Spirit of sacrifice is the key to an ‘African Spring’
By Charles Ochen Okwir
23rd January 2012: On the 15th of January, Tunisians celebrated the first anniversary of the ouster of their former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Most analysts agree that the socio-political and economic grievances that forced fruit seller Mohamed Bouazizi to set himself ablaze on 17th December 2010 exist in much of sub-Saharan Africa. However, some key issues still cause disharmony among African affairs analysts.
The first is whether or not sub-Saharan Africa has already experienced its own “African Spring”. The second issue revolves around disagreements about the prospects and obstacles to an African Spring. On the first issue for example, Ghanaian born scholar Prof George Ayittey has, with some degree of nostalgia, argued that sub-Saharan Africa witnessed its African Spring long before the Arab Spring came along. In his view, the 1990s “wind of change” that blew away most of Africa’s post-independence leaders was in fact an African Spring.
However, in maintaining that stance, Prof Ayittey may have unwittingly failed to put the fate of a possible African Spring within the context of the current Arab Spring. I say “unwittingly failed” because he agrees that the poverty inspired frustrations that pushed Mohamed Bouazizi to take his own life were partly caused by what he called “…the oppressive nature of autocrats who occupy the seats of power in African countries”.
The African Poverty Factor
The African poverty factor is indispensible in any rigorous analysis of why the success of the Arab Spring has not yet cascaded southwards along the rapids of the Great River Nile. Yes, we may argue about the degree, but there is no doubt that the better economic conditions in North Africa and the Middle East contributed massively to the success of the Arab Spring.
With better savings, Arab activists could, and indeed managed to sustain long protests without worrying about feeding their families. That is more than can be said about sub-Saharan Africans. Successive UN Human Development Reports have consistently shown that most sub-Saharan Africans live from hand-to-mouth – often on less than a dollar a day! In such circumstances, second tier struggles for democratic rights and liberties end up being relegated to the dispensable realm of luxuries.
And Prof Ayittey is right to point the finger of blame for this tragic state of affairs on the oppressive nature of autocrats who occupy the seats of power in African countries. In my book Portrait of a Despot, I argued that quite often, African despots set out to deliberately impoverish their people in order to deny them the capacity to organise themselves into anti-establishment movements like the Arab Spring. But there are other factors that have frustrated all recent African Spring attempts.
Africa’s Docile Elite
Sub-Saharan Africa has churned out a considerable number of graduates over the last twenty years, the “structural adjustment generation” as I call them. These new elites started their working lives after the IMF’s structural adjustment programme of the 1990s that has been variously blamed for much of the corruption pervading Africa today.
For these elites, quick, and often primitive accumulation of wealth is their primary concern. They have vested interests in maintaining the despotic patronage policies that feed corruption. It’s therefore unsurprising that unlike the Doctors, Engineers, and Lawyers who helped steer the Arab Spring to success, the sub-Saharan elites have, at best, tended to be passive observers of recent struggles for democracy in sub-Saharan Africa.
Lessons from the Arab Spring
This may be an oxymoron of sorts, but the Arab Spring itself also gave African tyrants invaluable lessons that informed their preparations to crash any potential African Spring. In Uganda for example, Museveni’s regime has adopted a “zero tolerance” approach to public protests. (See: Deadly Crackdown on Uganda’s Walk-to-Work Protests – TIME). Tough terrorism and treason laws have been invoked to stop protesters from establishing what Police Chief Gen. Kale Kayihura called “a Tahir Square”.
And the Ugandan case is not unique. From Senegal to Morocco, and from Sudan to Malawi, dictators have adopted similar, if not identical tactics to avert an African Spring. “…I will use any measure I can think of to quell the demonstrations”, Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika warned.
The Spirit of Sacrifice
I am convinced that the near-suicidal Arab psyche clearly separates them from sub-Saharan Africans. If ever we needed reminding, then the Arab Spring certainly proved that Arabs have no qualms about paying the ultimate price for what they passionately believe in. With their faith acting as a unifying factor, they matched against tyrannical bullets in broad day light towards freedom.
On the contrary, history has shown that African revolutionaries prefer to hide behind the relative safety of African jungles to launch their struggles for freedom. So clearly, if ever there were to an African Spring, then some menacing obstacles have to be overcome first.
Mr Okwir is a UK based Political Analyst, Journalist, and Author of Portrait of a Despot
Twitter: @COkwir
Mr. Okwir has written a very powerful article especially in regard to the docility of the sub saharan African elites in leading the masses in realising an “Africa Spring”. Except, I wonder why a man like Okwir who is himself an African elite can not commit class suicide and leave the comforts of the UK and come and lead the masses in Kampala in realising the “African Spring?”.
Okwir, are you ready to stop the bullet in the name of the Africa Spring? If not then do not blame the others.
To a large extent, I agree with the Prof. who says that Africa already had its “Spring” after the end of the Cold War. It was called the “wind of change” which swept away a number of Africa governments from power and forced others to democratise. None of the Arab countries was caught up by this “wind of change” and instead for them they tightened the noose on their citizens and avoided it. But unfortunately, they were trying to hold down a volcano! It has now caught up with them and Africa has nothing to learn from them otherwise the continent will become a perpetual “copycat”!
