The Alternative View ;Why The Age Limit Is
Too Weak To Deter President Museveni’s Longevity Project
 |
| The age limit is the easiest obstacle he has ever faced in his quest to keep power |
Immediately after the 2016 elections, the age limit debate picked
momentum amongst the Ugandan political elites.
Why? Because it was the only remaining obstacle to president Museveni’s continued stay at the helm of this country.
Almost the entire intellectual class was of the view that
the age limit clause 102 (B) had to be maintained to create a more predictable political
transition in a country that had seen chaotic change of power from one leader to
another.
But I quickly realized that although the desire to maintain article
102 of the constitution was strong and passionate, it was logically too weak to
hold the ground, if subjected to thorough critical reasoning.
My view was that the grounds for its amendment were far stronger
than against the amendment.
Because, one; it was and has never been a tenet of democracy
Two; it is not part of the democratic practice in developed
countries.
Three; it infringes on the right of the young people below
35 years and above 75 years from exercising their democratic right to contest
for the highest office in the land.
Four; it can easily be regarded as a discriminatory constitutional
clause which is in contravention of the laws regarding labor which states that
no single individual will be discriminated against on the basis of tribe, religion
or age , in the process of offering himself for work.
Therefore, I was of the view that it was a very easy clause
to strike out of the constitution. In fact it much easier to remove than the
term limits.
Embarrassing m7 ?
The only concern was that it was going to embarrass president
Museveni who was once interviewed saying that he never thought that it was
feasible for him to continue ruling beyond 75 years.
But at it turns out today , it seems president Museveni’s
utterance of not vying for power after clocking 75 years is becoming a very
small contradiction.
And in any case, one can say, that leaders contradict themselves
all the time as long as the contradiction doesn’t break the law, it can be permissibly
waved off.
Actually one person once said that good leaders are those
ones who tell a lie to fit the circumstances-as long as it creates a semblance of
harmony. While a bad leader is the one who tells the truth and it results into
trouble!
In fact, the momentum to clear out that statement has grown,
with most Museveni enthusiasts saying that president Museveni’s statements are
not enough to affect the position of the party.
Yes, the party can overrule the position of their chairman. Therefore
alth0ugh president Museveni argued that he wouldn’t vie for the presidency
beyond 75years, the party has decided to overrule him and forced him to stand
again in 2021.
Uganda in chaos with M7?
Now, there are those who reason that president Museveni’s
continued grip on power will plunge the country in anarchy.
But when you interrogate that argument closely you will find
an interesting answer that perhaps the situation might even get worse if
president Museveni vacates power.
One; because there are no guarantees that when Museveni steps
down, the leader who will come after him will not make dangerous decisions that
can plunge the country in chaos.
Two; secondly, there is a possibility that since Museveni has
presided over a militarized group for over forty years , this same group can
easily undermine the group that will take over from him.
Thirdly;, the argument about pacifying and containing possible
uprisings (the kogikwatako , or togikwatako group)that can emerge when Museveni
continues in power is weak since he has been containing more dangerous military
groups (ADF, LRA, JOSEPH KNOY ETC )than these kogikwatakos.
M7 Enjoys Challenges
Even then, if you have been veryu inquisitive enough you
should have noticed that president Museveni has spent all his life fighting one
obstacle after another. The obstacles have not only been military in nature but
also procedural as well.
And in any case, Ugandans should know that Museveni enjoys
these challenges more than they think.
When you talk of kogikwatako, and you even threaten, you are
playing directly in his hands. Those are the sort of things he wishes to find
on the menu.
When Col Kiiza Besigye talked of unleashing a tsunami, president
Museveni waited for the tsunami, but it never materialized.
WHAT NEXT FOR UGANDA?
At the moment, the people of Uganda will have to bear with
what the Ugandan parliament will deliberate.
If they manage to amend the constitution and indeed amend
article 102 ( as expected )that paves way for president Museveni to contest
again in 2021, then Ugandans will have to take the following measures.
One; agitate for constitutional reforms with particular emphasis
on instituting an independent electoral commission.
Two; the reforms should also include the idea of coming up
with an independent judiciary which is not directly appointed by the president.
Thirdly; they should also agitate for a probable power sharing
arrangement, in case of a political stalemate, of let’s say when an election
gets closely controversial (like it was in 2001 and 2006 when the
constitutional court ruled that there were irregularities in the elections but
they were not substantial enough to warrant the overturning those particular
elections) , then a power sharing arrangement should be instituted.
Fourth; the power sharing component should also include an
element of accommodating the second runner up in government as the leader of opposition
in parliament rather the current system which is ambiguous and almost
insignificant, to say the least.
Once you have the runner up is co-opted as leader of opposition
in parliament, it might certainly create a semblance of political harmony in
the country.
Fifthly; we should crusade for the trimming of the powers
wielded by the president because that’s where all the troubles originate from.
Why should the president appoint all the critical leaders of the critical institutions in the country?
Sixth; we should also agitate for a parliamentary system which
will make the power with most members of parliament to form government. This will
reduce on the political tension in the country which has been created by the
presidential system.
IN CONCLUSION
I think , if there is anything that you can call an obstacle
to president Museveni’s continued stay in power then I don’t think its article
102 because it’s too weak to block him.
In our next blog we shall deliberate on why Museveni is still
clinging firmly on power.
The Author, Fred Daka
Kamwada Is A Ugandan Blogger and proponent of the THRID FORCE ,, you can chat
him up at kamwadafred@gmail.com
