Speaking in separate interviews, political party leaders have welcomed the new momentum Bobi Wine had brought to the anti-Museveni struggle. They, however, caution that the Kyaddondo East MP can only successfully get Museveni out and become Ugandan president once he galvanizes everybody and becomes the joint candidate for all opposition forces. CP President Ken Lukyamuzi sees Bobi’s People Power Movement as an opportunity to perfect what they sought to achieve under the Besigye-led IPC in 2011. He says there are great lessons the older opposition groups can learn from Bobi Wine’s approach including his insistence on fronting joint candidates at every level. That way, Ken believes the opposition can consolidate efforts to resist alleged vote rigging by NRM aided by security agencies. He says whereas Bobi Wine carries with him some political magnetism to bring new energy to opposition, he needs the countrywide network more established parties like FDC have cultivated over time. He says organizational group politics, which parties epitomize, remains a factor even when the NRM has invested a lot of time and resources weakening parties. DP big man Secretary General Dr. Gerald Siranda says Bobi Wine is very much welcome to the struggle but cautions that, despite his big crowd, he as a person needs protection of the political parties that have almost countrywide presence. He says making use of political party structures will only strengthen rather than weaken Bobi’s cause. With his characteristic insightfulness, Jeema boss Asuman Basalirwa who is also Bobi’s personal lawyer says that whereas the man from Magere is capable of making a very big contribution, it would be imprudent for anyone to fail to realize that the struggle is way bigger and that it will take much more than Bobi’s personal impact to finally turn tables on veteran leader YK Museveni. He insists that even the ongoing condemnation against torture by security agencies should go beyond Bobi because besides him are 33 other leaders that continue to be detained having been arrested on the same day in Arua. Constitutional lawyer Peter Walubiri, renowned for his UPC leanings and insightful political analysis, says the fact that Museveni has clearly distinguished himself as the common enemy should make it easier for unity of purpose to be forged between Bobi Wine and the fraternity of the old conventional political parties.
COMEDIAN’S TWIST;
City comedian Dr. Tee (real names Innocent Kafeero), who is renowned for mimicking Tamale Mirundi, has also released a video recording in which he ironically gives very useful advice to the adherents of Bobi Wine’s People Power Movement (PPM) whose national coordinator is Fred Nyanzi Sentamu. He is elder brother to Bobi. Dr. Tee advises that its high time Fred Nyanzi begins instilling some discipline and control by designating authorized spokespersons for the cause. Dr. Dee rightly fears that continuing without any recognizable leadership and coordination will ease efforts by detractors to demonize Bobi’s cause as a movement for disgruntled ghetto hooligans. He says Wine stands a very big chance to politically succeed even nationally but new coordinator Nyanzi must quickly introduce formality in the way PPM adherents are approaching the struggle against the well-entrenched NRM. Citing the example of newly jailed body guard Eddie Mutwe, Dr. Tee suggests that roles must urgently be appropriately distributed depending on one’s capabilities. “My friend Eddie Mutwe is a good body guard for Hon. Bobi. That’s a given but he can’t appear before cameras and purport to speak for the cause. We risk being misunderstood and losing this opportunity God has given us through Bobi Wine,” Dr. Tee says in his long video-recorded message. He also calls for decorum and restraint in the language supporters are using to attack the person of President Museveni and other national leaders. Some Bobi fanatics (Andrew Mwenda called them cyber bullies the other day on Al-Jazeera) might dismiss Dr. Tee as a poverty-stricken attention-seeker but his video has some good points that merit reflecting upon. “Even when they have made mistakes, these leaders are in their 80s and they really deserve some respect in the way we criticize them,” the comedian argues in his message. He also cautions against provocation because violently crushing its opponents is one of the easiest things the state can do. Dr. Tee reasons that exercising restraint is the only way Bobi’s supporters can deny the state a chance to crush them violently. For comments, call, text or whatsapp us on 0703164755.
