February 18, 2011 signaled the beginning of the end of Uganda’s history as we have known it. On February 18, 2011 Museveni massively rigged the election while the whole world watched and got re-elected to another five-year term. According to the interim report of the Commonwealth Observer group it was an election that lacked a level playing field. Museveni is now in a position to end the history of Uganda. In the next five years he is going to do the following things to achieve that goal.
1. Following his swearing in ceremony Museveni will form a cabinet of ‘yes’ men and women that will rubber stamp his wishes particularly in the ministries of foreign affairs, finance, internal affairs, petroleum and energy, lands and east African affairs. Ugandans are urged to also watch carefully the ministers of state he will appoint in these ministries. In many cases ministers of state are more powerful than full ministers. We need to know the profile of each minister and minister of state.
2. The management of Uganda’s economy will move solidly into foreign hands. Watch the recruitment of foreign advisers in key ministries particularly of finance and central bank. Ugandans will simply be figureheads without authority whatsoever. Foreigners will dictate economic policy to suit their interests, not ours. Experienced Ugandans will continue to be kept in exile or won’t get hired if they go back home.
3. The imposed structural adjustment collapsed and was abandoned in 2009 after inflicting so much suffering on the people of Uganda. Key elements of it will continue to be implemented in the new government so the suffering will continue or may even be intensified. Just watch and you will see how jiggers will spread!
4. The relations between Uganda and Kenya will be stronger than before particularly in the areas of East African economic integration and political federation. Kenyan officials campaigned openly for Museveni’s re-election – a very unwelcome development in neighborly relations. Within the East African framework, Kenya and Uganda are going to push for completion of economic integration and political federation arrangements. Through economic integration Kenya will gain unlimited access to Uganda’s land and markets for labor and manufactured products. Kenya has more skilled human power and manufactured products than Uganda. The few remaining industries will close down, pushing more Ugandans onto the list of unemployed. Through political arrangement, Museveni will become the head of the federation government – a vital step towards his Tutsi Empire dream. Museveni has said the federation arrangements must be concluded by 2012 because he is eager to be the first head of the federation government. Ugandans will be losers all round whether you voted for or against Museveni. Those who are celebrating Museveni’s victory today may be on the street tomorrow jobless and homeless. We need to recast our short term mentality which is working against our long term interests.
5. The forced East African federation will create serious problems similar to those of former Yugoslavia paving the way for eventual break up of Uganda – northern joining Southern Sudan, eastern joining western Kenya, western joining eastern DRC, Burundi and Rwanda, and Buganda staying alone. Do you see how easy it is to end the history of Uganda? So watch out for the ministers and ministers of state Museveni will appoint to undertake this disintegration task. Working under the guidance or instructions of invisible external forces, Museveni and his ministers will be recorded as the people who destroyed Uganda.
6. Museveni will push his son to play a major role in Uganda politics. Should Museveni become head of the East African federation, his son will become the next president. He will be rejected but will use military might to force his rule.
7. Immigration policy will be more liberal than hitherto. More foreigners will enter Uganda and become permanent residents ready to vote legally or illegally in 2016. Foreigners could end up determining the next president if indigenous voters are disenfranchised as happened on February 18, 2011 or outnumbered – look at over two million registered voters in Ntungamo district. Where did these voters come from?
8. Museveni will metamorphose Uganda’s landscape by converting small holder plots into large farms either herding cattle or using machines to produce foodstuffs for export. Starving Ugandans will be herded into urban slums where communicable diseases will reduce the number of mouths to feed and achieve demographic transition of slow or no population growth.
9. Museveni will divide the country into more districts along tribal lines sinking the last nail into the coffin of Uganda unity project, making it virtually impossible to realize the dream of unity of all Uganda peoples.
10. A metamorphosed demography dominated by Kenyans, Batutsi/Bahororo and settlers from outside East Africa and a metamorphosed geographical landscape with more cattle and combine harvesters than small holder farms and scattered homesteads will mark the end of Uganda’s history as we have known it. The “Pearl of Africa” will be gone. Do we Ugandans have the courage to block these adverse developments?
11. Where are the youth of Uganda, where are the elites of Uganda, where are the mothers of Uganda, where are the fathers of Uganda, where are the elders of Uganda, where are the religious leaders of Uganda and where are the rank and file soldiers of Uganda?
12. Let’s be honest. Democracy as we understand it particularly in the sense of periodic elections has not worked in Uganda since the first elections in 1961. It has so far succeeded only in legitimizing illegitimate regimes with the blessing of international observer teams. Uganda’s experience is that election observers have served to keep ruling parties in power since 1980 elections. Do we really need them especially when they arrive a week before the polling day and stay mostly in comfortable locations and what they say does not carry any weight?
13. Do we as Ugandans still have some energy and will to prevent the end of Uganda’s history? Are we as cowards as we have been painted? How many of us are ready to stand up in defiance? We may not be Tunisians or Egyptians. But surely we must have a model that is suitable to our circumstances. Whatever model it is let us apply it and save our country. Nobody will do it for us. The world has become a jungle (they call it a global village to confuse those with little knowledge of international relations) where the smartest will survive but a combined effort of monkeys can drive a lion out of their territory.
14. Our parents prepared the future for us. Museveni is preparing the future for his children. Let us do the same for our children. At this hour Ugandans are down but we are not out. Let us take charge of our destiny or else we shall be out – forever!.
15. The choice is yours.