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The New Times (Kigali)
OPINION September 17, 2005 Posted to the web September 17, 2005 By Ignatius Mugabo in London
Kigali Once upon a time Uganda was the pearl of Africa.
Then the country endured
decades of political turmoil, economic decline and social breakdown caused by the politically bankrupt leaders. That was before a seemingly political messiah appeared on Uganda's political scene. From early 1970s that messiah in the names of Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, fought to restore constitutional rule in Uganda and usher in a "fundamental change". Ugandans and even many "guests" in Uganda at the
time joined Museveni en
masse to help him out with this noble task. When the group named NRA/M (National Resistance
Army/ Movement) captured
power in Kampala in 1986 few people complained and majority jubilated. I remember the excitement that night very well: a group of Museveni enthusiasts in our village mobilised us all in the middle of the night; men, women and children, to go to a nearby dam and "wash off Obote". This cleansing ritual was followed by a week of celebrations as peasants abandoned tending their cows and clearing their fields to welcome a new era in Uganda. For a while Museveni didn't disappoint them. The
man himself criss-crossed
the country, preaching to the people a new code of behaviour. I remember as a schoolboy in Kampala skipping classes to attend his lectures in Lugogo indoor stadium. In full military gear, the then thin brand new President of Uganda would delve deep into Uganda's economic, political and social malaise. He would then go on to prescribe his own medicine to cure Uganda's ills. The one political point he always drove home was to
restore constitutional
rule and give power to the people of Uganda. On the economic front he preached a "self-sustaining economy" and "barter trade". He would castigate former leaders who had no respect for the will of the people of Uganda. He condemned corruption, self-enrichment by his predecessors and the oppression of women. I fell flat in love with the new President and I was not alone. Never before had Uganda had a peasant president, in tune with and close to the people, and who fully understood their problems. He advised cattle keepers on how to sell their previously wasted milk and take on modern farming methods. He advised cultivators to forget the colonial myth that there are only three cash crops in Uganda and encouraged them to diversify. For the first time Ugandans realised they can make cash from flowers too. People responded in kind and worked hard. The country moved on and prospered. Throughout the
1990s, Uganda was being
cited by western leaders as "a beacon of hope" in the region. Kampala became a centre of business activity in east and central Africa, Uganda was on the way to becoming a regional power and Museveni was seen as "a king maker" in the region. After South Africa's Nelson Mandela and Mwalimu
Julius Nyerere of Tanzania,
many people thought Africa was now bracing for another statesman of that calibre. The last time I was in Uganda was in 2001 and the
achievements seemed
impressive but cracks had started to appear. There were a lot of corruption allegations flying around, some people suggesting the involvement of the President's own family members. While still in neighbouring Kenya I learnt that a
big trade summit was going
on in Kampala. The excitement about this summit had spread to Nairobi and one could only imagine what was going on in Kampala. At a time of political uncertainty in the dying days of Moi Presidency many people in Kenya seemed envious of their apparently more successful neighbour. Moi's Vice President Prof. George Saitoti proudly told a group of visiting youth delegation (including myself) from Community Aid Abroad/ Oxfam-Australia that the head of state was attending the summit in Kampala. Then on our way to Kampala from Nairobi we learnt that Dr. Kizza Besigye, the NRA Colonel who had tried to challenge Museveni in a previous election, had escaped and fled the country. The media circus shifted from the trade summit to
Kizza Besigye saga. It was
a terrible embarrassment to the government at a time when so many world leaders were in town for the trade summit. As part of our assignment in East Africa, we held meetings with some Ugandan ministers and other youth leaders including youth representatives in the Ugandan parliament, and attended the inauguration of Uganda's newly elected parliament. As officials sounded out their success story the Kizza Besigye embarrassment kept creeping in but was dismissed as a political gimmick. The Colonel wanted to steal the show but was not threatened at all; there was freedom in Uganda, officials said. Rumours that Museveni was intending to 'edit' his
own constitution, removing
the presidential term limit had started to circulate, and together with the Kizza Besigye saga, was a subject of both jokes and insinuation among ministers and MPs during the inaugural party at parliamentary gardens. Many people seemed to think that Museveni, even though he may wish to stay in power a little bit longer, had many other tricks to pull out of his bag than defile his own constitution. "I think he's too smart to do that" one Journalist assured me. Slowly and in bits and pieces, we learnt that
"smart"Museveni intended to do
exactly that. Then he went ahead and did it! So many people, among them Museveni supporters,
were very disappointed and
this is reflected in the negative press coverage Uganda has been receiving abroad. Hardly any positive news reports come out of Uganda these days and many believe the country is taking some steps backwards. Some doomsayers have even suggested a return to the bad old days. A few months ago a debate about Uganda took place
here in London. A friend
who had got a preview of the event warned me; "If you love Uganda don't attend that event". I failed to attend anyway but due to other commitments. A few days later the debate surfaced on one television channel and I had no choice but to watch it. I recognised a few historical faces: former foreign affairs minister and long time Museveni ally Eriya Kategaya and former head of Ugandan army Gen. Mugisha Muntu on one side, and Amama Mbabazi, Uganda's current defence minister on the other. Kategaya told the audience that as a historical
member of NRM, he has never
been convinced, not even by Museveni himself, of the need to change the constitution they themselves enacted. He indicated that that would set a bad precedent for the future. The three men, former comrades in arms, were literally tearing each other apart in front of a British audience! I went down on my knees and prayed for Uganda! But it seems my prayers are not helping. The one other field, in which Uganda had excelled,
the fight against
HIV/AIDS, is reported to be in trouble. The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria announced recently it was suspending grants to the country worth hundreds of millions of dollars citing "serious mismanagement" of funds. Only those who know Uganda understand what that means but others may guess too. The Geneva-based agency, a partnership between
governments, the private
sector and charity organisations, was formed after the 2001 G8 Summit in Genoa, Italy, to channel financing for HIV/Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The investigation conducted by accounting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers, unearthed "inappropriate, unexplained or improperly documented" expenses! The Fund subsequently suspended the grants amounting to 201m dollars. The good news however, is that condom distribution will go on and patients on antiretroviral therapy will continue to receive their medicines. The Global Fund insists that Uganda disband the project management Unit in the Ministry of health, the government agency charged with handling the funds, a demand Uganda has complied with. While political stand-offs may be given time to
heal, this one needs a quick
resolution, as Uganda's HIV/Aids sufferers can not afford a prolonged struggle. May Ugandan leaders realise the damage they are
causing to the present and
the future of their country. Copyright © 2005 The New Times. All rights
reserved. Distributed by
AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). The Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy" Groupe de communication Mulindwas "avec Yoweri Museveni, l'Ouganda est dans l'anarchie" |
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