The “Spring” you are advocating for Africa is not real because the objective and subjective conditions on the ground for it are not available or ready. So therefore the efforts by the opposition to force one on Uganda is futile and smacks of opportunism and failure to appreciate objective and subjective reality. This is why most of the citizens are just spectators and are less concerned about the walk-to-work protests – led by rich people who ordinarily travel in 4X4 fuel guzzlers – the Besigyes!!!
What Africa needs in my view, is continuous reforms of the systems of governance – and not imported “Springs”. There are other factuals errors in you piece which I will discuss later.
Mr. Okello Maber! Let me start by reminding you that Mr. Okwir is actually a serving member of a political party in Uganda. He not being physically in Uganda doesn’t necessarily mean that he is not working to bring about sanity in Uganda. For your information, many prominent ANC members were actually exiled during apartheid but still managed to contribute greatly to the disbandment of apartheid in their motherland, so why not Mr. Okwir? Mr Okwir’s reference to sub-Saharan African elites as docile is very accurate because that is exactly what they are! Who else would you like to blame for the rot in much of sub-Saharan Africa, if not the educated, exposed but totally indifferent and docile elites? I will however agree with you that Africa needs continuous reform of system of governance, even though am dubious of its feasibility in NRM’s Uganda. What Uganda needs in my view is a total overhaul of system of governance since the NRM system of governance has gone rancid beyond reform and repair. What is wrong with the Besigyes driving fuel guzzling 4×4 as long as they can sustain it using their own resources, unlike the Musevenis who have become the biggest pest on our treasury and also travels in a motorcade of fuel guzzling 4×4’s at the expense of our poor tax payers?
To state that the objective and subjective conditions for a sub-Saharan Africa spring does not exist is a big lie and error of judgment from your side, Mr Maber. The only reasons to why we haven’t see any serious uprising in black Africa yet is because of the high levels of ignorance, poverty and last but not least deliberate repression and intimidation from the various security arms of government. Recent events in Nigeria, DRC, Malawi, Swaziland and our own Uganda are stark indications of a simmering and legitimate discontent with the power that be and visionless leadership of many of the crocodile liberators on the continent.
Pajwee,
I thank you for your response and for the almost religious defence of Okwir. Since this is a debate, I welcome your views with an open and intellectual mind. This does not mean that I agree with you because, it is clear to me that you have made some obvious errors in your reponse. How and where?
- You claim that the reason why there is no Arab Spring in Africa is not because the objective and subjective conditions are not present but because of the “high levels of ignorance, poverty and last but not least deliberate repression and intimidation from the various security arms of government”.
Surely? How then do you explain the success of the Arab Spring in Libya and Egypt where there was “deliberate repression and intimidation from the various security arms of government”? In fact in Libya the state used all its resources of repression and intimidation including the airforce, tanks, misilies but all to no avail. Same with Egypt and Tunisia. The states in this example failed to stop the people and where toppled. Why? Because the objective and subjective conditions where ripe for revolution and no amount of repression could stop the masses. They took on steel and bullets with their bodies and won.
For a proper understanding of what is meant by objective and subjective conditions, I suggest that you do some little research, since it is clear that you schooling in revolutionary parlance is clearly limited. Alternatively, you could contact my friend George Okello Pacu for some guidance, because when I used to debate with him, I found him to have some little understanding of revolutionary terminology.
Pajwee, you expose yourself even further when you say that “ignorance and poverty” are the other reasons why there is no Arab Spring in Uganda. Where is your history? Don’t you know that the great French Revolution of 1789 was carried out by the “ignorant” and poor French peasants and workers who could not afford bread but where advised by Maria Antonnoitte to eat cakes instead? Who stormed the Bastille on 14-July-1789? Was it French intellectuals or the peasants?
What about the October 1917 Russian Revolutionary, who were the masses behind it, if not the poor and “ignorant” peasants and artisans? The Chinese Revolution?
Please do some basic research on revolutions and you will find that the mix of “ignorant” peasants/workers and poverty are the powder kegs for revolutions. Poverty and ignorance are plenty in Africa, but why no revolutions? answer: because the objective and subjective conditions are not ripe. Or if I can put it in the language only George Okello Pacu may understand, it is because the revolutionary consciousness of the masses in Africa is still low.
So then this is where I expect the likes of Okwir to come in by leaving Europe and coming to give the peasants leadership – revolutionary leadership. This is what Napolean did in France, Vladamir Lenin did in Russia and Mao did in China – at great peril to their personal security and comfort. You will note that these where intellectuals who read the situation correctly and realised that the objective and subjective conditions for revolution were ripe in their respective countries and simply came forward and agitated the peasants/workers to overthrown the then ruling and exploitative systems.
Is Okwir then, ready to forego the comforts of Europe to lead the masses of Uganda to revolution? Is revolution even necessary in Uganda at this material time anyway? Are the Besigyes revolutionary in their campaign or are they just opportunistic? Have they sufficiently twinned themselves with the masses or are they just jumping into something they do not understand let alone appreciate? Just wondering!!!
Lastly, I do not see any revolution taking place in Uganda now or in the near future. This is because Museveni being a revolutionary himself has been doing things which have been pleasing the peasants so that to call them out to the streets and village paths for an uprising will be very difficult.
- Museveni has returned peace of person and property to most parts of Uganda compared to the past regimes and this is appreciated by the people including those in the North. They are guarding this peace jelously.
- He has brought relative stability to the country and in government and the people are happy with this.
- He has returned monarchies to those who wanted them. The Baganda peasants for one are happy to have their King back with them.
