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Mbabazi to Museveni: Hand over power to safeguard NRM gains
President Museveni (with hat) with his then Prime Minster Amama Mbabazi. Mbabazi now wants to replace his former boss
* ‘Most of your men are fortune-hunters not genuine workmen’
Former Prime Minster Amama Mbabazi wrote to his former boss and the chairman of his party President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni that he should hand over power peacefully in order to safeguard the gains registered by the NRM government, it has emerged.
The revelation is contained in leaked letter dated 13/06/2015 and signed by Mbabazi, before Mbabazi went public with his intentions to challenge Museveni for the flag bearer of his party in the coming general elections.
Mbabazi told Museveni that he was proud of his contributions to the country including a United country, improved economic security, positive economic growth. He added however that numerous challenges remained such as unemployment, inability to provide universal and superior quality healthcare, the skills gap and lack of respect for public institutions and the rule of law.
Mbabazi blamed Uganda’s current problems to the attitude of its current ‘leadership to cling to the past’ and their inability to accept modernity.
“Today’s leadership clings to the sails of a wearied boat that is familiar, not observing that it is no longer properly equipped to stay the post-liberation course, or that too great a number of its crew are now fortune-hunters and not genuine workmen.”
Mbabazi further told Museveni that: “A number of those in the leadership reject various facets of the 21st century modernity that have become essential to efficiency and advancement in other parts of the world.”
He went on saying: “The undeniable reality is this, a new age is upon us….The time has come for Uganda to go forward in pursuit of a radical system change based on the principles of good governance. We cannot tarry for this is the most critical endeavour of our time.”
Mbabazi told Museveni that: “Mr. Chairman, as I earlier stated, much has been achieved. Given this fact, let us not risk undoing our past gains.”
Mbabazi claimed he posses the requisite abilities to deliver the wishes and aspirations of Uganda’s new generation.
“The experience I have acquired, has given me the wharewithal needed to successfully steer this change.”
But President Museveni dismissed Mbabazi’s portrayal of himself as part of a new age of leaders, saying that the former prime minister has been at the centre of the NRM system for more than 40 years and may thus not have anything new to add.
Mbabazi, one of Museveni’s former right hand men for more than four decades was sacked as prime minister, with the president saying he could not tolerate his divisive activities within the NRM party.
Mbabazi had been accused of harbouring presidential ambitions, however, he had until on Monday denied he would stand against President Museveni.
For him to lambast other leaders in NRM and call them fortune seeking cadres, is unfortunate on his part. So does he want to say that all the Time he worked the party’s chief mobilizer( party Secretary General) responsible among others for mentoring and recurring cadres; he only mentored fortune seekers? If that is what he means, then it means he was the pioneer of that fortune seeking ideology. And in any case which cadres did he mentor?
Frank Tumwebaze, a major NRM strategist, responded to Mbabazi accusing him of trying to blame others for his own mistakes.
Tumwebaze said: “He [Mbabazi] talks of a tired system and efficiency in government. So what makes the system “tired” and himself who was at the vanguard of steering that system in various roles, “fresh and new”?.
Tumwebaze noted further: “If the system is tired, then he must be exhausted himself. So, is his legacy all about mentoring fortune seeking cadres and creating a tired system?
“Has he only realized all those alleged defects in the system after his involuntary exist? Am happy he is launching his bid with such shaky and contradictory arguments. It gives the NRM members an a opportunity to discern him with ease. I wish him well”
On Monday Mbabazi through a YouTube video, recorded a massage saying he would stand for the leadership of the NRM party before standing for the presidency.
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