Opposition politicians on Wednesday hit at President Yoweri Museveni as they bid farewell to Democratic Party (DP) Secretary General, Mathias Nsubuga who died on Sunday.
In his statement, President Museven described the late Nsubuga as “an open, tolerant politician who believed in dialogue. The country will miss him.”
However, the Opposition leaders countered Mr Museveni’s statement saying there was no tolerance in the country’s political environment.
During the requiem mass at Rubaga Cathedral on Wednesday, the Kampala city Lord mayor Mr Erias Lukwago said he was still reflecting on the president’s remarks and wondered whether he was reciprocating the good gesture from people like the late Nsubuga. .
“The country needs dialogue that will restore the sovereignty of the people, usher in a genuine democracy, a functional multi-party democracy and above all respect the will of people and usher in a dully elected government. There are values Hon Nsubuga espoused and the challenges he has left behind,” he said.
Lukwago’s comment didn’t go down well with the NRM party Secretary General, Ms Justine Kasule Lumumba.
She asked the opposition to give Nsubuga a descent sendoff instead of engaging in political gymnastics.
“Let’s give Mr Nsubuga a burial without contradictions because he was not a man of contradictions. We have all the time to do our political gymnastics when we go to the next elections of 2021,” Ms Lumumba said amid cheers from mourners.
She added that Nsubuga died at a time when he was leading them well as the Chairman of Inter Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) and did not believe in defiance as a means to conflict resolution.
In his eulogy, DP president, Mr Norbert Mao said:“Mr Nsubuga can be defined by his relationships with his family, clan, friends, Buganda kingdom, church and publicly.”
He added that Nsubuga was not comfortable with the country’s status quo.
“He may have preferred a different approach but that does not mean that he differed from the goal the majority of Ugandans have in common. To break the cycle of bloodletting, silence, violence in our country. Our country is bleeding and divided. We were promised a new beginning in 1986 but ours is a society of broken dreams. Our leaders have broken our promises,” Mr Moa said.
Former presidential candidate Dr Kizza Besigye said Nsubuga was committed to dialogue.
©Alleastafrica and Daily Monitor
