If we don’t rise above sub-nationalism, Uganda development will remain stunted

Since I joined Uganda political debates, I have been concerned about the degree of sub-nationalism, albeit subsiding. I had hoped that the suffering we have experienced as a nation, not as individual regions or families, would bring us closer together to forge a common front, liberate ourselves and lay a strong foundation for sustainable peace, stability, security, prosperity, equity and happiness for all Ugandans. I was invited to co-host an English program on Radio Munansi. As the debates proceeded we began to lose focus on the country as a whole and drifted into sub-nationalism accusing one region for all the troubles in Uganda and vowing not to allow another national leader from there. Thankfully, others stepped in and we resumed the national debate. Based on the information we gathered among Ugandans at home and abroad and friends and well wishers, a consensus emerged that opposition groups needed to come together under one umbrella and speak with one voice for efficiency and effectiveness. Another consensus emerged that we should use our respective talents, expertise and experiences in a mutually reinforcing manner, regardless of region, religion, ethnicity, gender, age and size, etc.

In July 2011 various parties and groups gathered in Los Angeles, USA and founded United Democratic Ugandans (UDU) as an all inclusive umbrella organization to bring about political change in Uganda by peaceful means in the first instance. We had an intensive and interactive brainstorming session that laid out the contours of the work to be undertaken by UDU. Members of the executive committee were elected by acclamation based on talent and comparative advantage. The office bearers in the committee were also elected on the basis of the work to be done in the first three months in preparing for the second meeting in Boston, USA in October, 2011. We deliberately elected a lawyer as chairman because the committee felt that the top priority was the registration of UDU and writing the constitution. It was also decided that the secretary general post should be filled by someone with diplomatic and international economic relations experience and writing skills and would also be responsible for managing UDU affairs on a daily basis.

When the report of the Los Angeles meeting with names of committee members and office bearers was distributed through Ugandans at Heart Forum, the only comment we received was a complaint about why the majority of committee members have come from one region and wondered aloud why one region was not represented on the committee. We explained that two members from the region in question were nominated but declined to serve. The matter of representation came up at the Boston meeting. There was again a general consensus that positions should be filled on merit only, the idea being to rise above parochialism which has impaired Uganda’s development. The Boston conference agreed unanimously that the committee should continue to serve, with a focus on civic education and diplomatic networks in relation to developments in Uganda.

Because of his broad mandate the secretary general has been active in UDU activities especially in civic education within the framework of the National Recovery Plan (NPR) and diplomatic work. Consequently, Ugandans naturally wished to know more about the individual. As a strong believer in transparency, I circulated my profile in three parts: political experience; leadership experience and business and public service experience accessible at www.udugandans.org. To my surprise the provision of this detailed information in response to public demand has given rise to different interpretations about the motive and sponsorship as members of Ugandans at Heart Forum have read. Some comments have resurrected sub-regional feelings which UDU has been trying to put behind us. Because some Ugandans don’t use their real names it is difficult to tell who they are or whether they are genuine in their statements or are acting on behalf of someone else with the intention to dent the record.

While UDU work as a framework for collective national engagement has been well received and we are very grateful, the leadership of UDU has become a thorny issue. We believe that for national unity and progress, leadership should be decided on merit and agreed–upon profile only. The selected leader must serve all Ugandans without discrimination and performance monitored closely to ensure compliance. Uganda’s experience has shown that benefits to a region are not commensurate with the number of people a region has had at the top of the government pyramid. Ipso facto, sub-nationalism must be excluded in selecting Uganda leaders.

For God and My Country

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