By Samuel Olara
Feb 22, 2005
The Uganda Debt Network (UDN) recently asked the Ugandan parliament and the NRM government to refrain from amending the constitution, terming the act a manifestation of "political corruption". UDN, an umbrella organisation fighting corruption, along with other non-government organisations under the umbrella of the civil society, says that article 74 (2) of the Constitution should be maintained to restrain parliament from amending the presidential term.
In their 16-page report titled, "A Call for a Comprehensive Strategy to Combat Corruption in Uganda", they say that Uganda's politics has been characterised by violence, nepotism, patronage and misuse of power. Consequently by default, some people have become politically powerful and are influencing the course of events in the country, and are seen as role models to be emulated, thus undermining the moral fabric of society and national integrity.
"Over time, a small elite group of people related to each other through marriage, ethnicity, religion and education, who monopolise the political spheres, has been created, thereby undermining the values of democracy and democratic governance," the report says.
To some political commentators, the monopoly of political and economic power by a clique would have been no problem if they gained power through organising themselves in an open, free, fair and transparent competitive process. But what bothers them is the fraudulent and deceitful manner in which their monopoly is created in utter disregard of even the basic principles of democratic governance.
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BLIND SUPPORT? Kitgum people exercising their power |
Since colonial times, Ugandans have seen all kinds of ruling cliques doing their own things, but what distinguishes this regime with the other previous administrations is that, it was a movement born out of rebellion and continues to govern the country on "survival instincts" like it were still in the bush.
Its leaders who supposedly set out to remove bankrupt and corrupt tyrants from power, have instead turned out to be crocodile liberators, who have left wanton carnage and human debris in their wake; and hitched to their movement is a cacophonous assortment of quack revolutionaries, vampire elites, political entrepreneurs, intellectual hyenas and rodent army Generals.
The fear that should nightly haunt our present leaders (but unfortunately does not) is that they may ha ve already betrayed irretrievably Uganda's high destiny. The countless billions of donor money poured into Uganda's national coffers in the last 19 years and the loot they ferried from our neighbours in Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Southern Sudan; would have been enough to transform the lives of the poor, the needy, end needless wars and launch this nation into the middle-rank of developed nations at least by Africa's standards. But what have they done with it?
Stolen and salted away with the assistance of spouses, family members, and henchmen accomplices. Embezzled through inflated contracts to "facilitate" an increasing army of "neo-movement" loyalists, who have neither the desire nor the competence to execute their jobs. Squandered in uncontrollable importation of all kinds of useless consumer merchandise from abroad; or sent their spouses/families on "medishopees" in Western capitals! Ironically, this criminal immorality and opulent lifestyle we wer e told was a causa secunda for waging a bush war according to the "1986 Liberators". (see Museveni's address to the nation 1987).
In their effort to sustain their ill gotten wealth, they have showered their leader with praises after praises; with the aim of safeguarding his claim to the presidency (ekisanja or canja). They have managed to ensure that no potential challenger has been permitted to gain a power base; "the peasants will not welcome any change now, they are happy with Museveni's vision and the movement system".
Even within the movement inner circles (kitchen cabinet), we have witnessed suspicion, intrigue, and jostling flourish. Sycophants have outdone each other in proving how indispensable they are to the president. In their zeal, they have discredited associates, overstated their claims, used robbers for target practices, fabricated and fed the president the information they think he wants to hear.
These sycophants have told the president "The people love only you," "In every village the peasants call you their Saviour" "As for FDC, DP, UPC and the other op
position
parties, they have no support at all". Even where there is no news the sycophants will manufacture one more "Tell them that Obote and Kony's people are coming, but only the movement can stop them".
This problem of sycophancy is not particular to Uganda alone. In Kenya, at the opening of an annual agricultural show in Beri, Moi's home town, the Agriculture, Livestock and Marketing Minister Simeon Nyachae, reportedly accused unnamed Kenya African National Union bigwigs of "misinforming and misleading the president."
In 1994, General Olusegun Obasanjo and 40 other people were arrested on trumped charges of plotting to overthrow the government of General Sani Abacha, on account that sycophants had told the general that Olusegun was seen chairing a meeting. (The Guardian, The Concord, Newswatch, March 1994).
In Ghana, sycophants kept telling President Jerry Rawlings how popular he was with the people. On the 12th May 1995 about 80,000 demonstrators marched
through
the streets of Accra to protest the imposition of a value-added tax that was popularly referred to as "vampire tax".
These sycophants and security personnel panicked and concluded that the president must not see the protest, which must be dispersed immediately. Government hired thugs, the ACDR were unleashed on the peaceful demonstration; four people ended up losing their lives and scores were injured. (Ghana Drum, 14 May 1996.)
What lessons can we learn from the impact of sycophants on freedom, democracy and development? Reflecting on history, evidence suggests that in the mid 1930 and 40s sycophant Nazi Germany politicians created the monster Aldof Hitler, the end result was the WWII and the Holocaust. Closer to our border, General and "Emperor" of the Central African Republic, Jean-B�del Bokassa, with the help of such sycophants declared himself president for life in 1972, Marshall of the Republic in 1974, and Emperor in 1977.
Even his extravagant co
ronation
could not have influenced charges of torture, murder, and cannibalism tagged to his head after his downfall; without sycophants by his side he wouldn�t have claimed that Pope John-Paul II made him an apostle of the Catholic Church.
Back home, in the 1970s, similar sycophants, some of whom are now hiding (or entrenched) behind the NRM presidency, created Fascist Dictator Field Marshal Idi Amin "Life President". The results were between 300,000 to 500,000 people died gruesomely or died of deprivation under his rule. Today, opportunistic politicians are seeking political benefits from these henchmen as "election advisors" or through "political grave digging".
Between 1981 and 1985, sycophants declared Dr. Milton Obote II "Nyamurunga". Some sycophants even swore that if you cut any part of their body, it would "bleed UPC"! Some of these same UPC sycophants will now bleed NRM/NRMO! For close to 20 years, we have time and again been reminded by the "Luwero Triangle
Skulls"
and endless pre-election "Pilgrimages" to the NRA/M "Mustard Seed Seedbed".
As I write now, sycophancy continues to wreak havoc and guide the way we live our lives in Uganda! They have become the policy makers, army of presidential assistants, ministers, parliamentarians, militia coordinators, spin doctors, name them. They are now criss-crossing the country preaching the message of amending Art.105(2) of the 1995 Constitution to allow the "Messiah" Esanja (Canja) "Life Presidency"!
Ugandans including the opposition and intellectuals are just looking on with glee as they consume the Shs5 million "consultation money" being used for buying beer and meat, while the already abused country is being systematically raped and handed over for marriage in 2006!
However much constituents and columnists scoff at the pious utterances of these vampire elites regarding probity, accountability and the need for transparency, their words continue to fall on deaf ears, once again reminding us of the great Greek philosopher, Aristotle's vo
ice in
the wilderness, "good regimes have rulers dedicated to the common good, while bad ones have rulers who use their positions to further their private interest".
The writer is a human rights advocate resident in the UK. [EMAIL PROTECTED]
� 2005 The Monitor Publications
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