By M Suleman

16^th January 2012: There is no doubt that the retirement of Dr Kizza Besigye will have massive implications for the ruling NRM, the opposition, and the country as a whole.  To begin with, the biggest loser is the NRM/NRA.  For sure NRA/NRM will not rule Uganda forever.  For sure NRA/NRM during its lengthy civil wars and long stay in power has committed a lot of horrendous crimes.

For sure these crimes will have to be answered and that is why NRA/NRM is reluctant to relinquish power.  But given the winds of change blowing over the continent, the NRM cannot be so sure.  If the NRM was to fall, the only political leader who can contain the anger of the country against the NRA/NRM is Dr Besigye.

He knows who is who in NRA/NRM.  He has demonstrated no lust whatsoever for blood and revenge, but above all, he has the charisma that can prevail over angry Ugandans not to seek an eye for an eye. Given what the NRA/NRM has done to the country, any new leader may not be able to stop angry Ugandans doing what Egyptians and Libyans did.

As far as the opposition is concerned, I think Besigye’s retirement is good for them.  Let those in the opposition who feel that they have what it takes to weigh in against Museveni and his cartel give it a try.  After the 1996 elections, it became very clear that Uganda had become an Animal Farm.  It became clear that unless one was from the ruling class, unless one was from the class that went in the bush, one cannot be allowed to rule Uganda.

From the 1996 elections, it became clear that it was not the support one has, or being the best opposition leader that matters in the struggle for the presidency.  It was also not about manifestos, or about age, or charisma, or international approval.  In fact, it was about nothing and about no one at all except Museveni himself.

While I salute the fore-sightedness of all the politicians who joined and stayed in the Inter Party Cooperation, I also challenge those who always thought Besigye was seeking power for power’s sake to step forward now and prove their worthiness.

For Uganda, it is a big loss.  In Besigye we had a man who joined a militia (NRA) out of patriotism, out of love for his country and people regardless of tribe or religion.  In Besigye we had a man who saw and challenged the senseless destruction of people’s lives.  In Besigye we had a man who stood for nationalistic ideals, ideals that have now been thrown out of the window and replaced by personal interests.  In Besigye we had a man whose message resonated and was accepted across the country.

Whilst he has never ruled it out, over the last few months, Besigye has consistently and publicly refused to support any suggestions of an armed struggle to remove the NRM dictatorship from power.  His consistent view has been that removing Museveni using the gun not only costs lives but also offers no guarantees that the new Generals will not turn out to be as bad as some of Museveni’s Generals.

As a nation, we are therefore losing a highly brilliant Ugandan, one who understood Ugandan’s socio-political and economic problems and had the home-grown solutions to resuscitate the country.  END:  Please login to www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories and anytime mid-week for our news updates.