Where do we locate Museveni in Uganda’s political landscape? When Museveni came to power in 1986, he believed in Jean Bodin’s political philosophy that he alone as president was boss, by divine right, appointed and guided by God to rule Uganda with absolute authority in the tradition of Louis XIV of France, the Stuart kings of England in the 17th century and Nicholas II of Russia. He surrounded himself with people that refer to him as God-send to save Uganda and then metamorphose the republic, lifting Ugandans out of extreme poverty into a middle class society and ultimately sending some to the moon. Equipped with this absolute power, he alone abandoned the ten-point program that had been crafted by a cross-section of Uganda stakeholders, dictated the terms of structural adjustment program having dismissed the minister of finance and the governor of the bank that had different ideas, dictated the 1995 constitution of Uganda, divided the country into over 120 economically unviable districts and appointed a cabinet of over 70 ministers and ministers of state. He appointed his wife Janet Museveni as the minister of Karamoja and later added a minister of state to get the people of Karamoja out of centuries of suffering. Despite corruption, sectarianism and poor management Museveni has retained his in-law Sam Kutesa (Museveni’s son is husband to Kutesa’s daughter) as minister of foreign affairs likely to become president of the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly, should the world body endorse AU’s nomination. Museveni ruled that Ugandans in the diaspora were not needed at home – yet he hired many foreign experts to fill the skills gap – except a few related to him that he gave juicy jobs like ambassadorship. He has directed which rural areas should be incorporated into municipal council and with indigenous land owners eventually losing their land to the business class and ending up landless and penniless in urban slums that are sprawling in large towns especially the nation’s capital, amounting to genocide of targeted groups in time of peace. Museveni’s hand is alleged to have been involved in the murder of the president of Burundi in 1993, in the troubles in Rwanda that resulted in the 1994 genocide of moderate Hutu and Tutsi and descended on DRC together with Kagame and sent Mobutu packing and later died in exile. Museveni record in Sudan civil war is well known as well as interference in Kenya politics, the alleged genocide of Hutu in DRC and support to M23 that has terrorized Eastern region of DRC. Museveni delivers some statements at the UN General Assembly that miss the point as when discussing the impact of rising food prices on consumers and progress in meeting the MDGs as well as who is aiding whom. Museveni believes he is the anointed one to advise fellow African leaders how to run their countries as captured from his speeches including those at the African Union Summits. But leaders like Museveni who believed in and practiced absolute rule ended up rejected by the people, witness Charles I and James II, Louis XVI, Nicholas II and Haile Selassie, to mention a few. History repeats itself. And it has descended on Uganda and its absolute ruler Museveni where the people at home and in the diaspora are beginning to voice their disapproval of NRM misrule after many years of silence. Uganda is now classified as a failed state. Draconian laws and modern instruments of torture to thwart dissent will in the end fail. They failed in Romania where Ceausescu and his wife Elena misruled for many years. The ongoing efforts to break up disapora resistance to the NRM regime have already been exposed. The development partners some of them keen on restoring respect for human rights and freedoms and rule of law to ensure equal justice for all Ugandans, the media and human rights organizations have turned their focus on Uganda and a lot is being revealed. Ugandans are coming forward and sharing their experiences in the Luwero Triangle and Northern and Eastern Uganda, shedding light on the disproportional suffering caused by guerrillas and national troops commanded by Museveni. Some are demanding that the ICC steps in as soon as possible prompting Museveni to make a strong statement against the ICC at the recently held 68th session of the UN General Assembly. Museveni’s days are numbered if only Ugandans get together under capable leadership based on merit and especially character and proven family tree and experience whose ideas about how Uganda should be governed have been articulated and widely discussed. UDU has recommended that a Truth and Reconciliation Commission be established after NRM has exited the political stage to inquire into what has happened in Uganda and possibly in the neighboring countries since 1986 to draw lessons about what not to repeat. To avoid emergence of another ruler in the image of Museveni, it has been recommended that a transitional government be established in the aftermath of NRM regime to prepare for a free and fair multi-party elections so that for the first time Ugandans elect their representatives without corruption and then hold them accountable. The sovereignty of the people must be reestablished and liberal democracy entrenched in Uganda’s political life. Ugandans must reserve the right to recall the government or members of parliament that are judged to have failed to deliver as promised during the campaign. Eric
Posted on: Sun, 20 Oct 2013 03:39:52 +0000
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