Ugandas greatest fears...dont miss BOOK LAUNCH CONCEPT PAPER TOPIC OF DISCUSSION: OUR GREATEST FEAR IS THE TRANSITION OF POWER Venue: MAKERERE UNIVERSITY, MAIN HALL DATE: 5TH FEBRUARY, 2014 2Pm - 5Pm BACKGROUND Uganda’s past Presidents have been either toppled or forced out of State House. Their last days in power for the last 50 years since independence were days of gunshots and explosions, destruction, brutality and bloodshed. The country witnessed battles of transitions of power and political turmoil that left indelible scars on the hearts and souls of millions of Ugandans, traumatizing different generations in a war ravaged country. Political instability and military incursions of civilian population claimed hundreds of thousands of Ugandans following forceful regimes changes and violence, right from the first President Sir Frederick Mutesa II to President Milton Obote I, from Obote I to President Iddi Amin Dada, from Iddi Amin to President Yusuf Lule, from Yusuf Lule to President Godfrey Binaisa, from Binaisa to the Head of State and Chairman of the Military Commission Paul Muwanga, from Muwanga to President Milton Obote II, from Milton Obote II to President Tito Okello Lutwa. The years of these regimes were years of anguish, political chaos and economic uncertainties until one man, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni stormed the capital, assisted by the rag tag peasant army, triumphantly captured power, ended the massacres and ushered peace in most parts of Uganda. THE RATIONALE The book titled “Our Greatest Fear is the Transition of Power – An Open Letter to The President”, authored by Sseruwagi Godfrey Mitch, narrates the achievements of President Museveni’s government, both political and economical, since he came to power, close to thirty years ago. However, the author’s greatest fear is the growing internal voices and the actions of the dissenting persons who have been turned into prophets of doom and gloom for the country fed up with war and political violence. The re-emerging rebel leaders exiled in Europe and America announcing rebel groups’ formation and sounding war drums against Museveni’s government, could turn into other warlords in Uganda and the region, just like Joseph Kony, if the transition of power is not properly planned. The author notes that the current politicians have never known the values of orderly transition of power in the last 50 years of the country’s independence. None of the military officers or members of the intelligence services or civil service has ever experienced or implemented a peaceful and orderly transition of power. Should we panic, threatened by the fact that some of those who are sounding war drums, sponsoring violence on the streets to force a regime change, are part or were part of the military and political class that have never experienced a peaceful transition of power and do not value it? Or should we be calm, believing that they will let the transition of power be peaceful this time? Should we panic, that history could repeat itself, re-calling the country’s experiences of violent regimes change? Should we panic cognizant that the peacemakers and peace defenders of the country for the last close to 30 years since 1986 are aging and will soon retire? All these fears inspired the author to write this book. OBJECTIVES The book is calling upon the President of Uganda Yoweri Museveni, whom the Author refers to as the “Father of the Nation”, to prepare the country, when he is ready to retire, for a planned, orderly and peaceful transition of power for the first time in the history of Uganda. Ugandans have never stepped out from the old regime into a new regime without political and military violence for the last fifty years. The people of Uganda wholesomely trust and believe that such a culture of forceful removal of Presidents from Uganda’s State House must be stopped by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. This will create a positive precedent and an opportunity for other upcoming leaders in the country to emulate his legacy. His greatest achievement will be to fulfill part of the GREAT PROMISE, “THIS IS NOT A MERE CHANGE OF GUARDS BUT A FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE”. Should the country not achieve this top on the list fundamental wish of a peaceful and orderly transition of power from one President to the next, our dreams as Ugandans to have a stable and prosperous Uganda will be shattered once again and painfully the country will begin to look for another savior. The book proposes that it is at this moment of our history that peace-loving Ugandans, civil society organizations, the Speaker of Parliament and Members of Parliament should help H.E the President to initiate deep soul-searching reflection, in pursuit of a dream. This is a nation’s dream, a generation’s dream to cause patriotic debates so that for the first time in her history, this nation Uganda will create and experience a precedent of a democratic, peaceful and orderly transfer of political power from one President to another. This will be emulated to last for generations to come. The book further proposes that Uganda should begin to explore other countries efforts that put in place instruments of Parliament which cater for the promotion of an orderly transfer of the executive power following the expiration of the term of office of a President or general elections resulting into a change from one President to another and