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Why patience, humility, tolerance make Museveni a unique leader
The President, in a jovial mood, defended the State House budget and convoy, citing critical security threats and his hands-on approach to governance. He explained that his large convoy is a strict necessity due to terrorism, noting that without the terrorism threat, he would even gladly walk.
Amlan Tumusiime.
By: Admin ., Journalist @New Vision
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OPINION
By Amlan Tumusiime
On December 6, 2014, President Yoweri Museveni made millions of his supporters happy when he made his first-ever appearance on a local radio talk show, facing off with the then Kira Municipality MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda. Ssemujju was among the panellists. Again, on January 3, 2015, the President made his second appearance, still featuring with Ssemujju and other Capital Gang panellists.
Ssemujju, a renowned critic of Museveni and the first family, had for a long time been telling lies, exaggerating the State House budget and the President’s long convoy and going unchallenged, claiming the President was extravagant. The physical participation of the President live in the studios, and his able and honest explanation left Ssemujju speechless.
The President, in a jovial mood, defended the State House budget and convoy, citing critical security threats and his hands-on approach to governance. He explained that his large convoy is a strict necessity due to terrorism, noting that without the terrorism threat, he would even gladly walk.
On the State House budget, Museveni dismissed the notion that his large budget is mere extravagance. He defended it by saying he is not a decorative President, but an active President; where other government officials fail to perform their duties, he intervenes directly using the State House budget to help the community. He clarified that his hands-on approach is rooted in the discipline and operational methods he developed during his time as a guerrilla leader, allowing him to be highly responsive to issues on the ground.
At the end of the talk show, Museveni had convinced the country about the State House budget, the presidential convoy and why State House needed to have a reasonably bigger budget. The President left Ssemujju exposed because he used the opportunity to make clarifications on some of the issues, and the country believed him. On several occasions, I have seen Ssemujju confirming that Museveni is an intelligent leader.
The President did not use any force or any form of intimidation against Ssemujju, but reasoned him out logically with facts. This is what they call leadership with a purpose.
When I talk about admiring Museveni for his humility, tolerance and patience, I am talking about his ability to lead the country calmly, listen to differing perspectives and endure political challenges without reacting with anger.
The President, in a jovial mood, defended the State House budget and convoy, citing critical security threats and his hands-on approach to governance. He explained that his large convoy is a strict necessity due to terrorism, noting that without the terrorism threat, he would even gladly walk.
On the State House budget, Museveni dismissed the notion that his large budget is mere extravagance. He defended it by saying he is not a decorative President, but an active President; where other government officials fail to perform their duties, he intervenes directly using the State House budget to help the community. He clarified that his hands-on approach is rooted in the discipline and operational methods he developed during his time as a guerrilla leader, allowing him to be highly responsive to issues on the ground.
At the end of the talk show, Museveni had convinced the country about the State House budget, the presidential convoy and why State House needed to have a reasonably bigger budget. The President left Ssemujju exposed because he used the opportunity to make clarifications on some of the issues, and the country believed him. On several occasions, I have seen Ssemujju confirming that Museveni is an intelligent leader.
The President did not use any force or any form of intimidation against Ssemujju, but reasoned him out logically with facts. This is what they call leadership with a purpose.
When I talk about admiring Museveni for his humility, tolerance and patience, I am talking about his ability to lead the country calmly, listen to differing perspectives and endure political challenges without reacting with anger.
The President’s humility makes him a modest and not arrogant leader. In this context, I am referring to his ability to engage respectfully with everyday citizens, consult both traditional and religious leaders and focus on public service rather than personal ego.
Museveni is a darling to millions of citizens because of his tolerant approach to issues. His willingness to accept feelings, habits or beliefs that are different from his own has made him a unique leader. Museveni has mastered politics by developing the capacity to reconcile opposing views, work with individuals of diverse backgrounds and allow space for different political voices.
Being patient, the President has been able to remain calm and calculated during national and regional crises, and because of these special traits, he is highly loved by his supporters, a reason why, at 81 years of age, millions of Ugandans will be glad to see him on the ballot paper again in 2031.
Museveni is a leader who listens and is very calculated with his words. He has been able to lead Uganda for a long time because he engages all categories of people, including those who oppose him. He believes more in dialogue than confrontation. In 2001, while I was still working on Radio Hoima as a radio talk show host, I had a two-hour one-on-one interview with the President.
During a phone-in call, one caller rang in the studios saying: “Mr President, we are not going to vote for you. For us, we love Besigye, and he is the one we are going to vote for. You have even failed to work on the Hoima-Kiboga-Busunju road.” The President was smiling as he was taking notes from the opposition phone caller.
After the talk show, Museveni asked me to look for the phone caller and take him to meet him. He linked me up with his then PPS, Amelia Kyambadde. I got the gentleman, took him to the President; he shook his hand and took him through the history of Uganda for some minutes. The gentleman became a good cadre of the National Resistance Movement. No intimidation, but engaging and hence producing good results. Excellent leadership.
Of recent, I have observed some people praising some leaders making avoidable mistakes. It is wrong to mislead leaders for selfish reasons. Advisors who tell a leader what they only want to hear rather than the truth are engaging in flattery. The Bible warns that such behaviour is rooted in greed and selfishness. Proverbs 21:5 says a man who flatters his neighbour spreads a net for his feet.
Flattery is a trap that harms both the person being flattered and the deceiver. 1 Kings 22 reminds us how King Ahab was surrounded by 400 false prophets who told him exactly what he wanted to hear, for them to secure their own favour, and he ignored the honest prophet Micaiah, who was telling him the truth, which led him straight to defeat and death. It’s not good for leaders to be surrounded by schemers and opportunists who keep praising them for avoidable mistakes for their personal benefits.
