Hajj Ashraf Semwogerere pens down a letter to H.E.Bobi Wine and Mathias Mpuuga

Asalaam alaikum.

A LETTER TO PRINCIPAL ROBERT KYAGULANYI Bobi Wine AND HONORABLE MATHIAS MPUUGA.

The Cuban revolution.

General Arnaldo Tomás Ochoa Sánchez was chosen by Defense Minister Raúl Castro to become the head of Cuba’s Western Army. Since this branch of the military protects Cuba’s capital city, Havana, and its top leaders and installations, the position would have made him the third most powerful military figure on the island, after Commander in Chief Fidel Castro and General Raúl Castro (today Secretary general of Cuban Communist party.).

What was expected to be a routine background check prior to the announcement of his appointment began to unravel, however, when at appointment, the government accused Ochoa of corruption, which included, but was not limited to, the sale of diamonds and ivory from Angola and the misappropriation of weapons in Nicaragua. As the investigation continued, links were found to other military and Ministry of the Interior officials who were engaged in even more serious crimes: taking pay-offs from South American drug-traffickers, including Pablo Escobar and General Manuel Noriega in exchange for letting them use Cuban territorial waters for drug drops and pick-ups.

General Raúl Castro, who was very close to Ochoa personally, later said he pleaded with Ochoa on a number of occasions to come clean and reveal everything so they could move forward. When Ochoa refused to cooperate, on June 12, the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces announced his arrest and investigation for serious acts of corruption, dishonest use of economic resources, and abetting drug trafficking.

When Ochoa sat before Fidel Castro in the President’s office, he humbly accepted to have betrayed the revolution and asked the commander in chief to do what was necessary to keep the revolution strong. Castro signed his death warrant.

At dawn on July 13, 1989, Ochoa was executed by a firing squad along with three senior officers of the Ministry of the Armed Forces and Ministry of the Interior , after a military court convicted them of drug smuggling.

Meanwhile, the Cuban revolution grew stronger despite the fact that their major rival United States was a superpower and a stone throw away from their island.

THE NRM/NRA REVOLUTION;

During the NRM/NRA bush war, several Kadogos mostly from Buganda were executed for just stealing chicken or Cassava of Wanainch. This was the bush war code of conduct. It acted as a deterrent to other rebel soldiers to instill discipline. Those who were around in 1986 when NRA stormed Kampala will tell you how well disciplined these soldiers were.

Today, there is a crisis in the NUP revolution. Where a high ranking Soldier like Ochoa of Cuba has betrayed the revolution. In the NRA bush language, the soldier has stolen from Wanainch.

For the Revolution to stand its time, I beg Honorable Mathias to act like Owekitiibwa and tell the principal to do what is necessary exactly like what Ochoa did. And to Principal Kyagulanyi, please do like Federal Castro. Please sign that warrant. The revolution is just beginning to keep its code of conduct. nobody should be above it. A revolution without discipline turns into banditry. What Dr Apollo Militon Obote had referred to NRA.

DP and FDC have a lot for reference.

Hajj Ashraf Semwogerere.