Opening up is just the beginning -Monitor 20/2/2003
By Anne Mugisha
If The Monitor�s reporting is correct (and it usually is), President Yoweri Museveni has lived up to the old adage: He who pays the piper calls the tune.In your report, Museveni OK�s Political Parties (19 February), the president is said to have attributed his new found wisdom to actively advocate for the opening up of political space, to the wish of the donors, or more accurately, investors.
He once again confirmed our belief that, rather than listen to the legitimate agitation of political opponents and human rights activists for freedom of association, the president would rather bow at the feet of his benefactors, the donors/investors.
While the rationale of his decision disappoints me as a political activist who has invested some time advocating for political space, I am more than pleased by the decision itself.
I am also gratified because while President Museveni does not hesitate to jet to the Western world to borrow or beg for funds, as he has told us many times, those of us who have gone to global capitals to expose the political repression in Uganda have often been belittled by sycophants who say we should take the case to the Ugandan public and not to the donors.
When President Museveni wrote an infamous letter to Clare Short of the United Kingdom that reminded many of a school prefect whining to the head teacher about the bad behaviour of some students, it exposed just how important, if not critical, the support of our development partners (read benefactors) is to our very survival as a nation.
So it is gratifying for all the activists who have taken the political repression battles to the donor capitals to know that our efforts have yielded fruit. The donors listened and made demands, which we now know �for sure� and �for real� that the president cannot ignore.
But we must also ask ourselves why the sudden change of heart? After all, didn�t President Museveni declare early 2002, when some Scandinavian government dared to be the first to tie ! funding to the question of looting in the Democratic Republic of Congo by the UPDF, that he did not need their money?
Surely the credit cannot only go to the agitation at the foreign capitals. I believe that President Museveni, in spite of his increasingly undemocratic credentials, is still an excellent politician with his ear close to the ground.
Every opinion poll carried out since the 2001 elections has shown increasing disaffection with the Movement system of government, and increasing support for multi-party politics.
It is my strong belief that the donors and President Museveni would have gone on happily, supporting the Movement political system until the kingdom came, unless they identified increasing demands for pluralism from the people themselves. Not until they saw serious organisation of the political opposition around the freedoms that only seemed to crystallise around election or referendum periods!
So, while some will argue that President Museveni has once again grabbed the initiative, I would submit that he has simply adjusted his political calculation to suit the political climate. The pressure must have been really intense, to have brought the political timetable forward by a year.
The National Political Commissar Dr. Crispus Kiyonga had, indeed, told us that the debate for opening up of the political space would commence in 2004. But the excessive pressure from insiders (such as Hon. Eriya Kategaya and Hon. Bidandi Ssali), political parties, pressure groups, the media, human rights activists, coupled with the threat of violent armed conflict (real or imagined) have worked together to bring about one major political advancement for the country.
The challenge for us, as we continue to work tirelessly for full political liberalisation, is to rise to the challenge and organise our various political groups to contest impressively against the Movement Party by offering competitive political strategies and programmes.
But we must also realise that the opening up of the ! politica l space, which is still only a rumour, is only a start. It is important that the �presidential rumour� become law. Then it must be a living law and not simply an imprint in our statute books designed to appease donors and investors! What we should be looking out for are the following:
lWill the opening up of political space become law soon enough to give old and new parties a meaningful chance to participate fully in the 2006 elections?
lDo we have an independent Electoral Commission?
lWill the other political parties have a chance against the Movement through measures like guaranteeing their rights to meet anywhere within the borders of Uganda and mobilise support?
lWill the government guarantee the existence of political parties by financing and supporting them, to the same extent as the Movement Secretariat?
lWill the army act independently at the time of elections and beyond?
lWill the laws be amended to make a clear distinction between the Movement Party and the Movement government?
lWill President Museveni step down in 2006 or will he now re-create himself and run for the presidency as Chairman of the Movement Party?
Addressing these and other concerns is what will matter in bringing about true democracy, constitutionalism and the rule of law.
So check your jubilation and keep your eye on the ball!
The author is a Member of Reform Agenda
February 19, 2003 12:56:28
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