President Museveni Stands To Regret Why He Assented To The Anti-Homosexuality Act

 

WORLD BANK SANCTIONS; How Will President Museveni Run Government Without World Bank Money?

The budget is the most important instrument of systems-control for

private individuals, families, organizations, corporate bodies and countries at large.

And it goes without saying that the quality of life for the citizens of an individual country depend largely on the size of the budget at its disposal. In other words, you are nothing without a budget and anything that negatively affects your budget must be resisted.

Therefore, anything that negatively interferes with the budget flow is obviously deemed to be detrimental to the stability of the country and the overall welfare of its citizens.

And to emphasize this argument I think we should revisit directive that was issued by the Ugandan ministry of finance this week to the effect that they were going to review the 2023-24 budget because of the sanctions that had been unleashed on Uganda by the World Bank for passing the anti-homosexuality bill.

WHAT IS THE WORLD BANK?

Anyone who underestimates the world bank is out of his mind because the World Bank is an international development organization owned by 187 countries whose role is to reduce poverty by lending money to the governments of its poorer members to improve their economies and to improve the standard of living of their people.

It also promotes long-term economic development and poverty reduction by providing technical and financial support to help countries implement reforms or projects, such as building schools, providing water and electricity, fighting disease, and protecting the environment.

Therefore, by its definition alone, you realize that no country can thrive without the blessings of the world bank.

When the extremely reckless Ugandan parliament legislated and passed the law on homosexuality, some ignorant MP’s thump chested and said that Uganda did not NEEED funding from the world bank! They also asserted that life can go on with or without the foreign donors!

Interestingly None of them sat down to make a breakdown of what the world bank contributes to the Ugandan economy.

WORLD BANK CONTRIBUTION

For the sake of statistics, it’s a fact that every five years the world bank disburses $16 trillion to the Ugandan government to finance areas of education, health etc.

The World Bank currently provides $5.5 billion in multi-year financing to the Ugandan government, whose total annual expenditure budget is $13 billion- as of 12 Jun 2023.

Most important of all is to realize the critical issue of the overall composition of the world bank which constitute of governments of member nations, which have the ultimate decision-making power within the organizations on all matters, including policy, financial or membership issues.

This alone implies that when a government like out poor Uganda is slapped with sanctions by the world bank, it ultimately means that it cannot undertake any activity with the 187 members.

This obviously means that Uganda’s foreign policy has been thrown into an absolute dilemma because it cannot technically engage with 187 countries out of the 197 countries (that constitute the united nations) in the world.

This means that Uganda is largely on its own because 90% of the countries of the world consider it to be out of their league of the world bank.

Now, this is the predicament that Museveni has put Uganda. We know that president Amin was slapped with sanctions and he survived to rule for 8-9 years, but the Ugandans who lived at that time have not forgotten how they suffered due to lack of basics like sugar, soap, cooking oil etc.

Although Amin is praised for leaving no debts behind, he also actually left the Ugandan economy bare on its knees in a total mess.

 Is this what Museveni wishes for us?

Although he makes arguments about social transformation, he has at the same time made a fundamental contradiction to the mission by infuriating partners in actualizing the same mission (of social transformation). Although the world bank funds are loans that can be repaid, they ae crucial in contributing to the idea of social transformation.

There are some people who argue that loans are not gifts and therefore countries shouldn’t be held under ransom for the sake of loans. But remember that great countries like Germany rose from the shambles of the second world war through the marshal plan in which the United States proposed to provide assistance to restore the economic infrastructure of postwar Europe.

 

INTRANSIGENT MUSEVENI

African leaders can be very amusing. Leaders like the late Robert Mugabe managed to inflict terrible suffering to their citizens because of their intransigence to the West.

Although Zimbabwe has the most literate citizens, it has never settled economically because of its intransigent leadership todate.

Last month Museveni –in show of defiance to the West -went to Russia and met president Vladimir Putin. But from what is known as a fact, Uganda gets more funding from the West than it does from Russia!

A good leader has the wisdom to choose useful partners. What does Museveni want from Russia, -which is on the verge of a total downfall, by the way.

Apart from the AK47 Kalashnikov rifles, Russia exports nothing to Uganda and vice varsa. I don’t know what Uganda sells to Russia!

In other words, Russia is not a trade partner to Uganda in any way since there is no item of trade between the two countries.

On other hand the US trades directly with Uganda, under the AGOA pact.  The United States also provides significant health and development assistance to Uganda, with a total assistance budget exceeding $950 million per year.

Now when you hear president Museveni claim that we shall survive with or without foreign assistance, then you know that the country is in very wrong hands of a leader who has lost it completely.

BLACKMAIL

Some overzealous Ugandans may try blackmail us by saying that some of us are pro-gay and therefore don’t care about the moral campus of our country. But we also have children whom we have to protect by all means.

But we are also saying that homosexuality was already a criminal offence in Uganda and there was not need to pass a law that had the repercussions of infuriating our development partners to deny us crucial funds.

In any case I don’t think that it was the most critical issue in the country because there are parts of the country where it has never been heard of before.  

WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE?

What we needed to do was to make aggressive crusading against it (homosexuality) and stop it from spreading through absolute vigilance in schools, social places. We could also have put placards at the Entebbe airport that pronounces that NO GAY AND LESBIAN activities ALLOWED IN UGANDA!

The same measures should have been used to make sure that public places like bars also have strict instructions not to permit gay activities.

Passing the law was one of the most reckless acts president Museveni has ever made. In fact, with time he will live to regret it because it is going to have downhill effect on his government.

CONCLUSION

Looking at the circumstances under this law was passed reveals that the Ugandan president doesn’t have sufficient intelligence that can guide him to take appropriate measures.

It also shows that he can easily be moved by rumors and plunge the country into chaotic situations.  

Lastly but not least, am still wondering how Museveni could fall prey to a well laid trap (of bringing down his government) and assent to a bill that was presented by an opposition member of parliament Hon Asuman Basalirwa! Yes , I don’t think Basalirwa can work in the good interest of a leader he has wanted to overthrow for very many years, I don’t!

This means that at this moment Museveni is like a cow that eats everything whether its grass, thorns kaveera etc to the extent that he even forgot to cross examine who passed the initial motion for this bill.

But it will be interesting to see how he will run the country without the funds from his development partners. Obvious evidence shows that he has already invited unnecessary and avoidable pressure on himself.

Fred Daka Kamwada is social critic, blogger and a journalist

kamwadafred@gmail.com