HE BETRAYED HIS GENERATION

So, Mr. Yoseri Museveni is today 70+ (even he does not know the date of his peasantry birth) and, typically, gushed with accolades about himself. He thanked his parents for giving him education. Of course, the contributions of the Banyimas are conveniently forgotten. He thanked God. His wife thanked God for giving him to Uganda. Well and good.

So, what has this 70+ year-old man done worthy of phrase. Very little. Instead, he betrayed the aspirations of the immediate post-independent generation---a generation that has been probably the most articulate and educated in Uganda's history. This was a generation that believed that education and intellectual pursuits was the sine qua non from which all the good things would follow. As a group they believed in liberal democracy. As a group they wanted fairness to all. So, in general, the post Amin struggle was about finding those tricky goals even if they may have been couched in tribal undertones.

The rest of the story is well known. The succession question was achieved by armed struggle. Museveni won and declared a fundamental change, which was what endeared many of the generation to his cause which, in essence, was liberal democracy and fairness to all. Since then Mr. Museveni has amassed personal power, presided over an unprecedented rule by patronage that has ever been seen in Uganda's short history, and shown a perverted taste for wars that has seen many deaths from within and without.

The generation is still has some juice, and the promise is not lost yet. The following generation is yearning for direction. That generation is kneeling before Museveni. That generation is acquiring paramilitary training openly. Seemingly he wants to pass on his autocratic system to this generation. We should not allow it. Many of us still believe in liberal democracy and fairness to all as what will head this country in the right direction.