Museveni’s Parliament problems are more psychological than political

In Museveni’s case, being used to leading from the front, with the vision and the correct line, the thought of other people being in control of the events surrounding the death of the MP, is too hard for him to bear. He views it as taking away his powers and in the worst case undermining him.

Like 2012 ended in controversy and acrimony, so has 2013 begun. The contention being the unresolved death of the MP for Butaleja, Cerinah Nebanda which has seemingly put the Executive read (President Museveni) and Parliament at loggerheads.

Some parliamentarians including the Speaker disagreed with the government position that the legislator had died of a drug overdose. Suspecting foul play, they jumped into the arena in an attempt to establish the real cause of the death of their colleague. They sat in at the autopsy and even appointed ‘their own’ pathologist Dr Sylvester Onzivua who was later arrested with samples of the deceased’s body parts and is currently interdicted from Mulago hospital.

In a rather cantankerous mood, the President came in and accused the legislators of overstepping the boundaries and interfering in the work of the police. He then reserved his choicest invectives for all those including the MPs who accused the government of killing the youthful legislator. He called them fools, idiots and despisable. Some of them have been behind the prison gate on this one, while others have been quizzed by police. A few have been banned from radio talk shows to stop them from ‘inciting the people.’

A section of the parliamentarians, many of them from the ruling NRM party, decided to petition the Speaker of Parliament to recall the House from recess and discuss what they called the President’s contempt of Parliament and other infringements on the rights of legislators. The President swore that this would only go ahead over his dead body.

Many following this latest event of ‘defiance’ by Parliament against the President view it as an issue originating and manifesting itself as a political predicament. Though there is a lot of truth in that, in my opinion, the clash is mainly one of the many that are inevitable as the President in his 27th year in power gets to terms with the aging process.

As the days go by, it is only natural that we shall become less relevant and influential however powerful we might be or assume we are. Others will boldly hold an opinion and liking that is different from ours. New faces shall rise up and for those who are insecure; especially those whose reputation has been built on myths and falsehoods, it will cause many problems as that will see them clashing with all that come in their way.

In Museveni’s case, being used to leading from the front, with the vision and the correct line, the thought of other people being in control of the events surrounding the death of the MP, is too hard for him to bear. He views it as taking away his powers and in the worst case undermining him.
That is why during such times when he is challenged, he falls back into his rich history of wars and conquests that he achieved years before some of the legislators were even born.

It’s the same option that many of the veterans of the World Wars take. They tell the embellished stories of their exploits in Burma many of them full of conjecture and outright dishonesty to disarm those that were not part of this history.

Increasingly, Museveni is going to have to fight for the limelight even in ‘his’ party NRM as other people naturally rise up. Progressively, it will not be in his control to overshadow them and manage all the political activities that have made him look larger than life and other people.
He will have to re-invent himself to stay with the times, but there are only so many times that you can do that before you appear ridiculous and your impregnable aura wears away.

Many of Museveni’s peers on the continent like Robert Mugabe have picked themselves younger women to show that they are ‘still strong’ despite their age and dyed their hair. Museveni to the best of my knowledge has not done these yet but he has on many a political rally gone on all fours and done a few press ups to prove that he is still strong to counter the voices in his mind that tell him the people think he is weak.

Mr Sengoba is a commentator on political and social issues.

nicholassengoba@yahoo.com