Monday, February 23, 2004
Political Fog Hits Uganda
Unlike in Tanzania, where President Benjamin Mkapa has said that he will not seek another term in 2005, in Uganda everyone has been left guessing by his cryptic remarks on the subject whether Museveni will go for another term or not.
What has created more confusion is the fact that there are moves by some Cabinet ministers and legislators to drum up support for the amendment of the constitution in order to lift term limits for presidents. The president himself is quiet on whether he supports the lifting of term limits or not.
The uncertainty is also visibly prevalent within the opposition political parties. The leadership of the Democratic Party, though it routinely criticises Museveni for clinging onto power, has failed to change its own leadership. It is anybody's guess if there will have been any changes by 2006.
And the behaviour of DP's president, Dr Paul Semogerere, is no different from that of Museveni, as he too has failed to say whether he is standing in 2006 or leaving the seat for another person. He retains his grip on the party leadership, in spite of often vocal opposition from those aspiring to take over from him.
The Uganda People's Congress (UPC) has also failed to come out and announce its flagbearer in 2006. Exiled former leader Milton Obote still runs the party by remote control.
Things are the same with the Conservative Party, where the general secretary, Ken Lukyamuzi and the party president, Mayanja Nkangi, are squabbling over leadership.
The Movement, which everyone thought was a highly disciplined group, is today also in the grip of confusion, with few people able to say what strategy the organisation will follow. After all, no one can even say whether Museveni will stand on the Movement ticket.
Even when the seven major political parties – DP, UPC, CP, Reform Agenda, Justice Forum (JEEMA), National Democratic Forum (NDF) and The Free Movement (TFM) – decided to work together last week, they failed to address the issue of who will lead the coalition.
In a statement released last week by the seven parties, they said: "We have seen the importance of co-operation in our search for genuine democracy in the country and that co-operation should be enhanced and formalised."
The "Group of Seven" said they did not want to form a coalition like the one ruling Kenya as each party intended to retain its identity, and that their "alliance" was specifically intended to help them to achieve the objective of transitional talks with the government, court litigation and opening up of the political space in the country.
One of the leaders said that although the issue of a single candidate was one of the four points tabled for discussion by the group, no agreement was reached and the decision was deferred to a later date.
This political fog is dangerous as it can cause political accidents. People need to know what will happen in 2006. The Movement and the parties alike have failed to tell them, which has left the country uncertain and anxious. The uncertanty is affecting investments not only by foreigners but also local investors.
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