Museveni’s nation address about the opposition inspired walk to work protests at his home in Rwakitura shows that he learnt nothing about the previous campaign but most importantly exposes his egocentric and insensitive nature to the problems of those that voted him – assuming they all did.

In the 2011 campaigns President Museveni scored highly against Besigye by addressing issues that were affecting the lay man. Museveni fired government officials who had failed government programmes like NAADs.

He told his supporters that he was sending monies for these programmes to be implemented and made it look like it was these officials that had failed the programmes by embezzling the funds. He gave false hope to the masses when he interrogated the government officials and shifted all the blame to them in front of his supporters.

Commentators who followed Museveni and Besigye on their campaign trails like Andrew Mwenda, the Managing Editor, Independent Magazine say that Museveni won the election because he directly identified with the voters problems.

“Where Besigye projected himself as a national statesman, Museveni positioned himself as a local politician. Where Besigye articulated a grand, national vision, Museveni focused on mundane local issues. Besigye came across as idealistic with a high sense of morality; Museveni was realistic, pragmatic and practical if not opportunistic,” wrote Andrew in his Feb.24 Last word

Mwenda was a 100 percent confident Museveni had won the election. Many disagree with this thinking. However, those that agree that Museveni won the election because of the way he identified with the masses, will now tell you that while Besigye might have learnt a thing or two about the campaign.

Museveni has totally forgotten about or abandoned that message following his address about the protests. Museveni succeeded in hoodwinking the electorate that he was not to blame for his government failures, that the government officials were responsible and the gullible masses voted him. Yet his (NRM) MPs have cleared all ministers of the CHOGM scandal right under his nose.

But instead of addressing the problems the masses are facing as a result of the double digit inflation, Museveni focused his speech on one thing, Besigye. He told journalists that he was ready to handle Besigye and ensure that he does not demonstrate in Kampala.

Besigye on the other hand has braved teargas and security operatives’ mistreatment; he was even shot all in the name of commiserating with the masses whose lives have been made harder by the escalating fuel and food prices. And he has succeeded at convincing the masses that Museveni is to blame.

“They are busy buying fighter jets worth trillions of shillings, planning to spend billions on his inauguration after spending billions during campaigns but us who pay the taxes can hardly afford a meal and all they can do is fire teargas on us,” shouted one of the hundreds of youths that had formed a shield around Besigye on Thursday in Kasangati restraining police from arresting him.

Yet analysts said that in the previous election Museveni’s strategy succeeded in hooking the youth. Museveni spent handsomely on their interests; artist performances, raps – apart from producing a rap song, an entire plane was set aside to hover over Kampala burning fuel worth of millions as it played “you want another rap.”

Mean while the opposition traversed the entire country spreading news of establishing their own tally – something that might have been irrelevant to the excessively poor and services deprived masses and thus the opposition lost the election.

But following the walk to work protests, many experts say that if another election was held today Museveni would not even get the 26 percent that Besigye secured.

But President Museveni reduced the opposition leaders’ walk against inflation to idiocy. Museveni wondered whether the protest would check inflation, forgetting that the opposition’s intention is not to check inflation but to expose the insensitivity and ineptitude of his government to solve the masses problems.

But Museveni also failed to calm down Ugandans with plausible solutions. Like his police chief he only vowed to crush the protests urging the public to carry on their duties, yet it is the same public that is protesting.

Museveni also noted that the higher prices were in fact good as the farmers were reaping big yet farmers are not even 10 million of the country’s 33 million. But even the farmers he cited are not reaping as he said, since the high fuel prices mean that their transport costs and other costs of production have swollen. Worst of all is that at 11 percent, inflation renders the farmers shillings whether millions or billions, valueless.

Museveni also called on Ugandans to be patient as Uganda was about to start pumping its own fuel. Museveni said taxes on fuel were only a small proportion. Figures indicate that every litre of petrol is taxed about shs.850 and diesel shs.500.

President Museveni also defended his over Shs.3bn inauguration budget saying that it fitted the kind of guests he has invited. This is at a time the opposition is telling masses that look you are suffering because of your government’s profligacy.

While Museveni might have won the election by directly approaching the local issues with seemingly practical solutions and shifting blame to his officers, he failed to articulate solutions in his speech and unlike before he has no one else but himself to blame. Unfortunately, for him the public knows this.

On the other hand his former war physician is presented with an all time opportunity to articulate solutions by merely walking about in his small town in Kansagati. Because by walking he is perceived to be sacrificing and seeking a solution to the problem that is affecting the whole country and that is why on Monday his actions in Kasangati ignited riots in very many parts of the country – even Museveni’s strongholds- something that had not happened before.

from: www.independent.co.ug/ugandatalks/?Itemid=410

(currently this site is down though!) 

Ein historischer, wenn auch eher ereignisloser Tag!