By Gakwerere
After any discussion or debate, any student or learned person will always reflect on the topic which had been analysed and discussed. For weeks, I have been pondering over the above conversation topic that I had with my best friend.
To my best friend, husband and wife always have the same political Ideology and have the same leadership style. The topic of conversation was focused on two couples, Yoweri Museveni and Janet Museveni. To my best friend, Yoweri Museveni and Janet Museveni have the same ideological outlook that no decision can be taken without Janet Museveni’s input; that a Janet Museveni government would totally have an ideological mirror to that of Yoweri Museveni.
In our conversation, I was totally against this utopian thinking, an assumption that people think the same way. I was against this theme that, in case Janet Museveni becomes the president, the Yoweri Museveni mirror would reflect her government. I believe that each individual has a different ideological interpretation of contemporary politics.
Currently, Janet Museveni is supporting Yoweri Museveni in leading Uganda, this doesn’t mean that her views are influencing the strategic thinking of her husband and it doesn’t necessarily mean that when Janet Museveni happens/elected to become the president the status quo of political management will be the same.
My friend warned me against discussing this idea to other people, in clear words, “people will laugh at you.”
The question: Would partners (husband and wife) have the same political ideology – similar leadership style?
For any PHD study, a topic proposal should be innovative, refreshing, not have been researched before and refreshing. If rephrased well, the above topic would be an excellent innovative PHD topic proposal.
Since my last discussion with my friend, I have taken this conversation topic to my work mates, to my local joint and the findings are always on the balance. In my little analysis, the majority of those who are married believed that partners (husband and wife) will always have the same political methodologies – workings. It doesn’t depend who is in power or control. To them, a Janet Museveni rule would totally be the same as Yoweri Museveni rule; Yoweri Museveni would continue ruling from the shadows.
In my conversation with different segments, this topic created divergent views. In such social political discussion, it is better to look at references and relate to those reference reviews. For me, it is hard to be convinced that a Kizza Besigye presidency would be the same as Winnie Byanyima presidency merely because they are married.
For example when Robert Mugabe was admitted in Singapore for medical treatments, for those months that he was absent senior Zimbabwean officials were whining and whinging about Grace Mugabe’s leadership skills. Grace Mugabe is the de-facto vice president of Zimbabwe!!To these Zimbabwean officials, Grace Mugabe’s style was unbearable.
We move to Nigeria, when Muhammadu Buhari was bedridden in London, the wife – Aisha with the help of the vice president moved in to reward party royalist with juice positions, things that Muhammadu Buhari had avoid for regional balancing. Yes, partners (wife and husband) may subscribe to a same political party or same philosophical ideology; but when it comes to leading, they will use different tools or applications to assert their leadership/rule.
It would be unrealistic or unidealistic to believe that partners (wife and husband) will have the same style when it comes to political management or any kind of management. In political management, utopianism doesn’t exist; it is managerial tools, methodologies, targeted objectives and aims that exist. The idea that Partners (wife and husband) will have the same political management style is farfetched and unsubstantiated.
Each manager, in this case political managers will always bring in their new operational styles, try different ways to achieve their stated objective goals and leave a mark. It doesn’t matter whether you have succeeded from your partner; it is human nature that people will try to operate differently from their predecessors.
