Compromise is not always the solution. Ask the mother in the Bible story who was in a child ownership dispute with another
Andrew Mwenda titled his piece in The Independent of February 2, 2012, “Reflecting on last presidential elections”. A close reading of his article leads one to the conclusion that a more appropriate title should have been “Deflections on the last presidential election.”
Mwenda makes several arguments and conclusions. Among them is that there are out three many “statesmen” who would offer solutions to Uganda’s protracted problems through the “third force” but are afraid to come out because they are fearful that they will be misunderstood. Secondly, that President Yoweri Museveni’s most ardent critics are extremists and harbour mindless hatred of the man.
Thirdly, that Museveni’s failures are actually attributed to his successes.All that, in my view, is sophistry upon sophistry. Let us extend his arguments. Mwenda will tell us that there are journalists out there even better than him but they will not put a pen to paper and publish their ideas because they are fearful of what the critics might say. He will tell us that there footballers in Uganda who would win us the World Cup but they are fearful of possible bruises and broken bones should they step on the football field in practice or play; that there are world class cooks in Uganda but will not set foot in the kitchen because they are fearful of the smoke.
Mwenda will tell a young lady in an abusive relationship that there are wonderful lovers out there but they will not declare to her their love because they are fearful of being rejected. He will go on to say that Uganda is capable of producing girls who can win the Miss World title but only that the beautiful ones are not yet born.
So useful are Mwenda’s “statesmen” who are lying low because they are fearful of being misunderstood. Mwenda should tell them that in a sense, politics is a contact sport. Those who engage in it sometimes get hurt physically or emotionally. Their egos get bruised; they are abused and even vilified. They lose old friends. Praises are few and far between, if they ever come at all. Now let us turn to the “extremists” who oppose Museveni. It is an old trick by apologists of the status quo to label as extremist, haters, angry and impatient the more effective agitators for social and political change in any country. Martin Luther King in USA was called an extremist and impatient when he demanded all the Negro’s freedoms NOW. But Mwenda knows that there is a difference between hating Museveni and hating what he has done to this country__ the damage, irreversible and irreparable. It is even possible to love the man and hate his deeds. A theory is lately being peddled by Mwenda that Museveni is failing because he has succeeded. That is straight from George Orwell’s book titled 1984. Tell that to Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew - that success breeds failure.
Lastly, there is this small word called compromise. Mwenda thinks it does magic. Split the difference and all will be well. My friend, compromise is not always the solution. Ask the mother in the Bible story who was in a child ownership dispute with another woman. King Solomon, the arbitrator, proposed, as a compromise, that the child be cut into two so that each woman takes one half. The true mother of the child promptly replied that in that case, the other woman should take the whole child alive. This was not a compromise.However, there is one thing over which one cannot disagree with Mwenda: fear stalks the land. Those who contemplate joining politics on the side of the opposition fear. And those who would vote for them fear. But the fear of Mwenda’s closet “statesmen” is different. Truth be told, Mwenda’s “statesmen” fear losing out on possible privileges__ that job for themselves or their relatives; that tender, that State House scholarship, and that state money to go for that expensive medical treatment abroad. Above all they fear to relapse into the nasty, brutish and short life that is the lot of the ordinary Ugandan. That is what they fear, not being misunderstood by their would-be fellow travellers in the opposition.
And the voters, variously and individually, fear even the more. They fear the resumption of the past chaos that NRM was partly responsible for in the first place (“ I am still young enough to cause chaos”), they fear “wasting” their vote because Museveni will be declared winner no matter how they voted (read rigging), they fear things too numerous to list. Fear has become part of the Ugandan voter’s DNA.
This country will not see positive change before people conquer their fear. And let Andrew Mwenda reflect on that and not deflect us.
Joseph Bossa is the Vice President of the Uganda Peoplew s Congress (UPC).
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written by Michael Kors Outlet, February 17, 2012
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written by Michael Kors, February 17, 2012
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Basically, most brands are offering the same product lines; they only compete with regards to quality and design.