| Tuesday Reflection With Kintu Nyago Bargain with Bush we must July 8, 2003 That two sitting American presidents with varying ideological inclinations, Democratic liberal William Jefferson Clinton and right leaning Republican, George Walker Bush, visited Uganda within less than five years, is something we should pat ourselves on the back for as a country. It is, indeed, our achievement as a people, under the leadership of President Museveni. To get the required perspective, let us remember the early 1980s when then US President Jimmy Carter compared Uganda’s situation to ‘a car with all its tyres punctured, stuck in mud, and yet fully engaged in reverse gear!’ Times have drastically changed since, to the extent that Uganda now symbolises economic recovery and progressive policies aimed at social economic empowerment, poverty reduction and the reduction of HIV/Aids. Without the willingness of Ugandans to adopt these policies and implement them, usually through various forms of sacrifices, they would never have succeeded, and it is for that reason that they deserve to be congratulated. To fully appreciate President Bush’s visit to Uganda this week, it is best that we bear in mind that it is based on well thought out political considerations, for all parties concerned. In November 2004, next year, the US will be holding presidential elections. Though some commentators have questioned Mr Bush’s cerebral capacity, do not be bluffed; he is an ambitious and consummate politician with a clear strategy to hold on to power. Remember his reaction to Al-Qaeda’s dreadful September 11 attacks, and how this enabled him to drastically enhance his legitimacy, which the Florida electoral debacle had denied him during the last presidential elections? Bush’s Africa visit is aimed at putting him in good light before the American electorate next year. Uganda would offer him the opportunity to identify with progressive social policies, success in Africa! More particularly, successful policies aimed at combating HIV-Aids and poverty eradication. >From a geo-political perspective, Uganda is proving to be a reliable partner in the war against international terror, and reports from Washington indicate that the Pentagon would like Kampala to offer the US Air Force privileged refueling rights. >From the Ugandan perspective, Museveni’s administration stands to benefit tremendously from the American president’s visits. And this is something they have worked hard to achieve. Remember our joining the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, and this government’s controversial decision to side with Washington’s demand that US troops on foreign mission be exempted from the jurisdiction of the International War Crimes Tribunal? President Bush’s four-hour visit will be extremely important in boosting his Ugandan host’s profile in the region, and indeed the world! Few world leaders would ever get the opportunity to meet with a sitting US president for more than 30 minutes! Four hours at Entebbe is like a lifetime! It is also significant that the visit is coming at a time when Bush is still serving his first term. He is no ‘lame duck’ president. Consequently, he is in a better position to effect any commitments and promises his delegation makes during this visit. What we require from our leaders is hard bargaining to enable us gain concessions in five main areas. First, our access to the Millennium Challenge Account, as this would accord Uganda further privileged US economic assistance and collaboration. Second, we should be allowed to manufacture inexpensive non-generic HIV-Aids drugs. Third, the US administration should remove the subsidies it offers its agricultural sector, as this would enable our agricultural products to be more competitive on its lucrative market. Fourth, there is need for further reduction of Africa’s clearly unsustainable debt burden. And lastly, the US should enhance Uganda’s capacity to counter terrorism in all its manifestations. © 2003 The Monitor Publications |