- Museveni has brought some overall level of economic prosperity to the country with the middle class especially blossoming. To call them to the streets and risk their wealth and investments to destruction may not probably be feasible at the moment.
-Regionally and Internationally, Museveni has raised the profile of Uganda so high that Ugandans are proud of it inspite of strigents efforts by opponents to discredit the country.
- Museveni has brought some popular social programs like UPE and USE. The poor masses appreciate this etc.
This is not to say that there have been no problems during the Museveni era. There has been massive corruption, mismanagment etc.
But the point I have laboured to make is that for an Arab Spring to occur in Uganda (Africa), there must be a proper mix of conditions: i.e. objective and subjective conditions! And that is, if Museveni will not be wise enough to read and tame these threats in advance.
“No amount of force or repression can stop a revolution whose time has come. No amount of force (walk-to-work) can cause a revolution whose time has not come”. Peter Okello Maber, 2012.
Dear Gentlemen,
Greetings! Thank you for your input into this debate. While I am able and willing to apportion social status [intellectual, elite, peasant etc] to others, I think it would be inappropriate for me to define my own. I leave that to those who are best placed to do so.
Mr Okello Maber, allow me, if you will, to say this to you Sir. First of all, I never stated, or even suggested anywhere in my article that I would like to see an African Spring anywhere in Africa; let alone Uganda. That is not to say that I have no opinion about it; because like you, I also have my own views about the desirability [or the luck of it] of African Spring in a number of countries including the wonderful Uganda that, in your view, Museveni has ruled very well. The reason I didn’t argue for or against an African Spring is because I thought it would have brought confusion to the context and type of piece I attempted to produce.
Secondly, I have read a few revolutionary works. But I am most certainly not a revolutionary scholar. I leave the more sophisticated people [like the ones you mention] to work out the “objective and subjective” revolutionary conditions. I am merely a humble man making a humble contribution to a massive debate of great continental significance. “Do whatever you can, in whatever way you can, whenever you can, and from wherever you may be”.
That is the basic principle that drives me to do the little things I do in pursuit of the objectives I set out to join. In this case, I joined a prevailing debate and as it happens, it looks like I caused you two great gentlemen to contribute most ably to the debate.
Kindest regards,
Charles Okwir
Much oblige for taking your time and responding to my contribution to this debate Mr. Maber, I appreciate it. It seems to me that some of the facts you are using to corroborate your stance on a sub-Saharan Africa spring are either inconclusive or to some extent even erroneous.
In no way could have the Libyan uprising been a success without the involvement of external players, Nato’s fire power coupled with unfettered military and logistical support to NTC made Ghaddafi’s downfall inevitable. Much as I admire the Libyan people’s courage and effort, Nato’s involvement and effort cannot be under looked by any intelligent person. Unlike Uganda where the military is the oppressive arm of the executive, the Egyptian and Tunisian military remained impartial during the uprising and later sided with the people upon realizing that change of leadership was unavoidable and necessary. In Egypt, more than 100 police officers/chiefs are currently in prison for their role in attempting to violently crush the peaceful demonstrations against Mubarak.
Am glad that you brought the French revolution into this topic, so please allow me to fill in where you have apparently fallen short. I will keep it short and leave the rest to you to find out. The events that eventually lead to the French revolution may be many but for the sake of simplicity I will mention three:
• Enlightment: French philosophers Jean Jacques Roussou, Charles- Louis secondat de Montesquieu, Francois-Marie Arouet popularly known as Voltaire and Denis Diderot challenged the rationale on which the foundation of French society was built.
• War: The royal treasury was pretty much empty after 7 years of war against Britain over the control of colonies in the new world.
• Crop failure: Failed harvests pushed food prices beyond the roof top to the detriment of citizens more especially members of the third estate.
The French revolution started as you may recall as a protest against a proposed removal of privileges enjoyed by three estates the clergy, the nobility and everyone else which consisted of bourgeois, soldiers, lawyers, craftsmen, doctors, merchants and last but not the peasants and laborers who were also at the bottom of the everyone else pyramid. At the meeting which was held in Paris on the May 5th 1789, 1200 male delegates from the three estates were present, there was only 1 peasant amongst the delegates. There was an immediate deadlock at the meeting since the third estate wouldn’t approve of block voting as a fair way of getting a fair result on the proposed amendment of privileges. The deadlock was resolved in mid June 1789 when the third estate, now calling itself national congress invited the two other estates to join them in drafting a new constitution. The clergy who enjoyed a cordial relationship with the peasants and laborers gladly accepted the invitation, while the majority of the nobility remained rigid. The nobilities refusal to join the national congress raised fear of a possible mutiny since most of them where connected to the military. It was to this background that members of the newly formed national congress decided to arm themselves and therefore stormed the Bastille in search for arms and set off what is now known as the French revolution. The storming of the Bastille was not an act by poverty stricken, ignorant peasants as you would want me to believe but educated members of the national congress and the third estate.
The women (there were men disguised in women attire as well) procession to Versailles in which the royal family was eventually captured was also conducted by people from the middle and upper hierarchy of the third estate. In the midst of all this confusion the ignorant and poverty stricken peasants saw their chances of having their voices heard a settling the scores with their feudal masters. They took part in it, yes but never founded it!
An historical look at Uganda may offer you some clarity on this matter as your own now Man of Visionlessness had to also once organize a group of intellectuals to pick up arms and fight the perceived ills of the Obote government while the ignorant, poor and oppressed Ugandans remained passive and indifferent.
