Is the President aware that things are falling apart?

Fellow Ugandans, I often wonder what the President and his acolytes are thinking. Are they aware of the many injustices and insecurity that exist in this country, or do they have other plans that the rest of us are unaware of?

 If not, why are they so preoccupied with fighting imaginary enemies while also pampering real enemies? And on multiple fronts? I once read that a good general never fights on multiple fronts at the same time! Ask the Germans, who discovered this folly to their astonishment and defeat during World War II.

 Unfortunately, what I’m seeing with our President is different. He has too many battles on his hands, and it is clear that his troops are already overstretched and battle-weary. They, as well as their General, are deserving of our sympathy. Or perhaps time will prove us wrong, which I doubt.

 By now, the President should be able to focus on his top priorities. He should be seen pursuing terrorists and bandits to the pits of hell in Masaka and other places. He should be reconciling and healing the nation, which has been badly bruised and fragmented. He should be gradually and steadily winding down in preparation for his final retirement from public office.

 We should not be witnessing terror attacks on innocent civilians during this moment in which the President seeks to leave a legacy. What is the point of the President spending 35 years in office fighting attritional wars and winning none?

 Let me tickle the memory of many of his ardent admirers, just in case they have forgotten. When Milton Obote’s “tribalistic administration” was deposed by Tito Okello in 1985, it took only days for Okello to destroy and seize the Obote systems and property he had amassed over time.

Governments are never recognized or praised for the number of battles they fought, but rather for the amount of prosperity they achieved in a peaceful environment. This government’s ability to achieve this goal in the remaining years of its reign is rapidly diminishing.

If the President believes that all those who criticise him are enemies who despise him, he will soon realise that they are his best friends. Crocodiles and chameleons will soon be visible in real time.

It would be nice if he could heed Nelson Mandela’s story and how he became the world’s greatest statesman. It’s about his ability to forgive, even if as a mere mortal he couldn’t forget certain injuries. It is not too late for Museveni to make amends and must be told the things he has done wrong, for the record, no matter his position on the matters.                                                             

Ivan Mungungeyo,                

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