Why was Uganda’s 48th independence anniversary marked by virtual silence?

Many are wondering why October 9 (2010), Uganda’s 48th independence anniversary came and went like any other day. It happened that way because there was virtually nothing to celebrate. Independence anniversaries are about celebrating achievements, not mourning failures. A number of factors explain this silence.

Until the abandonment of structural adjustment in 2009 as a failed strategy, NRM government boasted that it had created conditions for high economic growth (although the rate was lower than the real GDP growth rate of 7-8 per cent a year required as a minimum to achieve the MDGs especially halving extreme poverty between 1990 and 2015), low and stable inflation rate, export diversification, privatization of public enterprises, controlling and reversing HIV & AIDS, providing universal primary education and maintaining peace, security and stability. External sponsors of these programs praised Museveni and his NRM government for achieving stability. Thus, NRM government and its external supporters felt they had done their work – and done it very well. The rest would be performed by the private sector as the engine of growth under able guidance of the invisible hand of market forces and trickle down mechanism. Maintaining macroeconomic stability was left in the hands of the Ministry of Finance and Central Bank.

NRM government then veered into other areas to promote Uganda’s image and glory at the global, continental and regional levels. A disproportionate amount of time, personnel and funds went into these new, largely non-development areas. At the global level, Uganda campaigned vigorously to be invited to the G8 annual meetings of industrialized countries, to be elected to the United Nations Security Council, to host major conferences such as the Commonwealth and the International Criminal Court (ICC), and to become a hub of United Nations peace keeping operations. At the continental (African) level, Uganda campaigned hard to be on the Peace and Security Council and to host continental conferences including the AU Summits. At the regional level, Uganda’s extensive involvement in the great lakes region including particularly in Rwanda, Burundi, DRC and the Sudan is too well known to be repeated here.

Consequently Uganda’s participation in work to address development issues such as unemployment, environment, poverty, gender etc was given low priority. For example, since Uganda became a member of the United Nations Security Council two years ago, her participation in the work of the General Assembly (GA) and Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) has been negligible. The General Assembly meets in the plenary and six committees between October and December of every year to discuss and adopt resolutions on a wide range of issues on the Assembly’s agenda. These include economic, social, environmental, human rights and humanitarian, disarmament, administration and budget, legal and special political questions. From January to August of every year, ECOSOC which has overall responsibility for coordinating the implementation of GA resolutions meets regularly. These meetings ECOSOC allow member states to present progress in the implementation of GA resolutions in their countries, identify challenges and assistance required to address them.

In the case of Uganda because of the heavy demands of the Security Council, all these activities of the GA and ECOSOC have been delegated to one officer who also travels regularly to attend conferences outside USA. During his absence, none covers these meetings. Because of these gaps, Uganda’s problems did not get sufficient attention and corrective recommendations to address them. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance and Central Bank continued to report that Uganda was doing well at the macroeconomic level.

In these circumstances, the emerging poverty related problems were either underestimated or simply neglected until they burst onto the national and international scene with a vengeance. Diseases of poverty compounded by disguised and unemployment, breakdown of social and cultural fabric, environmental degradation and demonstrations against the government at home and abroad forced major donors and the government to admit and apologize that things had gone wrong. At the great lakes level, lingering accusations of Uganda’s interference in Kenya’s 2007 elections and current allegations of her participation in Hutu genocide in DRC have cast a thick and long shadow over Uganda’s reputation as a champion of peace, stability, humanitarian and human rights as well as development in the region.

Against this bleak background, it is not surprising that October 9, came and went like any other day. It is hoped that this silence will serve as a useful lesson to avoid the recurrence of obstacles that marred the 48th independence anniversary celebrations.

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