Movt rating 35 percent
By Badru D. Mulumba
Parties only 15 percentA survey released yesterday says more than half of Ugandans neither identify with the Movement nor political parties.
Partisan support for the Movement is 35 percent, while the political parties command a paltry 13 percent.
The donor sponsored survey was carried out under the Donor, Democracy and Governance Group chaired by Netherlands ambassador Matthieu A. Peters.
�Yesterday [Thursday], we discussed it with civil society. A day before we [had] discussed it with MPs, and we are seeking an appointment with the president and key ministers,� Mr Peters said.
�So it is food for their consumption.� The report, the second survey of public opinion in African countries, was discussed at the Netherlands Embassy on Rwenzori Courts, yesterday.
Support for the Movement is mostly from the West (58 percent) and the north stands at 12 percent.
Support to existing parties is largely from the North (24 percent), while the West is five percent.
A grim picture emerges further for both groups when it comes to trust.
Trust in parties is only 16 percent from 31 percent in 2002; while the Movement commands 56 percent down from 83 percent.
The most trusted institutions are the local councils at 77 percent.
Mr Museveni follows at 61 percent and the independent broadcasting media stands at 58 percent.
Approval for Mr Museveni�s performance is 81 percent down from 93 percent. Satisfaction with democracy in Uganda is down from 72 percent to 60 percent; dissatisfaction is up at 33 percent from 17 percent.
Less than half of Ugandans (42 percent) believe parties are needed and
sixty-five percent believe party competition causes conflict. But 53 percent rejected the single party rule. Ugandans who think the country is a full democracy is down and so is the number who think Uganda�s democracy has major problems.
Forty-three percent say it is a democracy with minor problems up from 32 percent, 31 percent say it is a democracy with maj! or probl ems down from 32 percent.
A majority of Ugandans (74 percent) say democracy is always best.
But 7 percent it doesn�t matter, while 12 percent say a non-democratic system is preferable.
Afrobarometer, an international collaborative enterprise of the Institute of Democracy in South Africa, the Centre for Democracy and Development in Ghana, and Michigan State University carried out the survey in August and September 2002.
The findings were presented by Ms Carolyn J. Logan, Afrobarometer associate director.
Dr Nansozi Muwanga, a senior lecturer in the department of Political Science and Public Administration at Makerere University and Robert Sentamu, managing director of Wilsken Agencies, a research firm assisted her.
February 28, 2003 12:13:51
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