A careful reading of Museveni statements and observation of what is happening on the ground show a mismatch. This could not be an accident, it was planned. Museveni never discloses his real intentions. Having realized that the truth was in what Museveni omitted from his statements, I wrote an article a few days ago urging Ugandans to begin to think dialectically: to look for the truth in that which is not said. That is Ugandans should not take Museveni statements at face value.
Museveni studied carefully the minds and aspirations of Ugandans and discovered that what they want is different from what he wants. He chose a two-pronged strategy: make statements about what Ugandans want to hear and implement what he wants to achieve, hence the mismatch noted above. After 25 years of NRM rule, Ugandans see a country in a mess. Not so for Museveni. Keeping Uganda messy, Ugandans drinking too much alcohol and praying the whole night or watching pornography movies etc is helping him to advance his goal towards total domination of the country. Bahororo dominated Bantu/Bairu in southwest Uganda by impoverishing and marginalizing them. This method has been extended to the whole country. That is why you do not hear Museveni expressing regret that children are dropping out of school, Uganda youth are unemployed and poverty has remained unacceptably high. All these adverse developments are in line with what he wants: impoverish and weaken Ugandans and govern them with minimum difficulty. Below are illustrations of contrasts regarding what he preaches and implements.
First, when Museveni launched his guerrilla war in 1981 he announced that the goal was to remove Obote and UPC government from power because 1980 elections had been rigged. He knew that that is what disgruntled Baganda and Catholics wanted to hear. Baganda and Catholics therefore did not bother to ask whether Museveni went for military training since the 1960s in anticipation of rigging 1980 elections. If they had searched a little they would have discovered that Museveni had a different goal – to promote ascendance of Bahororo in order to dominate Uganda. He kept this real goal from public view.
Second, when Museveni was in the bush, he attacked the unpopular structural adjustment as a capitalist tool implemented by Obote regime. He preached socialism as a solution because that is what many Ugandans wanted to hear. If Ugandans had checked they would have discovered that Museveni’s guerrilla war was financed by capitalist Tiny Rowland and chairman of Ronrho and publicized by William Pike of BBC. It is possible that capitalist UK government under Margaret Thatcher supported Museveni’s bush war because Linda Chalker then minister in Thatcher’s government was the first foreign dignitary to meet Museveni as president of Uganda. If Ugandans had checked all these developments, they would have discovered the truth that Museveni was all along working with British capitalists to overthrow a government of Obote considered socialist.
Third, when Museveni was relentlessly pushing for privatization of public enterprises en masse without even assessing the value of those assets first, Uganda entrepreneurs were only keen about getting something. If they had studied the matter closely they would have realized that Museveni was under pressure from Britain to return Asians and corporations to Uganda and give back their properties. The economic recovery program of 1987 stressed foreign investment, export promotion and exchange rate liberalization to benefit foreign investors. Because Ugandans did not have capital and skills, they ended up losing except a few individuals connected to the first family.
Fourth, Museveni preached that religion was between an individual and his/her God and should be excluded from politics. When he began dishing out Pajero vehicles and thick brown envelopes to Protestant Bishops Ugandans were told that this was a symbol of presidential magnanimity. If Ugandans had done a little research, they would have discovered that Pajeros and thick brown envelopes went to Protestant Bishops whom Museveni wanted for political support. Catholic Bishops, if lucky, received a cow because Museveni already had them in his pocket. Therefore Protestant Bishops were being corrupted and religion was back in politics through the back door.