Your good friend Mr. Pacu, whom I have never heard of, is entitled to his opinion and may be right regarding the low revolutionary consciousness in black Africa. But why, surely there must be reasons to this low revolutionary consciousness, isn’t it Mr. Maber? Can circumstance alone explain the docility of the educated African/ Ugandan?
Since you are referring to gen. Museveni as a revolutionary leader, could you please do me a favor and give me a short description of gen. Museveni’s qualities that qualifies him to be regarded as a revolutionary leader? / Pajwee
Pajwee,
I am also much obliged to you for response. I think that that is how it should be.I thank you further for agreeing with my advice that you need to indulge in some basic research which I see you did this time around and dug deep into the details of the French to justify your arguments- even some irrelevant details. Allow me therefore to respond to you point by point where possible.
1. Libyan revolution: True NATO helped speed up the revolution in Libya with their air campaign. But, I want to add that NATO only entered a situation where the revolutionary situation was ripe. The objective and subjective conditions in Libya were such that they needed only a spark. The other way to look at is that if NATO hbd bombed Libya and probably killed Gaddafi before the revolutionary consciouness of the people was ready, the outcome would not been a revolution but foreign invasion/conquest. The people of Libya would have sided with Gaddafi as they did when America bombed Libya in the past. NATO can not bomb a democratic country like India and cause a revolution but it can only assist the India people carry out a revolution if the people themselves feel that it is in their interest to get rid of the government in power. In Libya, the interests of the Libyan people concided with those of the imperailists forces and the result was the removal of Gaddafi. In Tunisia and Eygpt the people battled the riot police and other security organizations until they deposed the regimes. It does not have to be the army only.
2. On the French revolution, I do not see where we disagree. You have also emphasised the point I made about elites and revolutions. That they agitate the population/peasants into carrying out revolutions – that is why I asked Okwir to come to do the same in Uganda since they claim that the situation is ripe for revolution here.In revolutionary France, the elites took advantage of the rising food prices, poverty and harsh and dictatorial rule to mobilise the peasants to help in the overthrown of the feudal regime. Did you hear about the guillotine in France and what and who it was used against? Otherwise, I request you to give me examples of revolutions that were purely carried out by the elites without the participation of the masses. Was it the American, Russian, Chinese, Cuban revolutions? All I know is that the elites usually give leadership and the take advantage of national grivances to do so.
3.Is/was Museveni a revolutionary or not? You are free to take your position on this. What are Museveni’s qualities to qualifies him to be a revolutionary? Asnwers:
- Museveni led to the masses using arms to overthrow a sitting and entrenched government just like George Washington, Napolean, Lenin, Mao, Ho Minchin, Mao, Castro and the Sadnistas did before him.
- He took advantage of the grivances among the masses especially in Buganda and Southern Uganda to overthrown the sitting government after waging a protracted five year peoples war.
- Museveni uprooted not only the political regime in power of Obote, but he also uprooted its instruments of coercion: the military (UNLA), the security apparatus (NASA), the chiefs etc. Wasn’t this revolutionary??
- Etc, etc!
As to whether the Museveni revolution is still on its original declared course is something for another debate.
Thanks,
Maber
Mr. Maber, many thanks once again for your response sir!
The guillotine, a creative piece of artwork indeed, I suggest that Uganda should get one for their modern day Ludwig XVI and his bloated cabinet of vampires!
You have stated that with Museveni’s leadership Uganda has seen a growing middle class and introduction of UPE, USE and other social programs that poor Ugandans appreciates. I will agree with you that there may be a growing middle class but what is the ethnic composition, exposure and education background of this middle class? What is their relation to Museveni and NRM-O?
I wonder if you have ever traversed rural Uganda to find out what the poor really think about UPE, USE and all the other programs introduced by Uganda’s only man with a vision. Better yet, PLE results were released a couple of weeks ago, how many of the top performers came from rural Uganda where most the poor and ignorant reside? If UPE/USE were really genuinely meant to dispense knowledge to poor Ugandans,how many PLE top scorers has UPE produced since its introduction? How many of the so call revolutionary leaders send their children/ grandchildren to UPE or USE schools, Mr. Maber?
In most genuine revolution, interest of the majority always takes precedence, I wonder if we can claim that with Museveni’s revolution? Museveni! Your revolutionary leader has ruled Uganda for almost 26 years but so far only managed to provide Ntungamo district that has a population of 480000 people with 1 single doctor, is that a sign of progress to you Mr. Maber? If Ntungamo which is said to be the birth place of the first couple had only 1 doctor (currently in detention), how is then the situation in all the other districts of Uganda?
The government announced last week that there would be no salary increment for civil servants this financial year with the exception for those concerned with security. I wonder why? Why is it that Museveni can afford to have disenchanted civil servants, teachers, nurses, doctors but not those concerned with security matters? If Museveni really uprooted Obote’s instruments of coercion, why has he created new ones and militarized the police force? Just name one Ugandan institution of state that is totally free and independent from influence by Museveni? //Pajwee
Mr. Okello Maber! Where are you buddy? Am still patiently waiting for your answers to the questions above,sir./pajwee
ps: Spare me the use of ancient quotes to justify the misrule of your quack revolutionary leader!
