By Mulengera Reporters
On Monday, DP Vice President Mukasa Mbidde appeared on Kabaka’s CBS radio where he was interviewed by Joseph Lukyamuzi on his ongoing misunderstandings with party president Norbert Mao.
Mbidde defended his decision to embrace incumbent Speaker Anita Among’s reelection while actively decampaigning Mao who he says is merely doing moot and stands no demonstrable chance at becoming the next Speaker of Parliament.
Mbidde was unequivocal stating that his misunderstandings with Mao wouldn’t stop until the Loro Pece MP-elect comes back to his senses and withdraws his bid against Anita Among. “The strategic interests of DP are better served when the party officially embraces Rt Hon Anita Among and closely works with her, as opposed to antagonizing her. I’m not a conformist, which is why I can easily be misunderstood by praise singers surrounding my brother Norbert Mao,” Mbidde elaborated.
He said that even when the futility of Mao’s bid is so obvious to the extent that even a child can take note of the same, the Justice Minister will most likely not accept that fact. And Mbidde said this is because the DP President these days prefers surrounding himself with sycophants only prepared to tell him what he wants to hear, as opposed to being told the objective truth.
Mbidde said those very same praise singers had misled Mao to stand for Presidency in 2026 and it was him alone who stood firm and swayed the rest of the members during a NEC meeting. It was after him putting up a spirited fight that Mao finally saw how counterproductive his bid for Presidency would be and backed down. Mbidde said he was surprised to see that Mao hadn’t seen the extent to which running against Gen Museveni was going to complicate the already fragile political cooperation agreement between NRM and DP.
“The praise singers and sycophants had actually already made posters and started going around the country to collect signatures for his nomination,” Mbidde said adding that Mao actually should currently be thanking him for saving him the political embarrassment that awaited him, as opposed to entraining his praise singers throwing burbs at him over his support for Anita Among.
He also said that Mao ought to respect his view and advice because, having twice won NRM votes for the EALA position, he is best placed to know what works and what doesn’t or what NRM is willing to give and that which it’s not willing to abdicate. “I respect him when it comes to winning the popular vote in general elections because he has just won that MP seat but I expect my elder brother Mao to respect me when it comes to winning the vote inside the NRM-dominated parliament because I have done that twice and there is a large body of knowledge I have accumulated on that.”
He added that Mao, like any other human being, has a right to make personal choices, such as who becomes his wife or best friend, and those don’t require approval of the party organs. Mbidde also revealed that Mao personally consulted him about running for Speakership but they didn’t agree. “He made a public pronouncement that he was running and it now became my duty to contradict him publicly,” Mbidde said during the Luganda interview.
He clarified that there was nothing personal; asserting that he has a right to support Anita Among just like Mao also has his right to vie for Speakership even without the official blessing of any of the organs of DP. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
