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Book review: Apollo Milton Obote: What Others Say
What you need to know:
- On a macro level, president Museveni has been accused of what Obote accused him of and this could serve as vindication of this view.
- Again, Obote’s favourite poem was said to be from 17th Century English historian and journalist, John Milton.
- It is called a Paradise Lost. In Book II of that book, Lucifer laments when he falls into the pit: 'It is better to rule in Hell than serve in Heaven'.
To many, Milton Apollo Obote was an imposter. He helped found the nation, and then betrayed that founding with his yen for power and sectarian streak. He was viewed as a liberal and a libertine, a dictator and a democratic enabler, a socialist without a communitarian bone in his body. These contradictions reflect the varying views on the man.
At least that is what the book “Apollo Milton Obote: What Others Say” says. It is “a collection of newspaper articles and commentaries by politicians, friends and foes [Obote’s, not yours], workmates, his ministers, journalists from within and without, analysis, his family and above all, president Museveni, Obote’s long-time nemesis, about the man Uganda loved to hate.” U.S. Democratic strategist James Carville called President Biden the “most tragic figure in modern American politics,” a title than can be tweaked and given to Obote when we discuss Ugandan politics.
He couldn’t seem to catch a break. His problems began when the hot potato of the ‘Lost Counties’ question was dropped unceremoniously in his lap by the departing British. It was an intractable issue that the British passed the buck on instead of addressing the historic rivalries it resuscitated. Thereafter, Obote’s goose was cooked as the misalliance between him and Mengo went to smash. To gather the pieces, Obote relied on the army and that is how Idi Amin came to the fore. Born in Akokoro village in the Apac district in northern Uganda, Obote’s story began on 28 December 1925. He was the third born of nine children of a tribal chief of the Oyima clan Lango ethnic group. His legendary gift of gab helped him rise head and shoulders above his political contemporaries. In Chapter 8, “Obote, Master of the Soundbite” journalist Joseph Beyanga reminds us of the man’s verbal prizefighting skills:
[Andrew] Mwenda: How do you rate Museveni the soldier and Museveni the president?
Obote: You are asking me to talk about Satan. I am a Christian and any other Christian you ask to say anything positive about Satan will not find anything positive to say.
Mwenda: Dr Obote, you stayed with Museveni in Tanzania, did you ever get to deal with him and what impression do you have of him?
Obote: I knew him as a consummate liar, an intriguer, a social climber…
Two of the last three attributes that Obote imputed on Museveni have often been ascribed to Obote’s way of doing things. Some commentators agree that Obote hated Museveni because he saw himself in the man.
It is true, some psychologists, notably Dr. Akshad Singi, have argued that “When you hate someone, you reinforce the belief that flawed people deserve to be hated. This sets you up for self-hatred on both macro and micro levels.”
On a macro level, president Museveni has been accused of what Obote accused him of and this could serve as vindication of this view. Again, Obote’s favourite poem was said to be from 17th Century English historian and journalist, John Milton. It is called a Paradise Lost. In Book II of that book, Lucifer laments when he falls into the pit: 'It is better to rule in Hell than serve in Heaven'.
This was said to be Obote’s favourite quote and it seemingly sums up president Museveni’s attitude to leadership. However, although this book is a very good read, it falls short of telling us why Uganda produces men like Amin, Obote and Museveni. And why we love them and loathe them. To understand why we do, we must unmask the psyche of our nation. This should be done in the fashion of ‘Anatomy of Britain’, a book written by Anthony Sampson in 1962 and ‘The Mind of South Africa’ (1990) by Allister Sparks. Both books examine the origins and development of their respective societies to reveal, as Shakespeare did, that "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings.”
Title: Apollo Milton Obote: What Others Say
Published: 2006
Price: 25,000 UGX
Available: African Bookstore
Pages: 211
Editor: Omongole R. Anguria
