At 62 Years, Uganda Struggles To Embrace Multiparty Politics And To Respect The Constitution – Ultimate News

Happy Independence Day! As some commemorate while others celebrate the day Uganda broke away from the direct rule of colonialists, the issue of oppression or suppression remains unresolved. The issues of corruption, disparities in income, delivery services, equity in national resources, and nepotism also remain unanswered.

We have seen changes take place but no transformation. The shanty towns that depict poverty still blossom, and toilet coverage with clean water remains wanting. Our Army is still dependent on the USA military aid even wearing American jungle boots.

Since independence, the democratic space has not widened, and Uganda remains grappling or struggling to have a semblance of multiparty democracy, given both its turbulent political past and complex political landscape.

Uganda at 62 has failed to move away from the haunting past where the army continues to have a say in our politics. President Museveni being a shrewd and cunning leader has managed to intertwine politics and militarism to perfect an amorphous hybrid of democracy that has stifled the opposition making it dysfunctional and difficult to detect the hand of the army.

The role of the iron hand of the military in governance remains covert. The army is heavily involved in the running of the State. This was recently buttressed by the army commander.

The 1995 Constitution is a very weak Constitution on the side of the people because it gives the President of Uganda all the power, not the people. All power belongs to the President, not the People. Article 1 of the Constitution is a farce and an illusory Law. The power belongs to the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. His order is final.
Therefore, the incumbent is a Life President or even Ssabakabaka of Uganda.

The Westminister democracy Ugandans usually yearn for is not yet practicable here because we are poor people who are always looking for survival. Genuine democracy mostly works where the society can sustain itself economically with freedom of speech, movement, and association.

I see it naïve to expect a victory from a fragmented poverty-stricken opposition under a Constitution that favors the incumbent. This Constitution gives the President too much power.

As long as Mr. Museveni is still around, I do not see a change of leadership. Today, one will look ugly and unrealistic to deny the element of money in politics. Even in rich democratic countries, money speaks. It will be very difficult to reverse or remove the culture of money in our politics. Those who are advocating for the removal of money from our politics will be the first ones to break the law.

In my opinion and lifetime experience, the Movement system of individual merit would have been better for a poor country like Uganda where the level of literacy is still low and where the scramble for money is high because of desperation, misery, and high cost of living and compounded with high corruption.

NRM is an organization that is cleverly fused to the State and where even the army has high stakes in the governance, especially the High Command. The High Command is the nucleus of power and the center of gravity for governance. The Constitution of Uganda was promulgated in the manner that it can easily be subjected to changes and amendments. This is evidenced by the many punches and beatings it has suffered to suit the interests of the power-to-be.

The historical background of our current leadership is painted with socialistic idealism and militaristic adventurism. So it becomes difficult to separate the present leadership from the past. So today we have a mixture of Obotism, Aminism, and Museveni.

President Museveni worked under Mr. Obote in the office of the President in the records department. This means he was once a UPC sympathizer. Then he established FRONASA between 1971-73 after the fall of Obote. On 17th September 1972, FRONASA and Kikos-malum of Dr. Obote waged an abortive invasion on Amin’s government. The point I’m trying to drive to the reader is that politics is dynamic.

The journey of the Revolution started way back in 1971 and you cannot detach socialism and militarism away from a Revolution. President Museveni has since then shifted to become a sworn aggressive capitalist but remember that it is very difficult to divorce Revolutionaries away from militarism. Uganda is yet to transition away from militarism. Since independence, one great thing Mr. Museveni has achieved is stability. Holding the country together is no mean achievement.

Mugoya Paul Polly,
The Writer Is Concerned Citizen.

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