Thanks so much for this excellent article from the Sunday Monitor.
To cure Uganda�s ills, let us be bold and go federo By F.N. Lugemwa Oct 17, 2003
Your October 4 poll results showed that Ugandans abroad were not only opposed to the third term but were also opposed to a federal system of government.
Let us focus on the federal form of government (federo) question and leave the �small� issue of the third term for another time.
What type of federal form of government in your poll was rejected by Ugandans living abroad? Is it the kind Mr David Kibirige was talking about in his article, Professors In A Circus In Those Cabinet Proposals, in the Monitor of October 2? Here is what he wrote about the Cabinet�s federo proposal.
�To get the real picture, let us look at the demerits of some of the proposals. Parliament thinks that districts willing to have federalism can co-operate for infrastructural development purposes.
�Let us assume that Kampala wants to co-operate with Mbarara. Between these districts you find Wakiso, Mpigi, Masaka and Rakai.
�So how can the roads between Mbarara and Kampala be improved when the other four districts are not part of the co-operation?�
A comprehensive federo
Members of Fedsnet, an Internet discussion group dedicated to federo in Uganda, who are a cross-section of the Ugandans in the Diaspora, and of a few Ugandans living in Uganda, debated the merits of federo and other reforms in Uganda over the past two and half years.
In order to arrive at a federo system of government that would suit Uganda, the group researched, studied, and discussed several federo models in use around the world, including the United States, Germany, Australia, Canada, Ethiopia and South Africa.
After studying these models, the group came up with proposals on federo, which it thinks are suitable and appropriate for Uganda. The proposals document can be found at our Web site: http://successisthekey.tripod.com.
Federo is not a party, it is not tribalism, it is not religion, it is not about getting rid of the central government.
Federo is about giving greater meaning and vitality to the central government, it is about sharing power between the central government and the regional governments in a modern state. It is about putting institutions in place that will do away with one-man dictatorships.
It is about vigorously dealing with corruption, human rights abuse, and abuse of office. It is about freedom, prosperity and wealth, and hence a better future for everyone.
Under a federo system, the regions surrender some of their political power to the central government, relying on it to act for the common good.
Federo is meant to give sovereignty and freedom back to the individual. Its major objective is to integrate the different constituent units by providing for their differences and diversity in the central organisation and guaranteeing that they all have a say in the conduct of their affairs.
The Uganda we want
At Fedsnet, we are united by one common goal: defining the Uganda we want and the way forward.
Our Uganda is a stable, prosperous, and equitable country. Stable because its system of government is inclusive, consultative and participatory; prosperous because its rich natural and human resources are used prudently and for the public good to make the slogan �the Pearl of Africa� become a reality; equitable because every Ugandan gets a fair share of the national cake, is equal and is treated equally before the law, and is given equal opportunity to reach his or her full potential.
Our Uganda is a caring Uganda. Caring because it redresses wrongs without vendetta and heals wounds; it fulfils promises made, restores trust betrayed, and honours blood shed in decades of struggle by committing to a model of government that will restore stability, stimulate progress and prosperity, and reconcile, reconstitute and rebuild families and communities that have been brutalised needlessly.
The road to our dream Uganda passes through federo � the government model on which Uganda was founded and under which it reached its most glorious days ever.
Our federo is not a �science.� Our brand of federo is home-brewed, rooted in the lived experiences and history and values and vision shared by ordinary and elite Ugandans alike.
Our federo is politically non-discriminative but thrives best in a multi-party democracy that allows and protects the rights of the individual to form and belong to political and other associations and to express political and other views without undue interference.
At Fedsnet we have a coalition of the willing and pragmatic Ugandans and well-wishers who have helped define our dream Uganda and the way forward.
A tip from Canada
A federo state is one that brings together a number of different political communities with a common government for common purposes, and separate �states� or �provincial� or �cantonial� governments for the particular purposes of each community.
Federo combines unity with diversity. It provides, as John A. Macdonald, Canada�s first Prime Minister, said, �A general government and legislature for general purposes with local governments and legislatures for local purposes.�
In Canada, the Fathers of Confederation were faced with the task of bringing together small communities scattered over immense distances. Not only were these communities separated by natural barriers that might well have seemed insurmountable, but they were also divided deeply over economic interest, language, religion, law and education.
To all these problems, they could find only one answer: federalism.
� 2003 The Monitor Publications
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