the inauguration of a new President. The book points out for example, that the United States has the Presidential Transition Act that guarantees an orderly transition of Power. The Act defines the composition of Presidential and armed forces Inaugural committees, the transition team, both fundamental pillars to prepare a new President and the country. The transfer of authority can be a complex undertaking when the outgoing Administration concludes its affairs and the incoming Administration gets ready to take over the administration of the State and other institutions of government. The shift of an ordinary politician or a former military officer or former civil servant or any other person entering State House as President can be overwhelming. Therefore, there must be deliberate planning because an effective transition is so vital to ensure that government seamlessly continues, most importantly to protect national security and national wealth between administrations. It would be a great error of historical judgment that a peaceful transition of power from one President to another for the first time in fifty years will take an innocent political course without deliberate efforts to actually achieve it. The book further proposes possible solutions for lasting peace, stability and unity of the country even when the liberators and defenders of our freedoms for the last thirty years will have retired; It proposes solutions to election violence during and after elections; emulate the wisdom of Singapore’s former Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew to demonetarize and de-commercialize elections which make the country’s political leaders as the first promoters of corruption; merging of different party manifestos to achieve one unified National Development Agenda for a Presidential five year term of office; appointment of disciplined, non violent members from the opposition to cabinet positions and other positions of responsibility to achieve the true spirit of multiparty democratic dispensation and progressive collective responsibility of a government in power; take an extra step in enforcing the full force of the law to protect all citizens. The book also proposes to borrow a leaf from West African countries where political parties, civil society organizations, trade unions suggest names they believe are politically neutral to be vetted as members of the Electoral commission to do away with election results suspicion and the political tension it brings to the country. The book further declares that the country is ripe for a renewed Revolution Declaration, an Economic Revolution to be guided by a new set of cadres, Economic Cadres. Over the political history of our country, it has produced significant numbers of Political Cadres, and the country desperately need to transcend from leaders who are political actors politicizing every aspect of development, to Economic Cadres who have entrepreneurial minds and skills. Cadres that are more interested in creating enterprises and employments and can effectively guide and deal with rural poverty and unemployment in the contry. Economic Cadres are better positioned to transform our peasant farmers into Farming Entrepreneurs and business oriented individuals who will mobilize other potential entrepreneurs to constitute an ECONOMIC THINK TANK at every village. Members of the THINK TANK, guided by economic cadres, could then look at economic challenges in their villages and turn them into enterprises and investment opportunities right in their villages, as practiced in Israel Kibbutz Collective Farming, Cuban Agricultural Production Cooperatives (CPAs) or Village Enterprises, or United States’ Farm Bureaus, with an ultimate goal of Commercialization of Agriculture. It is further proposed that the LCI system should transcend from being a mere political mobilization and village administration Unit to an Enterprise Development Unit and include a new position of SECRETARY FOR ENTERPRISE CREATION AND WEALTH MOBILIZATION. Therefore LC I elections must be as equally important as elections of Members of Parliament, not only to address the increasing insecurity in our neighborhoods but also to promote prosperity in our villages to achieve the Vision 2040 much earlier than anticipated. The Author challenges the International community, local politicians, the military and international intelligence agencies that heavily fund and facilitate the removal of sitting Heads of States, especially in Africa, to join the debate of peaceful and orderly leadership change. The funding activities be focused on involving the sitting Heads of States in planning and assuring their safety after they leave power, as a new practice, a shift from funding the bombing of Presidents out of power, causing bloodshed, refugee crises and ruining the country’s infrastructures, as experienced in Libya, Somalia or Syria. The author’s greatest fear, as a war child, is that, unlike in the past, today the time to reflect is so ripe, the stakes are so high and it will be a pity if we slid back to political turmoil as predicted by the opposition and all those sounding war drums, in a country that has registered tremendous achievements both politically and economically under the visionary leadership of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who in the Author’s opinion, deserves to be recognized as the “Father of the Nation” in his life time.
Posted on: Fri, 31 Jan 2014 12:03:40 +0000