The National Unity platform (NUP) party leader, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, aka Bobi Wine, and his associates have learned nothing and forgotten nothing from their previous strategic mistakes that have left them isolated.
Ever since Bobi Wine joined politics, he has tried to show that Uganda is only for Baganda and the rest of the tribes are alien and useless. As a politician vying for the national seat, he forgets that he needs other tribes as well to fulfill his political ambitions since Buganda alone isn’t enough to vote him for presidency.
During the second reading of the coffee bill this week, Bobi Wine and cronies turned the bill into a Buganda issue, claiming that President Museveni is fighting coffee because it is a Baganda cash crop. But what Bobi Wine needs to understand is that President Museveni and the NRM government have overtime closely worked with Buganda Kingdom to promote coffee farming for the socio-economic development of Buganda region.
The president’s message is clear, all farmers in Uganda including Baganda will benefit from value addition and esrn more compared to the current peanuts earned.
Bobi Wine and his party MPs did not only end at attacking the president, but attacking Speaker Annet Anita Among, as they have always done, in that they reached an extent of editing her speeches saying, “make sure the Baganda don’t get the numbers.” Yet the speaker said, “Make sure the Buganda caucus doesn’t tribalize the coffee bill.” This clearly shows that Bobi wine and cronies changed it to suit their own propaganda narrative of preaching tribalism and misinform the public.
Bobi Wine’s comments alongside his Mps’ utterances are just the usual baseless lamentations from non-performers who want to divert the public for sympathy seeking,most especially because we are nearing elections and they want to play to the gallery and hoodwink their voters.
The coffee bill seeks to rationalize the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) back to its mother Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries (MAAIF).
The aim of rationalization of agencies is to streamline operations by eliminating the unnecessary. The president found it necessary to rationalize the agencies to avoid duplication of responsibilities and wasteful expenditure. It should be remembered that it is not only UCDA that has been rationalized but also many other agencies like UNRA and NFA, among others.
Coffee being the biggest export earner in Uganda, President Museveni realized that the country would actually earn more through adding value to coffee and streamlining the coffee value chain operations in Uganda. This would then benefit both the farmer and the government. However, Bobi Wine and the group chose to distort the president’s information and played the tribal card instead.
Surprisingly, Bobi Wine has not promoted divisionism in tribes alone; he has fought his Buganda Kingdom and brought divisionism and confusion in the kingdom by belittling the Kabaka and the Katikiro and portraying himself as bigger than both of them and the kingdom.
It is unfortunate that in an era when all people of good will and sound mind are preaching unity and good neighborliness, an aspiring presidential candidate is promoting divisionism, hooliganism, and violence and expects sane Ugandans to vote for him. Ugandans are definitely watching, and the last thing they would do is stoop too low to choose a hopeless tribal charlatan to be in charge of their country.
Bobi Wine and team should do soul searching and understand that respect is paramount and they should respect other leaders for them to earn respect too. This is not the time to trivialize and tribalize everything when dealing with sensitive matters of national importance. Ugandans are watching them.