Mr. Pajwee,
Thanks for your continued interest in my views. I am sorry I took a little while to respond to your questions. The whole of last week I had travelled to my village, somewhere in northern Uganda, to settle some clan issues. I thus did not have time to respond to you. Now however, here I am.
1. The middle class, in your own admission is actually growing in Uganda. Which group dominates it and how close are they to Museveni?
Historically the middle class in Uganda has been dominated by the Baganda because of the favouritism the British extended to this group for its collaboration with the colonisers. The Baganda got the best education as a result and with Kampala being the capital of the country the Baganda who were the majority developed a bigger middle class compared to the other groups since the best insitutions of the country were to be found and are still found in Buganda. However, this situation has been changing with the other groups also getting educated and joining the middle class.
I have done no research to determine the actual ethnic composition of the Ugandan middle class but as indicated, it has been dominated by the Baganda due to historical reasons. Museveni and the middle? I hope you are not trying to insinuate that the current middle class in Uganda is dominated by Museveni’s ethnic group? Anyhow, please do not confuse the middle class and the ruling class even though the two can sometimes mean the same thing. There may be many members of Museveni’s ethnic group in government, but that does not mean they are now the majority consituents of the middle class in Uganda.
By the way I encourage you to look at the middle class in uganda from a non ethnic angle. The middle class in Uganda is non ethnic but they have similar tastes, hopes, aspirations, desires, designs, interests etc. May be they are a new and emerging ethnic group? What do you think?!
2.UPE and USE: Yes, I traverse the villages of Uganda and I know exactly what is happening with the education out there. As I have said, I have just come back from there. However, for all its weaknesses UPE and USE are certainly useful to the peasants. Rather than condemn these programs, why not advocate for their improvement so that the children of peasants can also get quality education? I think it would be a better alternative than these children remaining completely at home. When I was going to school, so many of my age mates missed out of school because their parents could not aford shs 10/= for fees. What UPE and USE have done is to remove such excuses. A half educated child is better than one who has never seen a blackboard at all.
An improved and stregnthened UPE and USE will in fact help in speeding up the middle classization of Uganda. So please advocate for the improvement of UPE and USE, rather than condenm it. If you not like UPE and USE, there are those who like it and so do not deny them this opportunity. By the way, UPE and USE was meant to give the children of the poor a chance to attain some education i.e. at least some numeracy and literarcy at the minimum. It was not meant for the children of the rich and revolutionaries who can afford expensive schools. However, the most revolutionary thing that the revolutionaries did for poor Ugandans was to give the children of the poor also chance to go to school were in the past they never used to. Thus then, UPE and USE are revolutionary programs brought about by revolutionary leaders!!! Herein lies the difference between a reveolutinary like Museveni and other leaders. He pushes for programs which benefit the masses. Besigye and Mao can cancel UPE and USE if and when they come to power. In any case I never heard any of them campaign against UPE and USE during the last elections.
3. Pajwee, it does not mean that when a country is ruled by revolutionaries, then it has no problems. Problems are part of human nature. Even in America, there are problems. Therefore for Ntungamo to have only one doctor should not be a big surprise. The big question is, is something being done about this problem? Yes!! New universities for training doctors have been set up. These include Mbarara University and Gulu University. In Makerere the intake of medical students every year has been increased fivefold. So instead of passing out 40 doctors a year, now all the unviversity pass out out over 400 doctors. With time, focus and revolutionary patience, the problem of doctors will be sorted out.
4. Lastly, why did Museveni create his coercive forces after removing the ones of Obote?
What Museveni did was to replace reactionary anti people instruments of coercion with revolutionary pro people instruments of coercion. The duty of the pro people instruments of coercion is to protect the interests of the people as opposed to the reactionary ones which targeted the people instead. Please refer to the behaviour of UNLA soldiers in the 1980s and the NRA/UPDF now viz-a-viz the people and you will understand me. Besides, the counter revolutinary forces continued to lurk in the background hoping to spring back into power. Do you remember the rebellions that were waged by the defeated forces across the country in the late 1980 and 1990s?.
5. Please feel at liberty to ask more questions for I will be more than ready to respond.
Peter Okello Maber
Mr. Maber! Am glad that you are back, could you please answer these two last questions as well?
1) The government announced last week that there would be no salary increment for civil servants this financial year with the exception for those concerned with security. I wonder why? Why is it that Museveni can afford to have disenchanted civil servants, teachers, nurses, doctors but not those concerned with security matters?
2) Just name one Ugandan institution of state that is totally free and independent from influence by Museveni? //Pajwee
Pajwee,
1. Museveni to increase pay of security and not of civil servants?
Firstly, security operatives are also Ugandans who derseve better pay by their government. The duty of maintaining security is not simple – I do not mean the security of Museveni, but that of all Ugandans. As you may recall, at one time there was no security of person and property in Uganda, most of the insecurity was actually being perpetuated by security agents themselves (UNLA, NASA, State Research etc). Museveni has changed all this and now infact we take security for granted.
The security people who have been behind the peace and security we are now enjoying need to be paid well. I see nothing wrong with this. For your information, the security operatives in Uganda are among the lowest paid public servants with the lowest ranked soldier and policeman getting shs 260,000/= pm. The government has also promised to raise the salaries of all civil servants by 15% next financial year followed by 30% the follwing year until it reaches 100% increament for all in subsquent years.
Museveni is not increasing the salaries of security personel so that they keep him in power longer as you imply – they have been keeping him in power with even the lowest pay possible.