Fifth, one of Museveni’s goals has been to increase immigrants into Uganda, grab land and good jobs and eventually outnumber indigenous population. When the 1995 constitution was being drawn up, Museveni stressed the idea of free mobility and settlement anywhere in the country. Separately, he also emphasized that East African economic integration and political federation would open up markets and with a common passport facilitate mobility within the region. He added that Uganda still had plenty of arable land and could accommodate more people. Further, Museveni has been a strong supporter of a liberal immigration and refugee policy. Ugandans thought all these things would benefit them and gave Museveni support. If they had checked a little, they would have discovered that his real goal is to facilitate entry and settlement into Uganda of Tutsi, Sudanese, Ethiopians, Eritreans, Kenyans and Somalis. These arrangements would turn Uganda into another ‘Ivory Coast’ where pro-Museveni immigrants and refugees would outnumber indigenous Ugandans. It would also help him achieve his Tutsi Empire dream that could eventually be extended to the Horn of Africa.
The disappearance of files on immigration and vital statistics (births, deaths and marriages) that would give an idea about the size of migrant and refugee population is worrying because something is being hidden. Ugandans must therefore demand the return of all files intact because those who ‘stole’ them are known.
Sixth, the idea of cultural institutions and leaders appeared good at face value. Ugandans did not realize that Museveni was interested in a cultural institution and a leader at the national level. So, Museveni has patiently, methodically and incrementally prepared for declaring Uganda a kingdom with himself as the first hereditary Muhororo king. In order to get support of northern chiefs, Museveni has promised to build them houses. Already, Museveni has security forces, chiefs, Supreme Court and international community support. There is one step remaining to declaring Uganda a kingdom – the legislature. That is why selection of candidates during NRM primary elections was crucial. Museveni’s trusted candidates won primaries. Those he did not trust were rigged out. Once Museveni gets at least two-thirds of trusted MPs, he will urge them to introduce a bill in parliament that for the sake of national unity Uganda should be declared a kingdom with himself as king. All districts would then be headed by chiefs. During Obote I government a similar idea was passed by parliament in the form of constitutional heads in districts that did not have kings.
Ugandans should not take this matter lightly and brush it aside as work of a crazy individual. It is a serious matter! The only remaining chance is to defeat Museveni in 2011. Short of that Uganda will surely become a kingdom. The current kings of Buganda, Bunyoro, Toro and Busoga will be converted into senior chiefs.
Seventh, Museveni believes that the easiest way to control a population is to make it poor, sick, hungry, illiterate and corrupt. That is why he continues to encourage Ugandans to produce food for cash and not for the stomach so you have children that are physically and mentally under-developed. That is why he has refused school lunches so that as many children as possible drop out. That is why he has not made changes in UPE to improve quality education because he wants schools to continue producing functionally illiterate graduates. That is why he has extended failed UPE to USE. That is why he has refused to start public works to help unemployed youth so they become desperate and support his campaign in exchange for a yellow shirt each. That is why Museveni has let the health system decay so that sick people do not cause him problems. That is why Museveni has surrounded himself with Bantu leaders who are corrupt, greedy and unpopular in their communities (count how many ministers and others in cabinet who lost elections or have not contested any) who therefore cannot raise a figure against Museveni because they entirely depend on him. If Ugandans had checked they would have rejected some of Museveni’s policies.
Eighth, if Ugandans had checked they would have realized that Museveni’s political and military involvement in conflicts in Rwanda, DRC, Sudan, Somalia and Kenya is not to protect Uganda but to serve western interests that put and have sustained him in power.
Ninth, Museveni’s encouragement to Ugandans to move in urban areas for rapid economic growth and transformation from agriculture to modern society is designed to create empty land to sell or lease to foreign states or corporations so they produce food to feed their own populations while Ugandans starve but Museveni gets foreign currency to meet the needs of the elite and his security forces.
Tenth, Museveni has been advising couples to have as many children as possible because he knows Ugandans still want large families for various reasons. At the same time he imposed birth control without Ugandans knowing about it when he announced in 1997 that the government would only give free education in primary school to four children. This is hidden birth control! Rhetorically Museveni has preached large families to Ugandans while in practice he has implemented western ideas of birth control.
Ugandans are urged not to take what Museveni says at face value. We need to look for what he has hidden from the public because therein you will find the truth.