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New Vision (Kampala)
COLUMN October 31, 2003 Posted to the web October 31, 2003
Onapito Ekomoloit Kampala
IT is amazing how often one hears some Ugandans peddle the illusion that our country will down the road become a pro-type of another.
Nowhere is this delusion stronger than when we get embroiled in the argument about post-2006 Uganda. Precisely, when people debate the possibility of amending the constitution to remove the presidential term limits.
Those opposed to deleting article 105(2), which restricts a person to run for only two five-year terms as president, give the impression that the sky will fall should it happen. The critics of the so-called Third Term shudder specifically because the amendment could open the way for supporters of President Yoweri Museveni to front him as a presidential candidate again. One of the supposedly strong arguments against "Third Term" is that it would make Uganda a leper amongst democratic nations, including the other East African states (Kenya and Tanzania).
It all sounds so convincing, but it is a living lie. The truth is each country in the world is what it is not by accident. The politics of each country, including its leadership term limits - or absence of any - is determined and shaped by its history.
This is why when one looks at the world, democracy, which is the key argument by proponents of article 105 (2), is no different from dressing.
In dressing, there are as many fashions as the owners desire. The bottom line is one should cover the vital parts of the body - you must not be naked. Similarly, in democracy the widely accepted minimum is that the people must have the power to express themselves on the governance of their country. Fortunately for Uganda, this spirit is well-enshrined in article 1 of the Constitution, which asserts that: "All power belongs of the people."
It is, therefore, not surprising that different countries in the world are accepted as democratic despite applying the power of the people differently.
This is basically because they have gone through different experiences that have influenced their decisions. Even countries that appear to have a lot in common still have some things that set them apart from each other. In East Africa, for instance, Tanzanians, despite passing through a one-party/no term limits rule under the late Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, still love his party, Chama Cha Mapenduzi (CCM).
The ordinary democratic argument would be that how can one party rule uninterrupted for 40 years - its pioneer leader left at his own choosing?
The simple fact though is that Tanzanians feel the party has been good for them. On the other hand, Kenyans had a life-and-death struggle throughout the similarly long-stretched rule of the Kenya National African Union (Kanu). Again this is because of the experience Kenyans had under Kanu, which made them to consider it very nasty.
So while both Kenya and Tanzania can be said to have presidential term limits, Kenyans are most likely going to shuffle political parties in and out of power, but CCM could be with us for the better part of this century.
Coming directly to our contrasts with the other East Africans, the reasons for them are too obvious. It was no wonder that while they had no choice but go full multi-party a decade ago, we are yet to.
The point is, neither of the two countries have ever had Uganda's experience. None of them went through brutal dictatorships, as we did under Idi Amin and Milton Obote nor did they experience destructive armed conflicts.
Clearly, at the end of the day, we all East Africans but Ugandans will always remain distinctly Ugandan. If Ugandans decide to keep their current president beyond 2006, it will be as good as Tanzanians sticking to their CCM- while Kenyans ditched Kanu.
Across the African landscape, these kind of glaring variations on how democracy functions abound-all courtesy of each country's history.
How else could Namibia's Sam Nujuoma get away with "Third Term" some years ago, when both Zambia's Fredrick Chiluba and Malawi's Bakili Muluzi failed miserably? The people in each case got what they wanted.
Elsewhere in Africa, leaders like Egypt's Hosni Mubarak, Libya's Muamar Qaddaffi, Togo's Eyadema and Gabon's Omar Bongo are comfortably seated atop virtual life presidencies! Why? Obviously the people in those countries are yet to say enough is enough. For the record, both Egypt and Libya have a history of violent change.
And not forgetting that in places like Morocco and Swaziland, we still have absolute monarchies! Talk of term limits.
As it is said, no army can defeat an idea whose time has come. Similarly no army can impose an idea whose time has not come. Keep this in mind as we debate deleting article 105(2) a.k.a. Third Term.
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