Philip Matogo
American politics has inadvertently misled many of us.
That is why a large number of us are convinced that the difference between the right and left wing translates to the differences between raving Trumpians and sexually variable Hollywood types.
It is much less simplistic than that, regrettably.
Generally, according to Mr and Ms Google, the left wing is characterised by an emphasis on “ideas such as freedom, equality, fraternity, rights, progress, reform and internationalism” while the right wing places undue emphasis on “notions such as authority, hierarchy, order, duty, tradition, reaction and nationalism”.
What we have in permissive Hollywood are “limousine liberals” who bleed equality and individual liberty. Well, at least when making their acceptance speeches for best actress or actor.
Like those Americans blinded by the right, they support private property, individual rights, the notion of limited constitutional government. While, unlike the right, extol the values of pluralism, toleration, autonomy, bodily integrity, and consent. There exists a centre-right and a centre-left whose confluence is small government, law and order, freedom of religion, and strong national security.
Where the centre does not hold true to unanimity, there is a rub regarding radical politics, redistributive policies, multiculturalism, immigration, and LGBTQ2+ community acceptance.
That said, far-right politics, or right-wing extremism and left-wing extremism result in the same thing: authoritarianism. This is largely because they both eschew moderation.
For instance, Nazism is a far-right wing ideology and communism, of the Leninist-Stalinist variety, evinces a far-left wing ideology.
That is why there is precious little between right wing totalitarian governments and left wing totalitarian governments.
Both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union were dictatorships which proscribed freedoms of the press, assembly, expression.
These were prescribed by enabling laws which stamped out dissent.
To do so effectively, they both employed a secret police and slave labour camps, and both committed untold atrocities against their civilian populations at home while committing troops to adventurism abroad.
If you are still here and hopefully nodding your head in approval, we may take this argument farther or further, depending on the distance or degree we intend to travel as fellows.
Stale jokes aside, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) began as a left-wing organisation.
That is why democracy was number one in the 1984 (how very Orwellian) 10-Point Programme.
This was necessary at a strategic level. At a tactical level, the NRM deployed the National Resistance Army (NRA) to sow the mustard seed of revolution.
In doing so, they resorted to Maoism, a variant of Marxism in the sense that it places peasants in the vanguard of insurrectionist activity instead of industrial workers.
Do you now see where the origins of extreme left-wing politics came from?
And, in view of the extreme left and right being Janus-faces of shared politics, you can see why President Museveni said what follows: “America has got one of the best presidents ever, Mr Trump. I love Trump. I love Trump because he tells Africans frankly. I do not know whether he is misquoted or whatever, but when he speaks I like him, because he speaks frankly. The Africans need to solve their problems. They need to be strong, in the world you cannot survive if you are weak.”
Compare this Darwinist thesis with Adolf Hitler’s belief that “the weak were to be dominated by the strong, since the world is not there for the cowardly peoples.”
Now, let me be perfectly clear: I am not saying NRM is the Nazi Party, but if the shoe fits…Happy Martyrs Day.
Mr Philip Matogo is a professional copywriter
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