Press statement
United Democratic Ugandans (UDU) commends the wives and children of police officers who exercised their right through a demonstration in Kampala demanding payment of delayed salaries of police officers in order to restore electricity to their homes. We mourn with parents and relatives the four children who lost their lives in accidents related to illegal electricity connections. May the Lord rest their souls in eternal peace!
These accidents and demonstrations represent external manifestation of long and deep suffering of the people of Uganda. If police officers in Kampala can’t be paid on time, imagine what is happening to those in remote places. This is a clear reflection that NRM has failed the people of Uganda. It is also a clear sign of lack of development.
Development means that the benefits of economic growth are equitably shared so that every household meets basic needs of food, shelter, clothing, safe drinking water and electricity, etc. When that doesn’t happen, as in Uganda, there is no development. Thus, those in Uganda and abroad that praise NRM government for success in development are probably confusing economic growth of Gross National Income (GNI) and per capita income with meeting basic human needs.
While controlling inflation, opening Uganda markets to foreign trade and investment, privatizing public enterprises and accumulating foreign currency reserves in the central bank are necessary and commendable, they alone don’t put food on the table. NRM government has failed to enable Ugandans improve the quality of their lives. And the magic of trickle down mechanism hasn’t worked! For 26 years NRM has failed to make appropriate adjustments for lack of appropriate capacity and political will.
In Uganda the benefits of rapid economic record especially in the 1990s have been inequitably distributed making the rich richer and the poor poorer. Over fifty percent of Ugandans are still trapped in absolute poverty and over ten million Ugandans go to bed hungry and the number of women dying in child birth is increasing as well as that of children. Girls are dropping out of school young in part for lack of school lunch which the NRM government has refused to support contrary to the decision of NEPAD and becoming mothers in their teens increasing population growth beyond the capacity of family income.
The situation is getting worse as a result of declining economic growth, now lower than population growth, rampant corruption, expenditure on white elephant projects like the presidential jet, large cabinet and over 100 districts which have been tolerated for a long time including by development partners. In economic, political and human rights terms Uganda has been treated more kindly by development partners than other African countries or Obote II government.
Uganda’s performance should not be measured only in her contribution to peace keeping operations which is commendable but also to the extent to which the people of Uganda have benefited from generous donations and revenue from diversified exports. The latest estimates indicate that Uganda has received over $31 billion in donations but there is little to show for it in development terms much of it lost through corruption.
Let us make it clear: there won’t be peace; security and stability in Uganda with over 80 percent of youth unemployed and rising; over 10 million going to bed hungry every night and rising, with decaying education, healthcare and environment systems, where economic migration from rural areas has exceeded urban capacity to provide jobs and services. Some 70 percent of Ugandans in urban areas reside in slums which are spreading rapidly with all social and criminal challenges.
In Uganda we have had ‘peace’ at gun point and oppressive legislation against sectarianism and terrorism that prevented Ugandans from complaining about injustice but now failing to contain the situation as desperation mounts. Because they have nowhere else to turn, Ugandans are resorting to demonstrations to alert the international community that not all is well as NRM lobbyists have portrayed Uganda in western capitals.
Revolutions are a manifestation of suffering of people for a long time. We saw that in the French Revolution of 1789, Russian Revolution of 1917 and Ethiopian Revolution of 1974. What is missing in Uganda is a spark to set it off. In Tunisia the spark was provided by a young man who set himself on fire for abuse of his rights by a police officer. In revolutions particularly in France and Russia women played a crucial role as we are beginning to witness in Uganda. They were joined by the unemployed and finally by security forces who chose the people over their kings. Soon the soldiers and police of Uganda will join their suffering spouses and children and relatives against the NRM government. That is the remaining piece because the rest are ready.
But we don’t need a revolution to turn things around. NRM can’t do it because it is in disarray and decomposing from within. Rampant corruption, protection of corrupt officials and/or poor managers and struggle for succession are consuming NRM as a party and government which has no time and interest in averting a catastrophe.
A new government is the solution. We therefore need new leadership with impeccable record, demonstrated expertise and experience, truly patriotic and ready to replace NRM government. Military leaders have failed Uganda and none should be supported in subsequent governments. Soldiers are not trained to deal with civilian populations. Soldiers give instructions that must be obeyed and carried out without question. Governing people involves listening, discussing, compromise and adjustment requiring a leadership profile very different from that possessed by soldiers. Wearing civilian suits doesn’t convert a soldier into a civilian leader!
UDU has already provided a framework and a national recovery plan. We invite others to join with us so that we don’t reinvent the wheel. The October 27, 2012 London meeting on federalism which I attended and addressed recognized the need to work together which was confirmed at a subsequent meeting of November 3, 2012 that was held in London at Durning Hall Forest Gate. We now need to go beyond resolutions and rhetoric and embark on concrete actions to prevent Uganda from sliding further into poverty and desperation that could explode into a revolution.