By the way it is not the security personel who are keeping Museveni in power – it is the people of Uganda themselves doing so by electing him and supporting his government. The day the people of Uganda withdraw their support and protection from Museveni, he will leave power.
2. Name one Ugandan institution which in not under the influence of Museveni?
There are many but let me name only one as you request:
The Judiciary of Uganda has demonstrated its independence by continually ruling against the government of Museveni. This is why Besigye and all other opposition leaders who have been charged with all manner of cases have been acquitted. If the Judiciary was operating under Museveni’s influence, then Besigye and many other opposition elements would be rotting away in jail. In fact some people instead suspect that other than being under the influence of Museveni, the Judiciary is under the influence of the opposition. This is justified by the kind of judgements they have made on cases related to the opposition.
Pajwee, I hope I have answered you. Now I expect a response from you otherwise I will take your silence to be consent. Good Day!!!
Thank you very much for the exceptionally eloquent answers, Mr. Maber!
Since when did UPE become an NRM revolutionary programme? The UPE concept was brilliantly created by the UPC government of the 80’s but never implemented because of the insurgency perpetrated by Museveni the tyrant and his gang of hoodlums. Your visionless leader later hijacked the concept and tried to introduce it without fully understanding it. UPE, a great concept if implemented correctly and whole heartedly but 15 years down the road, UPE has hardly given Ugandan taxpayers or donors value for their money. Teacher absenteeism, sexual harassment, high pupil drop out, lack of basic toilet facilities, scholastic materials and outright corruption are some of the many characteristic of Museveni’s UPE scheme. I have personally occasionally advocated for the improvement of the scheme especially in my home district only to be met by silence and at best empty promises from the relevant authorities.
Some people in rural Uganda may be contented with the scheme as you stated, but what other options do this poor and ignorant people have, Mr. Maber? Have the people you claim to have met ever seen or enjoyed the benefits of quality education since the inception of the NRM government, do they even know that it is incumbent upon government to provide quality healthcare and education to all Ugandans? Since you are also aware of the irreparable rot in the UPE scheme, have you ever bothered to demand for improvement on behalf of the rural poor and ignorant, Mr. Maber?
UPE will most certainly keep the children of the poor half baked as you said while the children of the rich and the so call revolutionary leaders will study to become prominent and useful members of society. The question is where are we going to put all the half baked Ugandans in the knowledge based economy that the world is moving towards to, Okello Peter Maber?
The disparity in the provision of quality education between the rich and poor is to me a creation of a class society at its earliest stages.
It wasn’t surprising to read you indifferent responses regarding the plight of the people of Ntungamo, after all what do you care? The newly rich Ugandans and your so called revolutionary leaders have detached themselves so much from the realities of the poor to the point that when they need medical attention they mostly go to expensive private hospitals both in and outside Uganda at the expense of our poor taxpayers. Instead of working and demanding for the improvement and provision of quality health care for all, our elites and leaders have instead abdicated this scared obligation. This kind of attitude constitutes the very docility of the Ugandan elites which Mr. Ochen wrote about.
Training many doctors is one thing, while training and retaining them is a whole different ball game. As far as am concerned the NRM governments is yet to adopt a policy on how to retain medical workers despite the fact that the problem of chronic shortage of medical workers has been around for ages. Are you aware that due to inadequate access to qualified teachers, veterinary doctors are occasionally used as lecturers in human medicine at some of the medical schools which you claim to be training our future doctors? Am sure you will absolutely see nothing wrong with having a bunch of half baked doctors at our hospitals and health centers since it is part of human nature to you. Could it be that Museveni loathe Ugandan doctors so much that he is not bothered about their availability and welfare since he doesn’t trust them and hardly uses them? If you want to experience the work of a true African revolutionary leader, I recommend you to pay neighboring Rwanda a visit. What Mr. Kagame and RPF has done for that country in 18 years is exactly what Museveni and NRM has failed to do for Uganda in 26 years!
Please, stop contradicting yourself Mr. Maber! The writings on the wall are very clear that Museveni never actually removed the instruments of coercion but only change their names and actors. Call them revolutionary instrument of coercion or not but the truth still remains that many innocent Ugandans have suffered and still suffering in the hands of UPDF,UPF, VCCU, JATT, CMI and the recently disbanded RRU. It’s very weird that your pro people instruments of coercion are often employed to crush the legitimate grievances of the very people you claim they are meant to protect. Was it in the people’s interest that people should be shot at and killed during the Buganda riots, Mr Maber? This rogue regime has for years denied the presence of torture chambers (safe houses) until recently when one its own ministers confirmed its presence, only lord knows what happened to all those who ended up there. The full extent of crimes committed by these revolutionary instruments of coercion will one day be uncovered and Museveni and his henchmen will most certainly be held accountable.
Do we really take security for granted when our country is in a state of paranoia with mean looking, gun wielding security operatives in almost every corner of the country? Since the elections, the presence of heavily armed military personnel has become a normal feature in many of our towns. Isn’t that a sign of a country gripped by paranoia?
Am glad that you also acknowledge that fact that it is actually the military that has kept Museveni in power for this long and not the people of Uganda. Museveni is very much aware that his popularity amongst Ugandans has hit rock bottom and therefore find it mandatory to keep his blue eyed boys in the army happy for their continuous allegiance. By arbitrarily promoting army officers, especially westerners, Museveni hopes to avert the risk of mutiny amongst his officers especially during this period of financial hardship. I will agree with you that even soldiers deserve good salaries but the irony is that despite the huge defense budget, only officers from western Uganda have enjoyed the benefits of being a soldier while the rest are usually given crumbs.
