By John Ken Lukyamuzi
June 30, 2004
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Mr Edward Mulindwa�s recent essay titled �Do Not Give Federalism A Bad Name� � perplexed me. No one would like to give federalism a bad name. The level of moral decadence Mulindwa witnessed when he visited Uganda should not be related to the perception of federalism. Mulindwa posed one pertinent question, �Is our Nation failing because of a unitary system?� He added � what we need in Uganda is not an administrative system. What we need is an effective leadership.� Mulindwa�s conclusion that Uganda has gone to the dogs because she lacks an effective leadership is not based on facts. He relates that to a scenario where a policeman could not pursue people who had stolen his shoes before he could receive a bribe. Good enough Mulindwa was able to report the tragedy of his own brother. His brother had caused his shirt to disappear as it was being hanged on a clothesline to dry. The two occurrences cannot justify the conclusion that what we need is effective leadership. The two occurrences call for an effective administrative order at the grass roots to check on excesses like mistrust and immorality. In Uganda, government after government has collapsed due to lack of accountability. In Museveni�s Uganda, one has to stand by a big person for one�s area to develop. In Karamoja, until recently when disarmament was enforced, everyone required a gun to fight cattle rustling. Under a federal arrangement, the guns need not be withdrawn from the Karimojong. They can remain in the area under the control of a small government. Successful service delivery in Uganda need not be enforced through additional districts. All we need is economic and political viability in the regions to improve governance. Human resource capacities and the market forces. Federo not monarchical A lot has been written about federalism in Uganda. Some writers confuse federalism with feudalism while others relate federalism to monarchism. The biggest challenge today underlies two questions. Have Ugandans ever fully pronounced themselves on the system of government which best suits them? If so, why has Uganda failed to regain the glory, which obtained here between 1962 and 1966? We had a semi-federal system of government. While Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is the longest serving President Uganda has ever had, we have been living in a war-ravaged situation since 1986. National cake issues Why are people fighting in northern Uganda? They are fighting for fairer dimensions of distributing the national cake. The concept of federalism is not a new phenomenon in Uganda. Uganda is what it is because of her history and geography. It is a unique country with unique cultures, languages, traditions and heritage. To many, a Uganda with that rich mosaic of culture is what makes us to be what we have been for so many years now. We should harness that common wealth. As a student of federalism I know that size is not the yardstick for federalism. witzerland is much smaller than Uganda in size but it is afederation. Federalism is the system of government where executive and sovereign powers are shared between the centre and the regions. It is the arrangement where government exists beyond the centre on the same land. It is the system where power checks power. Power at the regions will check power at the centre. It will also groom leaders and strengthen institutions. There are also models within federations. The USA has a Presidential in nature while Canada and New Zealand are Parliamentary in bias. India is a minority rights model and the United Arab Emirates is Uganda requires the famous hybrid model similar to what Malaysia is. In Malaysia, the five Kingdom-based states amicably exist along with nine unitary states. Malaysia is today one of the most powerful economic giants in south east Asia. Federalism will cause compromise where compromise in normal circumstances may not be attainable. That is why Uganda needs it. Mr Lukyamuzi is MP Rubaga South and 1993 Federal Studies Fellow of the Faculty of American Studies, Salisburg, Austria. |
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