Why Gen. Saleh’s initiatives on Besigye and country look suspicious

Gen Salim Saleh

Gen. Salim Saleh has two related initiatives happening at the same time: (a) negotiating the release of Dr Kizza Besigye and Hajji Obeid Lutale, and (b) initiating talks for Uganda to come together, and develop a different form of governance, something like that.

On this second initiative – talking and power sharing – it is not clear why this is necessary in this moment, especially since his brother, Gen. Yoweri Museveni, only recently won an election by a landslide.

There has never been a moment in Museveni’s 40-yearold presidency where opposition forces have been thoroughly subdued as now. Why, then, is Gen. Saleh saying he wants the country to talk? What is urgent?

What is truer is that any efforts towards the release of Dr Kizza Besigye – and all other political prisoners – are very welcome. So are any conversations around the negotiations to reform and redirect this thoroughly broken country.

It seems to all observers that Gen. Saleh is saying that we cannot play this game anymore. Pretending that Uganda is a democracy, a constitutionally-bound country, with rule of law ought to stop.

Indeed, the entire country applauds him. The problem, however, is that Gen. Saleh is looking all suspicious as he goes about these related projects. In the eyes of a public that has become eternally cynical and skeptical – thanks to endless deception by the same government – Gen. Saleh is looking terribly suspicious.

Both his intellectual anchors and methodological approaches have given him away before he has even tried. However, I am not taking Gen. Saleh for a man who does not know what he is doing. It looks deliberate.

In fact, many of us cannot shake off this nagging feeling that Gen. Saleh has embarked on a project in anger management – while looking like someone caring.

**INTELLECTUAL ANCHOR **

While the motivations for the so-called negotiations with Dr Kizza Besigye look so obvious, the good soldier has refused to acknowledge these motivations and confront the ghosts head on.

In a letter to Gen. Saleh about two weeks ago, I elaborately spelled out the obvious reasons for “negotiations” with Dr Besigye – a political prisoner currently in Intensive Care: the contradictions in evidence (be it the audio, video, state witnesses); the apparent bias of the presiding judge; intelligence officers in jail for faking intelligence; the abduction of Dr Besigye’s lawyer, former Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, for seeking to serve summonses for a key state witness.

In the eyes of the public, all of these things – which have been fully publicized – speak to a lost case. The above contradictions and failures are the most obvious motivations for the state to change course.

Thus, in seeking political recourse, the good soldier has to address them directly. But to do that would mean a different language. Not negotiations. Negotiations over what? It can only be a candid, honest, straightforward, clearly-worded appeal for mercy from their victim and public.

I will say one more time, the language is apology. To apologise is not to declare weakness, but rather it is to acknowledge mistakes made; it is a demonstration of goodwill and honest politics.

**METHODOLOGICAL FLAWS **

Gen. Saleh’s methods and approach are all wanting. With all the powers he has as co-president, Saleh has the power to demonstrate more goodwill and good faith than he has done so far.

If he really means well, Dr Besigye, Hajji Lutale and their lawyer Erias Lukwago should be released immediately. Even if they went abroad to receive treatment and refused to return, he would have done his part.

How do you negotiate with men in chains – while at the same time, the CDF, Gen. Kainerugaba is endlessly threatening to kill them? Consider if these men died in incarceration for failure to receive urgent medical care.

There will be no reason to negotiate with dead men. Of course, there might be no political consequences. Ugandans have been so thoroughly emasculated. But how about legacy, memory and honor, things more precious than money and power?

What will be written on your grave stones? Consider the second initiative – marketed in bombastic terminology, “consociational democracy.”

I have many problems with this Prof. Ogenga Otunnu document mostly stemming from timing and context. Why now? What is happening to merit such an intervention? Why even this bombastic language?

But beyond these simple but big questions, consider the obvious problem of methods. With due respect to my friend, Prof. Otunnu, in moments like this – if they find it necessary – governments tend to constitute committees; teams of academics, and political and religious thought leaders across the political divide. Not individuals.

Consider for example, erudite and eloquent Ugandans such as Prof. Oloka-Onyango, Dr. Busingye Kabumba, Prof. Peter Mugyenyi, Prof. Christopher Mbazira, Imam Kasozi, Charles Onyango-Obbo, Dr Zahara Nampewo.

Renowned lawyers and statesmen, Hon. Medard Ssegona, Ambassador James Mugume, Erias Lukwago, Abdu Katuntu, among others. Why not plead with them and challenge them to rethink Uganda?

What is genius about a single individual in Prof. Ogenga Otunnu to burden him with the trials and tribulations of an entire country? I should add that law and political science departments at all universities have many papers – more scholarly and better written – attempting to rethink Uganda. Why single out our colleague, Ogenga Otunnu?

It becomes apparent that the mission is different. It is not really what it seems to be. But giving Gen. Saleh the benefit of the doubt, we will appeal to him one more time.

The diagnosis is true: there is immense amount of anger in this country, and we are surely seated on a time bomb. But if you really mean well, do the right thing.

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The author is a political theorist based at Makerere University

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