By: Godwin Agaba
Bigabo after close reading your article titled “Kagame Cannot Kneel For Museveni, He Can Go Hang” on taarifa.rw, an online news site under a byline; Patrick Muyenzi.
As a friend and my former editor, I asked you these questions;
1.why use a pseudo name and forgets to change your profile picture?
2. why do you always push the Kisangani story ?
3. asked you to state your argument because in your article you are everywhere and jumps from one issue to another ( confuse your readers ).
You answered only two that ” CMIs know me by those names .”( guess you were joking ).on Kisangani you said; “the Kisangani story is like an antiseptic..”. whatever that means.
But let me briefly talk about Kisangani clashes story which you always try to push even during our RIMEG days. You always goaded me about Kisangani, saying Uganda was walloped. But some of us know that Kisangani ‘victory’ is an imagination. RDF kept attacking a force which was under instructions from President Museveni not to respond. I told you to ask why they failed to destroy a landing plane?
In the story, you claim that relations between Uganda and Rwanda are deteriorating because of personal differences between Uganda’s President Museveni and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame. You go ahead to accuse Museveni of being grumpy and trying to be the most influential bull in the region while expecting that Rwanda “owes him a foot massage”. Whatever else you say, Bigabo you forget one thing, that Museveni made Kagame what he is.
If it was not for Museveni, Kagame would hardly have attained the profile of a soldier and liberator, remaining, rather, an anonymous refugee living at large in Uganda and perhaps never setting foot in his homeland again. It is Museveni who honed Kagame’s revolutionary instincts in the Luweero bush war and granted him influential command positions. It is that experience that guided him in leading the RPF war after Maj. Gen. Rwigyema’s death.
More so, if it was not for Museveni, perhaps it is Kagame who would have perished in place of Rwigyema since it was the latter supposed to go for a course in USA but he opted to switch with Kagame, again with Museveni’s blessing.
Whatever else you claim as achievements of Kagame and which you claim make Museveni envious is overhyped. Any factual accomplishments are thanks to Museveni’s benefaction that helped Rwanda rise from the ashes. The Ugandan leader has been modest and humble enough not to boast about his support for Rwanda’s liberation but those who know know, as they say.
He does not need anybody to kneel to him because he is self-made and complete. It is why he has been in power for the longest continuous period of time in the region and is, in fact, Kagame’s inspiration for continuity.
Uganda cannot compete with Rwanda because they are naturally set apart in ground presence. There is natural supremacy which cannot be taken away and again if Uganda competing with anyone it is larger, more powerful economies and not Rwanda with all its natural limitations. Uganda is the wrong “enemy” to bully.
As sister countries neighboring each and with a common history, it is in their best interest for tranquility and co-operation to prevail. Uganda is on good terms with the rest of her neighbors, is a leader in instilling peace all over Africa, which is a clear sign of the heart and mind of Museveni.
The fact that apologists like you, Bigabo point out a litany of alleged areas of interest where Rwanda has gained some mileage as sources of envy on the part of Uganda tells it all -that Rwanda is interested in a regional power contest to feel good about itself. As a consequence, suspicions that acts of sabotage have been systematically carried out in Uganda and elsewhere are coming to bear.
As earlier stated, Museveni’s interests are far broader than anything Rwandan apologists can say or imagine. He has no time for cheap talk and fights. That is why is quiet while everyone across the border is shouting all over. He is a man of peace and a kingpin of dialogue. Reaching out to anybody for positive interaction and amicable resolution of differences has never been a problem to him or a thing of disgrace as you would like to claim. In Uganda he freely interacts with opposition politicians as it was under the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) on two occasions where he has attended the summit on equal terms with others. Can that happen in Rwanda? If there is any one to learn from another, it is Kagame to learn from Museveni for both seniority and historical reasons.
Rwanda will not get anything from teasing and provoking Uganda. Unless it is not the Museveni we know in charge.
Again still waiting for the third answer; state your argument.
