{UAH} Mao: Given the over-boiling level of anger in Uganda, a revolution is a possibility

May 3, 2019

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By Norbert Mao
The news of the arrest of Hon. Robert Kyagulanyi on the ridiculous and laughable charges of protesting the Mobile Money and OTT taxes found me enroute to Abidjan for official engagements with our German partners and other sister parties from several African countries.

The charges are a farce because the law Kyagulanyi was protesting against was passed by parliament amidst manipulation, intimidation and bribery. The government got its way amidst protests. The majority had it's way. Why should the minority be denied the right to have its say?
The unquenchable lust for power by President Museveni has pushed us too far.
I have seen the increasing level of violence being meted on the people. Our men and women and women in uniform should know that violence begets violence.
I have seen young people who are daily subjected to police brutality lose patience. They have now decided to fight back. They are burning tyres along roads and throwing stones at any government vehicle they see.
Indeed violence is begetting violence. The chickens are coming home to roost. The violence of the state is being met by the anger and outrage on the streets. We are committed to nonviolence and we preach it to all in the struggle for change.

In the words of a government memo advising drivers to park government vehicles there is a "tense political atmosphere" in the country. This atmosphere is not the creation of the people. It is the creation of President Museveni and his regime.We have been pushed too far.
The people are angry and rightly so. We shall either have negotiated reforms to enable us develop a new national consensus or we shall have a revolution.
The choice lies with President Museveni. Given the over-boiling level of anger a revolution is a possibility. By arresting and brutalizing opposition leaders, government is sowing the seeds of revolution.
All the hallmarks of dictatorship are now evident in Uganda. The independence of parliament and the judiciary have been eroded.

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The presidency has been personalized and has become a one man show. The idea of family rule has taken root. Now we have what is known as a BMW government (Serikali ya Baba, Mama na Watoto) that is a government of Baba (father), Mama (mother) and Children (Watoto). Every semblance of institutional integrity is being systematically destroyed.
The state has been captured and is in dire need of rescue. Even those clamoring to lead the country have to realize that there may even be no country to lead unless we first rescue it from captivity.
I have called upon the powerful countries of the world particularly the United State and the countries of Western Europe to impose sanctions in order to pressurize the Uganda government to stop imprisoning and brutalizing citizens demanding change.
The argument that the people will suffer because of sanctions no longer holds water. In any case, it is the same government leaders in the regime that siphon off aid money!

It is no longer even plausible to claim that the will of the people is expressed in elections. Elections devoid of legitimacy are not elections.
These calls for new forms of solidarity does not mean we are abdicating our duty as citizens. We understand that we have the primary responsibility to bring about change in our country. But we also understand that these foreign powers have deep rooted interests in the countries where dictators hold sway.

They propped up Museveni as one of a new breed of African leaders. Little did they know that he was a new breed but not a different breed. It is now time to support a breed that is not only new but also different. Museveni is not indispensable.
''I remain committed as ever to stand shoulder to shoulder with the comrades at the barricades of struggle."
The writer is Democratic Party Uganda – DP

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