Surah Al-Asr (103:3) in the Quran condemns opportunists who fail to tell their leaders the truth and, instead, encourage them to continue going astray for their own self-motives. The Quran warns that such people will face severe punishment.
We all need to learn from the President on how he has been able to lead Uganda with patience, tolerance and humility. Anyone with political ambitions to become the president must learn these special leadership traits from the Sabalwanyi, as my good friend, the new Attorney General, Dr Sam Mayanja, loves calling him.
Museveni has set a legacy that future generations to come will benefit from and it is our responsibility as his cadres to do everything to ensure that this legacy remains alive. It is possible and practical once we do the right things and follow his leadership style correctly and carefully. As leaders, we need to live by example so that those we lead can learn from us.
Emotional intelligence is key for all of us and has four pillars that help us take right decisions that can help our country remain peaceful. These four pillars include: Self-awareness, I mean the ability to recognise our own emotions, understand what triggers them and how to handle them maturely.
We need to promote self-management by having the capacity to control impulsive feelings, adapt to changing circumstances and also keep in mind the concept of social awareness by having the ability to accurately read other people’s emotions, pick up on social cues and practice empathy (understanding others’ perspectives).
It is also important to understand relationship management, especially the skill of communicating. The communication process has several elements that include the sender, encoder, the message itself, the channel or medium of communication, receiver, the decoder, the feedback and the noise or barriers.
The barrier element or noise can cause problems if not well handled because it would mean the sender’s message had issues and caused noise. This is not good.
Therefore, as a country, we need to be mindful of how we communicate because once the message is not well understood, it is distorted and hence causes unnecessary noise. Meaning there was no effective communication.
The writer is a National Resistance Movement Cadre
Museveni is a darling to millions of citizens because of his tolerant approach to issues. His willingness to accept feelings, habits or beliefs that are different from his own has made him a unique leader. Museveni has mastered politics by developing the capacity to reconcile opposing views, work with individuals of diverse backgrounds and allow space for different political voices.
Being patient, the President has been able to remain calm and calculated during national and regional crises, and because of these special traits, he is highly loved by his supporters, a reason why, at 81 years of age, millions of Ugandans will be glad to see him on the ballot paper again in 2031.
Museveni is a leader who listens and is very calculated with his words. He has been able to lead Uganda for a long time because he engages all categories of people, including those who oppose him. He believes more in dialogue than confrontation. In 2001, while I was still working on Radio Hoima as a radio talk show host, I had a two-hour one-on-one interview with the President.
During a phone-in call, one caller rang in the studios saying: “Mr President, we are not going to vote for you. For us, we love Besigye, and he is the one we are going to vote for. You have even failed to work on the Hoima-Kiboga-Busunju road.” The President was smiling as he was taking notes from the opposition phone caller.
After the talk show, Museveni asked me to look for the phone caller and take him to meet him. He linked me up with his then PPS, Amelia Kyambadde. I got the gentleman, took him to the President; he shook his hand and took him through the history of Uganda for some minutes. The gentleman became a good cadre of the National Resistance Movement. No intimidation, but engaging and hence producing good results. Excellent leadership.
Of recent, I have observed some people praising some leaders making avoidable mistakes. It is wrong to mislead leaders for selfish reasons. Advisors who tell a leader what they only want to hear rather than the truth are engaging in flattery. The Bible warns that such behaviour is rooted in greed and selfishness. Proverbs 21:5 says a man who flatters his neighbour spreads a net for his feet.
Flattery is a trap that harms both the person being flattered and the deceiver. 1 Kings 22 reminds us how King Ahab was surrounded by 400 false prophets who told him exactly what he wanted to hear, for them to secure their own favour, and he ignored the honest prophet Micaiah, who was telling him the truth, which led him straight to defeat and death. It’s not good for leaders to be surrounded by schemers and opportunists who keep praising them for avoidable mistakes for their personal benefits.
Surah Al-Asr (103:3) in the Quran condemns opportunists who fail to tell their leaders the truth and, instead, encourage them to continue going astray for their own self-motives. The Quran warns that such people will face severe punishment.
We all need to learn from the President on how he has been able to lead Uganda with patience, tolerance and humility. Anyone with political ambitions to become the president must learn these special leadership traits from the Sabalwanyi, as my good friend, the new Attorney General, Dr Sam Mayanja, loves calling him.
Museveni has set a legacy that future generations to come will benefit from and it is our responsibility as his cadres to do everything to ensure that this legacy remains alive. It is possible and practical once we do the right things and follow his leadership style correctly and carefully. As leaders, we need to live by example so that those we lead can learn from us.
Emotional intelligence is key for all of us and has four pillars that help us take right decisions that can help our country remain peaceful. These four pillars include: Self-awareness, I mean the ability to recognise our own emotions, understand what triggers them and how to handle them maturely.
We need to promote self-management by having the capacity to control impulsive feelings, adapt to changing circumstances and also keep in mind the concept of social awareness by having the ability to accurately read other people’s emotions, pick up on social cues and practice empathy (understanding others’ perspectives).
It is also important to understand relationship management, especially the skill of communicating. The communication process has several elements that include the sender, encoder, the message itself, the channel or medium of communication, receiver, the decoder, the feedback and the noise or barriers.
The barrier element or noise can cause problems if not well handled because it would mean the sender’s message had issues and caused noise. This is not good.
Therefore, as a country, we need to be mindful of how we communicate because once the message is not well understood, it is distorted and hence causes unnecessary noise. Meaning there was no effective communication.
The writer is a National Resistance Movement Cadre