Theodore Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (what a name!) has ruled Equatorial Guinea since 1979. He is said to have toppled his own uncle from power and is a god in his tiny oil rich country. He tolerates no dissent.
Another jewel in that category is our own Yoweri Museveni. Even as a little boy he is said to have shown signs of rebellion and strong headedness. In fact, some now believe that if the youngish and firebrand Museveni of the 70s and 80s was living in the Uganda of today, there is a fair chance that he would have long rebelled against the rulers of the day except in this instance it would be against himself.
With the exception of JJ, the rest of the men of feat that I have mentioned are still firmly in power. What is the common thread that runs through their DNA? Well, they all started off as good men in one way or another. Another trait which is the subject of my interest is that they came to power through rebellion. I have used the word rebellion to broadly cover coups and taking up arms and resistance against colonial rule.
The question then is why do these men who came to power by rebelling against established order in their respective countries fear being on the receiving side of the very method they used to ascend to power? More so, many of them are now sort of democratically elected which should have made them more tolerant of divergent viewpoints.
True, armed rebellion and coups are no longer fashionable even in the bloody context of Africa. In fact, no one in their right senses should support such methods. And of late the Opposition in Uganda has resorted to using methods justifiable within the boundaries of the Constitution to agitate for legitimate demands that affect the day to day lives of Ugandans. But the response of the State has been swift and brutal as if faced with an armed rebellion. The President has even now proposed constitutional amendments that would deny bail to rioters, rapists, murderers and economic saboteurs.
I have no problem with denying bail to rapists but it’s clear that the interest of the President is primarily on what he calls the ‘rioters’. The main reason for the amendments, as it has been with other constitutional amendments before, is not the urgent and popular need for such a law, but political preservation by narrowing or even closing outlet through which Ugandans can make legitimate demands and enjoy their civil liberties’. This in itself is a recipe for disaster.
