When Museveni Spoke in Defence of Corruption
The Monitor (Kampala)
COLUMN
May 24, 2006
By Andrew M. Mwenda
The year is 2002 and the Washington DC based Global Coalition for Africa has organised a meeting of different African heads of state and government in Gaborone, Botswana.The subject for discussion is the endemic problem of corruption on the continent. Among those attending is our own President Yoweri Museveni (hereinafter called Mzee), Botswana President Foestus Mogae, Ethiopia Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, UK Minister for International Development, Claire Short and her counterparts from Sweden and Norway.The leaders are supposed to discuss ways of stumping it out in order to open for opportunities for Africa to develop. As the meeting progresses, Mzee takes to the floor to make his presentation."There is no evidence anywhere that corruption undermines the process of development," Mzee says with conviction."History shows that the process of development in the western world was brought about by primitive accumulation of capital. This constituted slavery, piracy, brigandage, slave trade and other forms of illegal and criminal activities that would today be called corruption. Africa does not need to waste time fighting corruption. Our strategic objective should be building a strong private sector."This sentence sends shivers throughout the conference room. The organisers have been banking on Mzee as the paragon of the war against corruption. Now he has thrown their expectations to the wind.How do they salvage the meeting when one of their anti corruption stars is actually telling them that their efforts are misdirected? It is Meles who interjects at this time."Yoweri," Meles says with a voice that reveals that the Ethiopian Prime Minister is deeply intrigued by his colleague's argument before the assembled leaders."If corruption is to be allowed to have free reign, what are governments for? Governments are supposed to provide public goods like roads, schools and hospitals. If we do not tackle corruption, how can governments deliver on this? If there is corruption, the private sector will not be doing business but will instead be cannibalising the state."But the leaders have not yet heard all from Mzee, as they cheer Zenawi's argument."Even in the last century," Mzee picks it off. "The development of capital in the US, especially in Chicago and New York was through mafia families. The same has applied to Italy." Mhn!!!??? So Mzee sees mafias as agents of the creation of capital!Okay, three years from now when his vice president, Prof. Gilbert Bukenya, complains against the existence of a mafia in government, we shall know why Mzee tolerates such mafias.
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