The sustained effort by civil
society and the opposition parties demanding for electoral reforms is a noble
cause that should be applauded and fully supported by all patriotic and peace
loving Ugandans. It is well-intentioned and an advance effort being dedicated
towards augmenting the culture of democracy, accountability and future
stability for our dear motherland.
The demand for amendment of the
Constitution and Electoral Commission Act to create conducive electoral
environment and establish truly Independent Electoral Commission is key to
nurturing credible democratic practice and a secure means of locking out the
prospect of resorting to violent and or/unconstitutional means to contest for
power.
Electoral reforms is definitely
just one set out of the many things that Uganda as a country needs to sort out,
most importantly not everything can be done at the same time. This is the
opportune time for the Electoral Reform Agenda, although it seems like time is
running out each day that passes. There is a delicate balance here that needs
to be handled with utmost sobriety to avoid falling into a dangerous trap. Now
is the time intensify the push for electoral reform from all corners but also
to be fully aware of the hurdles and that lay ahead so as to keep on the right
track. Despair should never be an option
even if delay to act on part of government extends well beyond reasonable
expectations and this is the most likely scenario.
Although it seems obvious that
the delay on part of government is a calculated move to take undue advantage
from the status quo; in my view the intention may be more sinister than it
appears. It is not politics as usual and this is not the usual delaying tactic
of the NRM government. I am highly suspicious that even the wider NRM family may
not understand the inside workings of this seemingly unusual delaying tactic.
I suspect there is an undisclosed
ploy with sinister motive which I think is work of a few top individuals who
believe that President Museveni has to keep his office whether Ugandans like it
or not. I think this ploy is aimed at overstretching and therefore exhausting the
patience of the current voices that are advocating for a level playing field
through the electoral reform agenda. I suppose the architects of this undisclosed
ploy are hoping that frustration will inevitably cause a situation of
hopelessness that may force some voices to come out openly and begin advocating
for non-electoral means to be used to change the status quo. Unfortunately, this
is the situation that will be manipulated and used as excuse to suspend
constitutional order and set this beautiful and resourceful yet fragile country
into the open fangs of full blown dictatorship - beautiful if my thinking turns
to be wrong on this one.
At this point I can see fruition
of the earlier declared threats that military can takeover government to save
the country from civilian chaos. As you may recall, there is a whole range of
suspicious but calculated events and statements that have happened in public
domain over an extended period of time. These developments, on deep reflection do
highlight a suspicious pattern although they unfortunately have minimal effect
towards awakening the national consciousness in regard to their gravity.
There are clear indicators that President
Museveni and his government is increasingly becoming weary of elective politics
on realization that his hold on power is slowly but surely under increasing
threat from opponents. This realization explains the alarming rate of
commercialization of politics, ring fencing of political positions and all the
maneuvering that comes with it, intimidation and harassment of political
opponents using state machinery, complaints by President that the Electoral
Commission is conniving with opposition to rig elections like the case of
elections for Luwero Woman MP and all other wide spread desperate measures
which government is employing to hold on to power.
President Museveni’s anxiety and
weariness of elective politics is not a new contradiction, it has come a long
way and he has not been shy about it. He has on different occasion made
statements that are clearly targeted at watering down the trust which the
citizenry should have in the democratic processes like elections. His
statements calculated and aimed at undermining the power of the ballot by
calling it a mere piece of paper which cannot be used to take him out of power.
The president is on record for saying that he came by the barrel of the gun not
by the ballot, he has told Ugandans to be aware of the fact that; the force
that makes is the force that breaks through his popular quote about “hammering of quarter pin into the bicycle”.
These are not light statements, they are strong statements made by a serious
citizen whose history is known to all.
President Museveni’s recent
pronouncement while on visit to Kigezi region that he cannot leave power to
wolves is very revealing. He seems very sure about his next move to ensure that
the so called wolves will not takeover from him. I do not think that this twisted
confidence is premised on the assumption that the populace owe him next mandate
on the presidency simply because it is not logical. This is another glaring pointer
about his resolve and therefore intention to rule the country with or without
the mandate of the people.
I call upon our parliamentarian
to rise above partisan politics and think about the future of our dear country
as a common good that transcends political inclinations and short term
political gains. This is the spirit with which they should handle the debate on
impending electoral reform agenda when time comes. The opportunity to serve our
nation at parliamentary level is a historic one that should never be squandered
by any worthy right thinking man or woman who is entrusted by constituents. I challenge you.
For God and My Country.
