When emotions override all reason

PRIME Minister Apolo Nsibambi will surely not love this. For one man that represents utmost temperance in all of President Museveni’s cabinet, his latest shenanigans will do so much to injure that reputation.

I was having a chat with Deputy Speaker Rebecca Kadaga last week at the opposition snubbed European Union funded democracy workshop at Speke Resort Munyonyo, when Prof. Nsibambi did the unthinkable. Looking crisp in a grey suit, he walked hurriedly towards us. I humbled myself, bowed courteously and extended my hand to greet him. Prudence always dictates that you compose yourself in respect and honour, in the presence of a ‘big man.’

He grabbed my hand and I said, “Good morning Hon. Prime Minister.” I suspect he didn’t hear me greet him. In a burning fit of rage, Prof. Nsibambi quickly went on to unleash a tirade of obscene proportion.
Still holding my hand and turning to Ms Kadaga, he barked; “This man is very foolish. You are very foolish young man. Foolish!” I stood and watched in consternation. He still held onto my hand and we walked in the same stride, towards the conference hall. “How could you write and create the impression that [Nandala] Mafabi and I are enemies. We are not. In fact I have always supported him because he is doing an excellent job. No, no, that was a bad article,” he said.
“Did you read the article?” he asked Ms Kadaga, and she nodded in the affirmative.
“You are a hopeless man and I will never talk to you again,” he said. Ms Kadaga looked at me sheepishly.
It was the perfect anti-climax. Moments earlier, she had agreed to grant me an interview- one that I had been chasing for weeks, and when it all seemed perfect, Prof. Nsibambi turned up and spoilt the party. I was pretty certain that the Kadaga interview was now gone with the wind, in the same vein Prof. Nsibambi would have expected his tirade.

Before he let go of my hand, I collected myself, took a deep breath, already embarrased by the verbal attack on my person and reputation, and told Prof. Nsibambi; “Hon. Prime Minister, I honestly think that is below the belt. You are accusing me falsely and that is not what my article said.”

But he would have none of it and simply walked on with Ms Kadaga, talking about the story.
“Oh I read it and I think it was....,” she said, but her voice drowned with the sound of chattering from other guests who were returning to their seats after the 11:00AM coffee break. I quickly lost my appetite for the coffee but a colleague insisted we get a cup nonetheless. He too was taken aback by Prof. Nsibambi ranting. “I didn’t read the story but you must have annoyed the Professor,” he said.

But it was written in plain English and the article spoke about the character of Mr Mafabi, the bold chairman of the Public Accounts Committee. And do you know what pissed off Prof. Nsibambi? Well, I quoted snippets from the Parliament Hansard of 2004 in which Mr Mafabi verbally clashed with the Leader of Government Business. Mafabi had called Nsibambi a liar, citing court proceedings. But I rightly pointed out that the FDC MP was forced to recant his statement. Now that was fact and not a painting of my imagination.

Two hours later, I bumped into the usually jolly good professor, but this time in the gents. He picked up from where he had stopped. “You are a foolish man,” he said. “Young man you cannot make a whole professor of political science look foolish in your writings. That is not acceptable.”
I told him there are always two sides of the story and it is only necessary not to dwell on the negatives.

He still wasn’t convinced and marched out of the loo wearing a vexed look.
I was troubled and disappointed. But to overtly hurl insults at a reporter was in many ways dishonourable behaviour. That morning I was pretty certain Prof. Nsibambi had forgone his honour. Forget that I have always had much respect for him. It didn’t matter then and it doesn’t now.

As I resigned to my humble abode that evening, it had never occurred to me that much that intelligence is a gift from God and surely isn’t picked up from books.

Drawing parallels between that bizarre episode and the decision by the five represented opposition parties in Parliament to boycott the EU workshop, it also had never been clearer that politicians often let their emotions override all reason.

Prof. Ogenga Latigo, the Leader of the Opposition will surely have a difficult time convincing me why the opposition snubbed the do. That Speaker Edward Ssekandi invited the other obscure or if you like ‘ghost’ opposition parties to the discussions, was never good reason to warrant a boycott. What would the opposition lose by sitting on the same table with the reportedly briefcase parties, often described as appendages of President Museveni’s NRM? This wasn’t Parliament, and no decision reached at would be binding, in any case.

I thought I would share my trials and tribulations about last week’s quizzing by the Criminal Investigations Department but since I am making another visit this morning, I will save that for next week. Press freedom is still under attack.

The Insider