By Odaka Asuman
Ever since Bobi Wine appeared into Uganda’s political scene, a lot of both amazing and annoying things have happened on the Uganda’s political space.
Like the Bible says, the stone that would become the foundational cornerstone was first ignored, because of his background, Bobi Wine was ridiculed, scorned and dismissed by many political pundits, observers and propagandist but not by Dr. Museveni. And this is when I started taking Bobi Wine very seriously as a political contender.
Whereas some of the pretentious and self-glorifing elites were dismissing him as a raw ghetto, former drug addict who knew nothing about politics and leadership, Dr. Museveni was taking him as serious as his supporters in the ghettos whom he was inspiring.
In fact, apart from propandists, Dr. Museveni himself has never dismissed Robert Kyagulanyi. In fact he envies him. Ever since 1986 when Dr. Museveni came to power, all those who tried to challenge his hold to power have probably used avenues he knows better and prefers the most; the military where he has high advantage and superior capabilities.
For those who tried to challenge him politically or democratically, were either his agents or too weak to match the machinery of a fusion between State and Dr. Museveni’s political mobilization machinary.
For the few who genuinely opposed and challenged him, they were striving to be as good as Dr. Museveni but not as good as themselves. In other words, they were using Dr. Museven’s political script for which only him knew the next episode.
On the contrary, Bobi Wine seem to have defied the norm and acted differently. He refused to play the politics as determined by and whose space is set by Dr. Museveni; the reactionary one which the political players, observers and followers were accustomed to.
Dr. Museveni and his cohorts tried hard to make people think that one alone can’t remove or threaten him out of power. Himself has stated it several times.
But nosooner had the people started believing it, then Bobi Wine appeared on the political scene with new energy, new hope and new inspirations and indifferent political mind game.
His has style morale, boosted and reassured the people that when it’s executed properly, Dr. Museveni can and will be defeated through the ballot.
Some players first cast doubts into this but everybody including the diehard NRM factionaries have eventually caved in to this possibility.
The evidence to this node is the change of debate that nobody will hand over power to him forgetting that to gain power is a different fight, it begins with winning the race. And for this I give it to Bobi Wine for refusing to engage in that debate; first things first.
Like a blacksmith who thinks every hard problem must be solved through heat and bang, Museveni is a military man who thinks every contest must be solved militarily.
This is the reason Dr. Museveni’s democracy has to be enforced by military assistants- THE GUN, to ensure and secure forced-consent. This he tried with Robert Kyagulanyi and it boomeranged in his face, so he realized it’s a risky venture with the young man because it dents him from his foreign backers.
Having realized that his style of politics no longer convinces the people due to the repagnant nature and conduct of his policy makers and implementers (they say one thing but do the opposite) and as a result his spaces are shrinking every day, Dr. Museveni now wants to play politics as determined by Bobi Wine which in itself is exposing him as weakened and not the master planners that he used to portyry; Muze anapanga…..
For example, Dr. Museveni has abandoned the POLITICS OF POLICY but responding Bobi’s POLITICS OF LIBERATION which is why many times Dr. Museveni finds himself publically criticizing his government officials whom he has power to call to account.
Secondly, Bobi Wine has forced Dr. Museveni to play politics not like the political tactitcian that Ugandans think he is, but as an amature musician ghetto boy turned politcian that he wants to protray Bobi Wine.
For example, Dr. Museveni has been bankrolling some musicians and celebrities to try to counter Bobi Wine’s political activities. He started with Brian White who splashed money everywhere until he went into oblivion, he then tried it with Bebe Cool to counter the crowd pulling stances of Bobi Wine until he was shocked when he received bottles full of human waste, he then gambled by appointed Kusasira as his Presidential advisor in-charge of Kampala youth.
The excitement led her into confrontation with the no nonsense Gen. Kasirye Gwanga, events manager Balam among others. When all these were not realizing any political dividends, Dr. Museveni himself decided to register as a musician and rumors are that he has recorded a single-hit which he will launch soon.
As if that is not enough, he decided to appoint Bobi Wine’s former closet friend, Buchaman as his presidential Advisor in charge of the Ghetto affairs (of course making Dr. Museveni the most advised President in the world).
All this is concrete evidence that Dr. Museveni is still far from having his finger on the magic button that would neutralize the Bobi phenomenon.
Even the activities of vicious propagandist like Andrew Mwenda, my brother Ofwono Opondo, some RDCs, etc have not yielded much. The Bobi Wine-determined politics has forced Dr. Museveni into social media political engagements like on Facebook, Twitter, etc something Bobi Wine seems to have superior capability over.
He now even wants to call himself “man of the Ghetto” so as he looks like Bobi Wine the “real Ghetto gladiator”. All these indicate the weight of the Bobi Wine and the failure of Dr. Museveni’s strategists in countering the young man they have attempted to portray as a mere drug addict.
Unfortunately, i see Dr. Museveni again falling into a trap laid to him by Bobi Wine by resorting to use the military, men in police uniform and LDU paramilitary to brutalise the citizen.
In my humble opinion, the violence meted against Makarere students was a rehearsal about what is going to be done during the campaign but it might be counterproductive.
How can’t all the (mis) advisers not even detect when now all the atrocities are being attributed to Gen. Muzeyi and not elder Ochola. AAAAAA…. I need more popcorns.
This Bobi wine is a REAL WINE that seems to have put the entire NRM machinery into disarray.
The writer is an aspiring MP, Tororo Municipality 2021 WhatsApp: +256753195384 Email: asumanmrjn@gmail.com