By Mulengera Reporters
Even after enduring an avalanche of criticisms from especially conservative Baganda and regime propagandists, Presidential Candidate Bobi Wine (himself a Muganda) has defended his last month decision to go and pay pilgrimage at the Akokoro burial site of former President Milton Obote.
Speaking to podcaster Lawel Muhwezi, while launching the highly popular NUP Podcast over the weekend, the NUP President said there was nothing wrong he did.
He added he was prepared to do anything (however controversial) that can amplify what he called the “generational” unity aimed at bringing together and building a coalition of millions of grievances-stricken young people of Uganda, including going back to prostrate at Milton Obote’s grave. Mr. Wine made it clear there was no point in young people accepting to be prisoners of a past they were never part of.
He registered his wish to have Ugandans collectively work towards ensuring that the ongoing campaign is about achieving a fairer society, an inclusive and prosperous future for all children of Uganda rather than remaining stuck on the country’s turbulent past.
He added that Obote was a good leader and meant well even when there are many undeniable mistakes that he made both under his first and second administrations (of the 1960s and 1980s respectively).
Currently Uganda’s biggest puller of spontaneous political crowds, Mr. Wine made reference to his late grandfather Joseph Walakira, a DP founder member, who he said was directly involved in Buganda region’s fight and push back against Obote’s alleged tyrannical tendencies. He added that his own father years later directly resisted Obote by taking part in activities that aided Museveni’s NRA bush war. To Mr. Wine, all this means that his fore parents suffered the Obote wrath more directly than many of the armchair pundits who contradicted his decision to visit the Akokoro grave.
He dismissed such criticisms as being synonymous with parroting Gen Museveni’s talk points all aimed at nothing but keeping Ugandans divided as the veteran leader from Rwakitura secures the 9th term for himself. “I personally reject that narrative and invite all the young people of this country to do the same,” Bobi Wine said.
He suggested it’s more helpful for all young people of Uganda to coalesce around his generational candidature and vigorously turn tables on Gen Museveni come 15th January as opposed to dwelling on trivial things such as his mere visit to Obote’s burial place.
He implied that time had long come to let by-gones be by-gones. He said that it were such scarecrow tactics that Gen Museveni and his NRM cadres relied upon to keep politically subjugating Ugandans for the last 40 years.
He explained that he had travelled to visit his political ally Jimmy Akena (Obote’s son and political heir in UPC) who he described as his long-time friend. Bobi Wine added that as he visited Akena at his Akokoro home, he realized the country’s founding Prime Minister’s permanent resting place was nearby hence his decision to do what he called the courteous act of walking over to the grave to go and pay his respects to the man who twice served as Uganda’s President. He made it clear that no amount of blackmail would ever make him regret or apologize over his decision to visit Milton Obote’s grave. He emphasized his readiness to unapologetically do the same again once another chance avails itself.
The two-time Presidential Candidate elaborated that he was motivated by the fact that a lot of young Ugandans aren’t bothered about his mere visit to the Obote grave simply because they are rightly focusing on the bigger picture of things-namely urgently bringing an end to what he repeatedly described as Gen Museveni’s ‘tyrannical and ruinous rule.’ (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
