By Timothy Nsubuga

12^th Sept 2011:

Museveni: Is he now a deranged buffoon?

A Rwandese newspaper the Rwanda Focus has, in its editorial of 5^th September, [See: A great pity what has happened to Museveni] expressed ‘great sadness’ that President Yoweri Museveni has “…descended to levels of incompetence and buffoonery once associated only with the likes of Mobutu, Moi, and other of that ilk”. We have judged it to be fair to do no more than reproduce the vitriolic editorial verbatim below. It says:

“…It is a moment of great sadness when one realises that a once great leader has de­scended to levels of incompetence and buffoonery once associated only with the likes of Mobutu, Moi and others of that ilk.

Those who knew President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda when he was a young revolutionary leading a band of disciplined rebel fighters, the National Resistance Army, into Kampala after overcoming exceptionally – even for Africa – ruinous re­gimes (Milton Obote, Tito Okello) cannot stop asking themselves how it has all gone so spectacularly wrong.

At what point did Museveni morph from the zealous, country-loving idealist he was into that which he used to despise most – an African potentate presiding over a regime characterised by voracious thieves? (And let’s not forget, the man himself has publicly said his administration is full of thieves). How exactly did the revolutionary Museveni allow it for the National Resistance Movement to be dominated by a cabal that has effectively criminalised the state of Uganda? Is Museveni the main culprit?

Every day we hear of this or that unbelievable scam, of acts of recklessness that in countries characterised by rule of law would land the perpetrators in jail for long stretches of time. We hear of billions and billions spent on unneeded weapons, like fighter jets, only to learn from the media that the prices were vastly inflated, leading to the conclusion that purchase of the jets in the first place had nothing to do with national defence and everything to do with some big fish’s scheme to line their pock­ets. We hear of vast sums of money printed to buy an election, which may explain the high levels of inflation plaguing Uganda now.

It has been like this for the past several years: vast numbers of ghost soldiers on the Ministry of Defence’s payroll; the state being ripped off for huge sums of money in fraudulent tenders in preparation for the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of State Meet­ing (Chogm) in Kampala; vast sums donated by the Global Fund disappearing and remaining unaccounted for, and so on ad infinitum.

It is truly appalling how criminalised the state has become in Uganda. And here is what we have to fear even more: we are yet to see the worst.

Museveni is old now, and, quite unfortunately for all of us in Uganda and Rwanda, he is no longer in control of anything in his regime. That combined with the fact the man clearly is afflicted with the cling-to-power syndrome of so many African poten­tates could lead to lethal consequences.

For one, it could prove a destabilising factor for us in Rwanda as negative political elements would find Uganda fertile ground to set up shop. That is on the political side. On the environmental side, obviously you have heard of Museveni’s desire to give a big chunk of Mabira forest – one of the biggest rain catchment areas in the region – away to a sugar grower.

Hopefully the people of Uganda won’t stand that, but with a regime as determined to wreak havoc as Museveni’s, and that has expressed utter disregard for the outcry against desecra­tion of the forest, you cannot be sure the outcome will be pretty.

We keep hoping things won’t turn out badly, but it looks more like a vain hope each passing day”. END.  Please login to www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories and anytime mid-week for our news updates.