Tag Archives: stability

What Uganda needs to do to achieve political stability

Uganda is at a crossroads saddled with many challenges that are tearing the country apart and could lead to civil war. Those in power are blaming the opposition for causing trouble. Those in the opposition argue that government excesses are the root cause. There are two ways of sorting out the problem: fight until one group defeats the other or compromise and every Ugandan has a share in the fruits of independence. The history of England may give us a hint on the way forward.

During the middle ages, European monarchy and nobility engaged in a bitter struggle for power that resulted in absolute monarchy in France and constitutional government in England. In France the monarchy ruined the nobility through war. In England the king and the nobility agreed to share political power. They settled their disputes through compromise rather than head for total victory. King John for a time maintained his authority by using cruel methods with support of mercenaries. However, this method would not survive a serious crisis that erupted in 1214 as a result of financial crisis due to war. Because of the king’s despotism, the barons refused to help him out. In January 1215, taking advantage of his vulnerability, the barons presented the king with a series of demands for reform and end of despotism. With no support from his subjects the king signed the document in June 1215. The petition was written in Latin under the name of Magna Carta. The petition was translated into English and issued as the Great Charter. What were the landmarks in the Charter that could be emulated?

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National stability has trampled individual freedom in Uganda

Museveni became president in 1986 with a message of democracy, free and fair elections, freedom and prosperity for all contained in the ten-point program which he dropped in 1987 in favor of structural adjustment program (SAP) with stiff conditions. The unpopularity of SAP which was being experimented in Uganda after some countries like Ghana and Chile had found it costly and adjusted it, and the threat of terrorism in the East Africa region created a pretext for Museveni to introduce measures that have trampled individual freedom. In 2002, an anti-terrorist law came into force with a broad definition of terrorism as the “use of violence or threat of violence with intent to promote or achieve political, religious, economic and cultural or social ends in an unlawful manner”.

Painful structural adjustment at home and Uganda’s intervention in countries of the greater lakes region including alleged genocide of Hutu in DRC and plunder of Congo’s resources made Museveni unpopular, causing him to become authoritarian in order to cling to power because in a free and fair election he would lose.

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Uganda needs security and development to sustain stability

To sustain stability (permanence of character), Ugandans need security (state of feeling free from fear or danger of joblessness, hunger, sickness, discrimination, etc) and development (advancement in economic and social progress). In other words security and development are conditions that underpin national stability.

In Uganda efforts to realize security and development have been outcompeted by those in favor of stability. The NRM government has focused on peace and political stability in terms of safety of Ugandans from military threat, political instability and internal conflict. The disproportionate effort to build and consolidate national defense, police, intelligence services and macroeconomic stability is a clear demonstration that peace and stability has priority over equitable incomes and social progress. In his address to the nation on Uganda’s 47th independence anniversary, the president observed that “… our nation remains strong, peace and stability are assured, and our economy continues to register high economic growth. … These important milestones which have been established since the NRM came to power in 1986 have been largely due to peace and political stability as well as the prudent macroeconomic management”. One would have expected the president to add that these milestones had in turn improved security and development of Ugandans since 1986.

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