Attempts to compromise the independence of the judiciary has been made on several occasions by Museveni. Have you forgotten the 2007 high court siege, which is said to have been a result of orders from (Museveni) above? Do you recall when court ordered for the release of PRA suspects and the prisons authorities couldn’t effect the court orders because of orders from (Museveni) above? I hope you remember that Museveni once warned that judges would be replaced with NRM cadres if they continued ruling against the government, doesn’t that constitute intimidation of the highest degree, Mr. Maber? The independence of the judiciary is a reflection of moral resilience, ethics, integrity and patriotism from our members of the judiciary and not Museveni’s observance of the rule of law! It is no wonder that opposition leaders are often acquitted once brought before any civilized court given the often ridiculous nature of the charges labeled against them.///pajwee
Pajwee,
Thanks for your response. Before, I got to nitty gritty of responding to you point by point yet again, I allow me to first proffer a word of advice:
You seem to have blind hatred for Museveni and NRM and this has greatly distorted your perception of them. This is to be found in the words you use: “Your visionless leader…..”, “This rogue regime…..” etc.
Advice: In order to understand Museveni and NRM, please detach yourself from your prejudices and hatred.Then you will be able to make better judgement.
Otherwise, I thank you for your responses, which are good but which I will contest in my next in put. I promise you a solid and measured response. Stay well!
Do not get it misconstrued, Mr. Maber! I have no blind hatred for Museveni and NRM, Am just very disappointed with them. The Museveni and NRM of the 80’s and 90’s, which I grew up adoring and respecting, are just not the same with the Museveni and NRM of today. The deliberate weakening of institutions of state has created a false myth around Museveni as the omnipotent leader, which in my opinion sets a very bad precedence for the future of the country. In case you have any additional information regarding the mind setting and aspiration of the new Museveni and NRM, please share it with me!/// pajwee
Pajwee,
I hope this response gets you in good stead.
1. I did not say that NRM created UPE. I said it was revolutionary for NRM – which is a led by revolutionaries – to implement a revolutionary pro poor policy such as UPE.There are some conservative anti poor groups in Uganda who are opposed to UPE favouring instead a situation where a select few children of the rich go to school while those of the poor do not see the blackboard at all.
Off course it is not true as you say that the UPE “concept was brilliantly created by the UPC government …” This concept was practiced in many developed countries and especially eastern block countries. So UPC may have also plagiarised the idea – if you like this word.
2. I said that Museveni removed the old and anti people instruments of coercions such as the dreaded UNLA, NASA etc and replaced them with pro people instruments of coercion. In otherwords, I did not say that Museveni did not come come with his own instruments of coercion – he did – but pro people and disciplned ones.
3. Did I agree that it is the military keeping Museveni in power? No, no, no!! This is what I said and I quote it:
“By the way it is not the security personel who are keeping Museveni in power – it is the people of Uganda themselves doing so by electing him and supporting his government. The day the people of Uganda withdraw their support and protection from Museveni, he will leave power”.
I hope the above is self explanatory.
4. Compromising the judiciary?
You say several attempts have been made to compromise the judiciary by Museveni. May be but you do not show whether or where they succeeded? So you agree with me that the judiciary has remained independent. Your challenge to me was to name one independent institution in Uganda.I did.
5. Shooting people during the Buganda?
It was certainly very unfortunate for some people to have been shot during the Buganda riots. The death of any Ugandan in such circumstances is something I greatly regret.
But please note that that those riots were very violent and destructive. Innocent non Baganda were in a few cases killed for the simple crime that they were not Baganda. A case of two Bakiga who had just arrived in Kampala to work as casuals in instructive. When the rioters challenged them to speak Luganda and they failed, they were simply linched by the mobs in Najja. Many other people fell victim especially women from the West who were molested.
Thanks to the security forces, this madness was controlled, unfortunately with the death of some rioters and innocent people. If the security forces had done nothing, probably genocide may have taken place and we would be talking a different story now. All in all what happened during the Buganda riots was regretable for all Ugandans and it is something to avoid in future.
6. Safe Houses?
I have never been in a safe house and I do not know what happens there – neither have I met anyone who has passed through one. I do not know whether they are torture chambers or not. What I do know is that some opposition elements have falsely used the issue of safe houses to malign the government. Just name for me one person who has been to a safe house so that I may believe you.
I thank, you Pajwee.
Peter Okello Maber
For a long time our leaders who are dictators have taken lots of advantage of their own country,but one thing they all forget is that leaders come and leaders go .In Uganda M7 think he will rule for ever,but soon he will be gone.Ugandans have already made enough sacrifices .The people have been electing him over and over again in power not because they wanted it ,but may be because the opposition leaders were not competent,or they did it out of fear and not out of a free will. In the near future Africa will become a free continent and no such leaders will exisit. We have learned a lot and enough is enough.
Layet,
When did Museveni say/think that he will rule forever? Just quote for me the place, date and occassion when he said or thought so. The Chinese say, “NO FACTS, NO RIGHT TO TALK”.
When did you do a survery on all Ugandan voters to determine that they have been voting for Museveni out of fear?
