: “Not at all. Certainly not.” Mr President, honour your word. Don’t be led into temptation.

Mr President, don’t prove the late Paul Muwanga right when he in 1990 while appearing before Human Rights Commission, said: “Ugandans are jubilating over Museveni’s rise to power although they have no idea of what awaits them. I know President Museveni inside out and I can even tell from his sitting posture or how he blinks, what he is thinking or plotting. By the time Museveni’s rule ends in 2060, the country will have lost all its possessions and national assets, the political class will be divided one against the other and Uganda will be in ruins.”
Mr President, Uganda is bigger than you and any one else. You still have a chance to save Uganda and also salvage your image. All for the greater glory of God and His people. For God and my country.

Fr Gaetano Batanyenda is a priest