Museveni is the big puppet who ‘hates’ puppets
By S. Marcos
18th April 2011:- Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni wrote a lengthy article on 21st March 2011 about Col. Gaddafi and the West’s actions in the ongoing Libyan conflict. Asserting that Gaddafi is an independent thinker, he wrote how he is “…not able to understand the position of Western countries which appear to resent independent-minded leaders and seem to prefer puppets”.
I am prompted to write this article in order to show the gaping disconnect between his rhetorical gimmick [of being one of the independent-minded African leaders] and his track record. Museveni’s claims are questionable on several grounds.
First of all, there has been bad blood between Museveni and the Libyan leader. According to Wikileaks, Museveni was scared of Gaddafi enough to seek protection from US government in the form of ‘additional air radar information when he flies over international waters’. That perhaps explains why the Ugandan government is busy freezing Libyan assets today.
Having simply brushed off the unjust self-serving aerial and missile bombing of Libya by Western countries as “rushed”, Museveni went on to distinguish Gaddafi from other puppets: “…Puppets are not good for any country…I prefer nationalists to puppets of foreign interests. Where have the puppets caused the transformation of countries? I need some assistance with information on this from those who are familiar with puppetry”, Museveni said.
Finding someone who is more familiar with puppetry than Museveni is a challenge. The following brief points will show that Museveni is nothing but a puppet of the highest order. Ever since Museveni wrote that famous long-winded letter on 28th August 2001 to Clare Short, the former British Minister for International Development requesting additional aid to restore Uganda’s military capacity as well as seeking approval of his government’s budgetary management, the world knew that he is nothing but a puppet.
The letter revealed how Museveni’s Uganda operates and who pulls the strings. At the time, Museveni did not present his concern about the alleged threat from Rwanda to his Parliament. He did not even refer the matter to the AU or the UN. Instead, he wrote a letter to Claire Short begging her to allow him to increase his defence spending. This proved beyond doubt who Museveni is answerable to and who gives him orders.
In his recent piece on Gaddafi, Museveni stated that, “…Idi Amin came to power with the support of Britain and Israel because they thought he was uneducated enough to be used by them”. If the British are interested in someone whom they can use, then one wonders why Museveni continues to seek the protection of Britain and also surrounds himself with British advisors and experts Linda Chalker and many others.
It is known that the former UK Minister for International Development Linder Chalker [during John Major’s premiership] was responsible for running the show when it comes to foreign and economic policies in Uganda. The ‘very luvvie-duvvie’ relationship that Museveni has with Linder Chalker has also been talked about in the past.
Wikileaks disclosed what we already knew about Museveni. According to Wikileaks, Museveni met the inept former US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Jendayi Frazer, in Kansas on June 13th 2008. It was revealed that Museveni was busy bashing African countries and leaders. He was attacking President Joseph Kabila of DRC for failing to keep his promise in taking action against the Lord’s Resistance Army.
Museveni also reported his belief that the LRA is still supported by the Sudan. President Robert Mugabe was [also] not spared in Museveni’s diatribe. This is what the cable recounted: “…Museveni thought Zimbabwe’s faltering economy and Mugabe’s poor understanding of the private sector were at the root of Zimbabwe’s political problems. He said a discussion of the economy would provide an entry point to tell Mugabe that he has failed and is embarrassing liberation leaders”.
After these revelations, one wonders who the most embarrassing leader in Africa is. In another meeting on September 14th 2007, Museveni begged Ms Frazer to take action against Eritrea. He knows how to please his backers and is well aware of which button to press to get into their pockets. He knew that Ms Frazer had an axe to grind against Eritrea and that she would be pleased to hear an African leader asking for Eritrea to be punished. Museveni told Ms Frazer that President Isaias Afeworki of Eritrea “needed to be intimidated”.
Museveni backstabbed an African country by playing an active part in the passing of the sanctions imposed against Eritrea on Christmas Eve 2009. Uganda used the privilege and position that it had as a temporary member of the Security Council to serve the interest of others than advance the interest of Africa.
To be continued next week. END. Please login to www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories and anytime mid-week for our news updates.
The writer can be reached at smarcos22@yahoo.co.uk
