Start preparing for a Uganda without Museveni at the helm
I had a lunch date with Mr Chaapa Karuhanga recently. In the company of a man he introduced to me as his brother, we talked about many things.
And as is the wont of many Ugandans, we talked about politics. As readers may know, any two Ugandans talking about politics will most likely talk about Mr Museveni. And so we talked about Mr Museveni.
Mr Karuhanga was bitter over what he called Museveni’s deliberate near-exclusion of Ugandans from their economy.
Mr Karuhanga had heard of my prophesy saying that Mr Museveni would not appear on the ballot in the 2021. He thought I was crazy for even ‘dreaming’ that Mr Museveni would not want to continue ruling Uganda.
I still insist that Mr Museveni will not appear on the ballot in 2021. Whereas Mr Karuhanga didn’t agree with me, he said Ugandans should start preparing for a Uganda without Mr Museveni at the helm.
I told him that my prophesy was about appearing on the ballot. It was not about Mr Museveni seeking (or not seeking) to continue ruling Uganda. So, the point is that Mr Museveni may (and can) seek to continue ruling Uganda but not through the ballot in 2021.
And I agreed with Mr Karuhanga: Whether Mr Museveni still wants to prolong his rule, Ugandans should start preparing for a Uganda without Museveni at the helm of national leadership.
It is now clear that there is a clash between the idealism of Ugandans and Mr Museveni’s raw power over the management of the affairs of the state.
In the circumstances, history tells us that the ultimate victory lies with the people. It is because of this assured victory that Ugandans should start preparing for a Uganda without Museveni as an opponent or Museveni as their ruler.
For even when a leopard retracts its retractile talons, it is still a leopard; driven by its leonine character and attributes: lithe, nimble, supple yet brutal. But the leopard’s skin adorns the chest of the king. The people are king. They always win.
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In 1990, Mr Museveni sought the extension of his four-year self-declared tenure at the presidency. The most compelling justification for this extension was that he wanted to write a new Constitution.
With the goodwill of Ugandans, anyone challenging Museveni on this matter looked out of place.
The extension in the bag, Mr Museveni delivered the new Constitution on October 8, 1995 via an elected Constituent Assembly.
But that was then… Since 2016, every proposal made by Mr Museveni is met by suspicion by the people of Uganda.
The tax regime is crazy: tax money in the wallet (as in depositing money on my money account or wallet) and tomorrow, that tax should be withdrawn.
And then there is Social Media Tax. By the way, what is its official name? Is it Over The Top Tax (OTT)? My thinking is that OTT is a telecom industry tag. How can one pay a tax without a Tax Identification Number (TIN)? Or have we substituted our Telephone Numbers for TIN?
I have a feeling that the so-called Social Media Tax will be scrapped soon. The longest it can be collected is one financial year; even Road Tolls were scrapped, you know.
The shortest way to end this taxmania drama is through the courts. The guys in power will sponsor a court petition challenging the tax. And the courts will obligingly do the needful: scrap the bloody tax. Ever heard of saving face?
But all in all, Ugandans should start preparing for a Uganda without Mr Museveni at the helm of national leadership.
Mr Bisiika is the executive editor of East African Flagpost.
abisiika@gmail.com