Okello Maber! Call it plagiarism or not but the UPE of the UPC government was designed to meet the country’s development goals and aspirations and not a political campaign tool as we see today.
Let me refresh your memory by quoting a line from one of you response (Museveni is not increasing the salaries of security personel so that they keep him in power longer as you imply – they have been keeping him in power with even the lowest pay possible). It’s quite obvious that deep down somewhere in your mind, you also share the notion that Uganda’s Swiss bank socialist is being kept in power by the security personnels. The average Ugandan security personnel may not be highly paid but how much does the top ranking and influential officers earn? By virtue of their position in the security organizations, how many avenues of making money do not come these top officers way? The low ranking officers are meanwhile indoctrinated with Museveni and NRM propaganda by political commissionaire and kept in check by those top officers who are eating from Museveni’s plate. This is truly absurd given the fact that the country’s security organizations were meant to be impartial and apolitical.
Even though the Ugandan judiciary may have occasionally been bold enough to rule against the will of this draconian regime, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is operating totally without the interference from Museveni and his gang of thieves. You should be asking yourself whether this rogue regime always honor court orders.
It’s not surprising if you have not been to a safe house Mr. Maber, since such facilities are not meant for public exhibition. I have personally had the unfortunate pleasure of interacting with a survivor of one of these dreaded facilities. I’ll keep the name and location of my source for myself but the scars and mental torture inflicted on this poor individual by your pro people revolutionary instruments of coercion spoke for itself. You don’t have to believe me Mr. Maber but if you care enough to find out the truth, you could actually do you own little independent investigation into this serious matter for which I recommend that you to start in western Uganda. If this government really cared about Ugandans, why didn’t it took the information from the said elements in opposition seriously and investigated the existence of these safe houses? The opposition could have actually been Musevenis greatest asset in stirring the country in the right direction, unfortunately this cannot happen as long as Museveni view people with divergent and dissenting views as enemies and threats./// Pajwee
Pajwee,
Thanks once more.
1. About UPE. My view is that UPE is UPE regardless of which government implements it. I woundn’t have resisted it if UPC had implemented it. I see no reason why you are resisting it simply because a government you do not like is the one implementing it.My advice remains that you should advocate for the improvement of the program rather than its abolishion.
2. That the UPC UPE was for national development goals while the NRM UPE is for politics? This is your opinion and I respect it. But what is politics? Is there no politics in education? UPC was/is a political organisation and all the programs it pursued had politics in them. It is the same with NRM. So I do not see the big point you are making here.
3. On the salary of security personnel and keeping Museveni in power. I am afraid, you are trying to use my statement to fix me – but remember I was just responding to you when you had claimed that the salaries of soldiers was being increased in order to keep Museveni in power. That is why I said that these soldiers have been keeping Museveni in power even with the lowest of pays. In fact I was refuting the reason you gave for the increase in the soldiers salaries. I still maintain that it is the people of Uganda keeping Museveni and NRM in power not the soldiers. Didn’t you see what happened to Gaddafi, Muburak and others when the people withdrew their support from them?
4. The judiciary and the draconian regime? Ok, I see you agree with me that the judiciary has maintained its independence inspite of the actions of the “draconian” regime.
5. Obeying court orders: I think the “draconian” regime has been obeying court orders. To mention but a few: when Besigye was cleared of treason charges the regime obeyed the court ruling. When Besigye was cleared of rape charges, the regime obeyed the court ruling. When courts have released several opposition activitits charged with rioting the regime has obeyed the courts rulings etc etc.
May the truth be told: This “draconian” regime has been very good at obeying court orders that you will fail to point out any cases where it has disobeyed court and I challenge you to supply examples. Quite simply put: these regime is quite democratic!!!
6. Safe Houses: I told you the story of safe houses is one I regret if they are used to torture Ugandans. I asked you give some evidence, but you have chosen to keep it to yourself. I also told you that the issue of safe houses has been used as a propaganda tool by the opposition for far too long that it has lost credence.
Do you remember when the opposition lied to the whole world that in Uganda, snakes, pythons, croccodiles and other deadly creatures had been trained to torture opposition activists in safe houses!! This lie caused quite a stir but when the allegers were asked to give proof they shied away.
As stated already I condemn in the strongest terms the torture of Ugandans in safe houses or elsewhere by government agents if it is happening. I equally condemn the use of the issue of safe houses for political propaganda by governments opponents who hope to gain sympathy from the west.
7. Museveni viewing the opposition as enemies and the opposition viewing Museveni as a friend? On this I think both sides are guilty, in fact the opposition might be guiltier! The opposition has on several occassions (Besigye) called for an armed uprising to overthrow Museveni, they have planned rebellions, PRA, FOBA, James Opoka etc. Are these signs that the opposition views Museveni as a friend?
My take on this is that both the opposition and the ruling party should not view each other as enemies but rather as political opponents who can both work for the good of the country. Amen!!!!!
Fair enough, Mr. Maber! Thank you very much for a good debate./// Pajwee
Pajwee,
Thanks as well for the stimulating and sometimes challenging intellectual debates. I certainly enjoyed every bit of it and I hope you learnt something useful from from me.I was certainly able to appreciate much of your view points and what informs them.
I think that debate should be the way Ugandans should learn to solve their issues – I mean civilised debate. And it does not matter how wide apart the view points of the debaters may be. I think we engaged in one such debate.
Once more thanks and I will be available for future debates!!!