{UAH} Covid-19 exposes Museveni as unserious autocrat
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Covid-19 exposes Museveni as unserious autocrat
- July 7, 2021
- Written by YUSUF SERUNKUMA
I have never longed for Museveni to be more democratic.
This is different from being a civil rights observant. [Relatedly, while I think human rights discourses and campaigns may not be necessarily bad, they are a distraction from the more pressing challenges of our present].
In fact, over the years, I have fully concretised my position that Museveni, the Ugandan opposition—just like many politicians and elite across Africa—are terribly misguided in their pursuit of democracy.
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Democracy never benefits the wretches of the earth but, rather, the new exploiters machine—IMF, WB and myriad Mzungu multinationals—masquerading as friends. Before Africa appreciates the urgent need to scale down on these democratisation drives, and unite its elite, we will continue in perpetual servitude.
[Can you imagine between 1960 and 2018, Mzungu stole from Africa $62 trillion dollars, or $152 trillion in lost growth!
This is insane. But our very small elite spend entire adult careers bitterly divided into small so-called political parties and fighting for small positions in government. Another of these elite are endlessly writing proposals, reports and forging accountabilities under the banner of CSOs and NGOs – as the continent is looted].
Let me return to Museveni, and why I wish to see a little more real authority. There is a viral clip circulating on social media where Museveni is grilling – or attempting to grill – the permanent secretary of the ministry of Health, Dr Diana Atwine.
This happened during the prayers organised on June 25, 2021 against Covid-19 [I can imagine Comrade Magufuli laughing in his grave]. This exchange between Museveni and Atwine is epic, and needs to be reproduced verbatim (for obvious reasons):
Museveni: "When the corona started, I told them to target 42,000 sick people. They are all here. Aceng is here, this Atwine is here. I told them; assume we have got 42,000 sick people. Where did I get the figure from, it was Italy, because Italy at their highest crisis... Assume we reach the danger point of Italy. How far have you gone now?"
DA: We have submitted our budget, Your Excellency, to Finance... [YKM interrupts]
YKM: No no no! How far have you gone...?
DA: In expanding the bed capacity?
YKM: Yes.
DA: We are trying to establish more beds, at least, 60 at regional referral hospital.
YKM: How many beds do you have in total, never mind, I told you 42,000 beds.
DA: We have about 3,000 beds.
YKM: Now you can see, they didn't listen to me. Obujeemu, obujeemu (disobedience). Ono mujeemu, ono mujeemu [gesturing in the direction of Ruth Aceng, and also, Diana Atwine]. Now you can see. So, that is where the problem is. Kale, ebyange biwedde." End.
See, Museveni starts by telling us that he instructed these two technocrats at the beginning of the pandemic, which is over a year ago. And as we know, the country borrowed close to $2 billion for Covid-19 emergency funds. If Museveni were a serious autocrat — with his heart bent on working for the people — these two good doctors should be in jail.
Or else, they would be relieved of their duties. If not charged with corruption, at least incompetence or disobeying the orders of the president.
But you should have seen the way Museveni jokes through this clear case of incompetence. He, too, resigns to fate like an ordinary member of the public. But this man is the head of state!
The president then eases his way out of the grilling, citing a Luganda proverb, "lubale mbera nga n'embiro kwotadde," that is, "As you seek the gods for help from a monster, also make sure to run away as fast as you possibly can."
But the fellows charged with clearing our runway slept on the job and they ought to be held responsible for this failure because it has actually cost us lives.
See, while we wrapped our heads around these two dodgy technocrats going scot-free after disobeying presidential orders, we learned that still on their watch, 800 persons were immunised with fake vaccines. This number is certainly underestimated as it is the only one to be reported.
Again, if Museveni were a serious autocrat, just the way assumed suspects in the Gen Wamala Katumba murder attempt are being summarily executed, these two lead technocrats should be in jail, at the very least.
I am not being extreme, dear reader. These two doctors have blood on their hands either for incompetence, negligence or corruption. Lives have been lost. But the bigger point for me is how the renowned autocrat stares failure in the face and refuses to act.
Across history, the best leaderships as regards transforming the lives of natives have been men and women who wield stern authority for their vulnerable populations. Most notably Gaddafi, Idi Amin, Fidel Castrol and Mao Zedong.
The problem for Uganda is that we have an autocrat with small dreams – simply keeping power and having a personal good life. In truth, though, he has failed the Basiita clan, the people of southwestern Uganda, and entire country.
The author is a political theorist based at Makerere University.
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