{UAH} Amana Mbabazi on Federo

 

Mbabazi explains the Movement's stand on federalism Monday, 20th September, 2010

How much have you planned to spend on the Movement House?
Well, depending on what it is, I think the minimum we shall spend on it is about $13m (about sh26b).
As the secretary general, you are in charge of spearheading formulation of policies. As we move towards the 2011 elections, what plans do you have on the issue of federalism which seems to be yearned for by many Ugandans?
NRM has a very clear policy on this. We believe in uniting our people into viable units. And viability is determined by size. The bigger the unit, the better. That is why we have been pushing for the East African integration so that we become one country. That is why we support a united African continent through a well-planned strategy. So, we are integrationists not separatists.

It does not make sense for anyone to demand dividing Uganda into smaller units. Some of those people advocating federalism have even been talking of establishing the Nile Republic. This means secession. They advocate for dividing Uganda into several independent parts. Now, that one we shall not accept. We do not subscribe to it and certainly we shall not accept it.

Was the regional tier, therefore, an extension of decentralisation or an attempt to introduce federalism?
It depends on what you mean by federalism. You see, I do not use the word federalism very much because in the convention sense of the word, federalism means there is autonomy for various independent units but in this case as NRM, we are talking of one country under one government.

Democracy is the rule of the majority. And according to the Odoki Commission, if the majority of Ugandans (in Buganda) want federalism, why don't you respect the will of Ugandans?
The Odoki Commission just received presentations from people and in the case of Buganda, their conclusion was that the majority here wanted this and that. But it was done in such a way that people were asked: "Do you want federalism or republicanism?" And then people voted on it. There was nothing done to determine the number of Ugandans who wanted federalism and those who did not want it.

Secondly, again it is a matter of definition. There are those who talk of federalism and those who talk of federo. Federo is rooted in the historical autonomy of Buganda as a self-governing entity and for that matter it is secession similar to the people in the north who talk about the Nile Republic.

So, it is a range of things. We have discussed the issue and as far as I am concerned, we have always come with amicable positions acceptable to all Ugandans.

K~L