IT seems lopsided at first glance, to make presidential aspirant Rodrigo Duterte square with past Uganda strongman Idi Amin. Physically, the former is at a disadvantage with his 5-foot-something, mid-size frame that seems best fit only for evincing notions of machismo. The latter, with 6 feet, 4 inches of a mighty robust physique, at once etches in the air the image of a towering giant made more awesome by medals of gallantry tucked to the left side from the breast to the hem of his military coat.

An accomplished swimmer, soccer forward, and the light heavyweight boxing champion of Uganda in his prime, Amin was the athletic type, to top his own machismo. Coupled with a brilliant military career beginning with his assignment at the King’s African Rifle in World War II all the way to his chiefdom of all Ugandan armed forces upon his ouster of former ally Ugandan Prime Minister Milton Obote in a coup in 1971, his attributes easily made him strut forward as a legendary hero for the oppressed – except that once in power, he opted to turn from hero to oppressor.

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