Well, Mr. Minister Frank Tumwebaze, my view is seen your eyes as propaganda, but coming from you. That is props in my ears, because that means I have understood the world differently from you. In this aspect the lifting of the Article 102(b) from the 1995 Constitution. I know it hard for you to understand, because your eating of the plate served by the President. That is the reason for you suddenly long written article of sorts. Which I only quote on part of, because I don’t have the time to waste commenting on the rest. Need to live life, not only discuss already basic facts. Facts that you dismiss and blatantly undress, when the king is already without clothes. The change in the constitution isn’t to create a better republic or create progress. It is to secure President Museveni’s long rule and give him more time to become as old as Mugabe. That is the reason. Not to build a better and richer country, no, it is secure the stay of Museveni last as long as possible. That is why I don’t care for exposing the rest of your wasted energy on writing about my type of propaganda. Thanks for honoring my words and others, who address the madness of Life Presidency and entitlement to one-man over all in the Republic. Let’s you have the word for a little moment. Before I address the matter at hand!
“The claim that removing the age-limit will institutionalize life Presidency of Mr Museveni is also hogwash. The power to vote in and out any leader is not being taken away by the amendment bill. Instead it’s being reinforced by the same Magyezi bill. Removing limits makes the power of the people to vote in and out any leader the ultimate limit. So how can life Presidency be so in this case? It’s true that If a leader is good, he/she will be voted for many more times. That can only lead to longevity but not life Presidency. Longevity perse isn’t bad. It has its known advantages. Famous Amin didn’t need 30 years to cause the havoc he did and neither was he a creation of having no age-limit. With or without term/age-limits, dictators can wreck havoc. The sustainable way therefore, to fight dictators is not by putting term or age-limits in the constitution, but by civically empowering citizens to choose leaders of their choice and be able to resist bad in favor of good at all times. That is how NRM with the support of the Citizenry was able to defeat the dictatorships of the past. Full involvement of the citizenry in determining the affairs of their governance and not symbolic term or age limits; is the permanent therapy to the emergence of dictators. This is what the NRM government invested in. Even before full take over of government in 1985, the NRA then, immediately mobilized people in liberated zones to form their own elected village councils called Resistance Councils(RCs) so as to manage their own affairs. All interest groups of the citizenry(Youth, women, disabled, elderly, workers and army that hitherto was used as anti-people tool) were catered for in the governance structures by the NRM. This is what civic empowerment means” (Tumwebaze, 2017).
That you call it hogwash is endearing of you, but you know that this is cater made and right before Mr. President turns 75 years old. This is not done a decade ago, when he needed to change the term-limits to fit his official “elected” terms. That you talk about elections filled with armed aggression, pre-ticket ballots, bribed officials and rampant rigging, that you talk about people choosing the sole-candidate is just a disgrace of the whole proceedings. That is why the President has less legitimacy and has little authority as he frighten of Besigye and other oppositions. Who can easily show their popularity, while Museveni pays with food and equipment to the voter tourism. Alas, your fake and fraudulent elections are the barring for his existence and now soon also change the Constitution to his aging body.
That you speak of “choice” of leaders and “favors”, the way NRM beat dictatorship of the old times, it is one right now! The NRM uses arbitrary arrests of opposition leaders and charge them for everything possible. The real opposition to the NRM are usually inciting violence and doing something illegal, since they are not following the NRM party line. So Tumwebaze are in effect living in the standard of a dictatorship. The NRM got rid of Amin and Obote, but has created their own dictatorship, where Museveni is the key and the master, instead of the ones of old. So, the NRM hasn’t created something better, they have just changed the laws and using similar tactics to silence opposition.
That you then talk about citizenry of the NRM, while opposition rallies are banned, political parties are stopped from campaigning, while the NRM are holding rallies. It is just selected part of the people who can campaign and can consult. There aren’t a democratic values or real acts of the state, it is handpicked for the NRM. The NRM can pay 1000s of shillings to citizens for just getting them to vote in favor of the Constitutional Amendment. Even the Prime Minister Ruhakana, just like during the General Election of 2016, been seen giving money directly to constituents. So Tumwebaze your words are not really valued, if he was just looking briefly at the conduct of his government.
Let’s be clear and settle this ones and for all. The AGE LIMIT is about Museveni, has always been about MUSEVENI and will die with MUSEVENI. The whole problem and reason for the change is because of Museveni. The reason for the consultation meetings and the party actions, are because of Museveni. No matter what part of the age limit you talk about, it is because of Museveni. Museveni, Museveni or Museveni that is the answer. Nothing else. Tumwebaze you can misuse words, rhetoric and try to disgrace history, still it is all about your master. You are his loyal subject and servant. Hope your pay and your loyalty is rewarded, because we see through you. Peace.
Reference:
Tumwebaze, Frank K. – ‘How Propaganda against Hon Magyezi bill is Losing Ground’ (15.11.2017)
MinBane 