Pathology of dictatorship: How Museveni’s rule has deformed Ugandans

PATHOLOGY OF DICTATORSHIP

 To understand the Museveni’s mindset, we have to listen to the verbiages and scorn of regime corollaries like Hon. Anite, Abiriga, Opondo or Naduli. The Museveni’s regime speaks more articulately through persons with dissociated characters.  These are people are permanently deformed by the Museveni powers.  

The unwarranted deployment and heavy presence of various instruments of state repression at Parliament this week has exposed the UPDF. It justifies the utterances by Hon. Anite on the position of UPDF in the life-long ambitions of their founder.  This is not about national security.  The UPDF is the real face of this regime.

The major achievements of the over three decades of Museveni’s rule, is the total transformation of Uganda through a systematic process of mortification and degradation. By mortification, Museveni has broken down the social identities of Ugandans, creating an environment in which he became the sole proprietor of societal stability, laying personal claim over the nation’s resources, taxpayer’s money and now fixing his gaze on the last possession - land.  To benefit fully and personally from the mortification, Museveni must rule perpetually infinitum. Unfortunately, Article 102 stands on his way.

Many Ugandans who resisted the mortification process fled the regime’s excesses and found a safe sanctuary abroad. These former victims have now become the sources of income with enormous remittances to sustain the regime’s rogue economy.

However, the regime still finds it appropriate to deprive these Ugandans in the diaspora, their citizenship rights byy selling to them dual citizenship rights at a colossal fee. This money is unaccountable for in services to the diaspora population. We shall revisit the issue of diaspora repression in light of this development later.

 However, dual citizenship for Ugandans who are citizens by decent should have been waived as a privilege.  Progressive societies encourage dual citizenships for economic gains. For instance, the economic triumph of China is the spread of Chinese communities that import Chinese made goods all over Europe and North America.

The real agenda behind this illegality of selling dual citizenship is to deprive indigenous Ugandans their citizenship rights, and to equalize the rights of aliens who have taken over citizenship of Uganda by force. 

The question of citizenship is central in the mortification process because it alienates Ugandans from their cradle land. This serves for political coercion and renting loyalty.

The second achievement is degradation, or internalization of their mortification. The degradation proceeded started since 1980s propaganda that dichotomized and problematized past leaders and old political institutions, rending any formal social activities dysfunctional. On the other hand, it propelled the ruling military regime as liberators. The sustained ideological manipulation also unfortunately deified the person of Mr. Museveni, who has, himself internalized his power and got deformed by it.  

The systematic degradation ritual includes the repeated violation and disregard of electoral laws – always using state machinery to undermine the democratic process, and state inspired corruption. Prof. Moses Khisa succinctly highlights a number of these mechanisms in his seminal 2016 article, “Managing defections in Museveni’s Uganda: a lesson from 2016 elections”.

Dr. Khisa identifies three major mechanisms through which degradation occurs: state patronage using elite inclusion and co-optation as political baits; coercion and repression using military, police and various intelligence agencies that kidnaps, tortures and “disappears” dissenters; and use of informal social networks and endowments (brown envelops, useless medials, and praise of opponents).

 The objective of this degradation has Ugandans dispossessed of the self (identity), leading to distorted identities and expectations; resigned to fate (retreatism) and accepted their conversion, as repressed, powerless secondary citizens without alienable rights in any spheres of life.

The final submission to Museveni’s colonization now manifests by people like Abiriga, Anite, and others striving to incorporate themselves fully into the lifelong ambitions of the dictator. I think Hon. Ibrahim Nganda referred to these power-deformed people lightly as fortune hunters.

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Museveni's land grab scheme only invites legitimate resistance

MUSEVENI LAND GRAB

When you read the article by Kiira Municipality MP, Hon. Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda in the Observer  (See:  When Muzee goes, people will understand we never had a govt”), you get a clear sense that it is bureaucratic lapses in planning and budgeting, that causes unnecessary delays and cost over runs in government projects. Not that citizens are refusing to give land. 

These corrupt NRM cadres plan, budget, approve, and secure loans on government project way before gazetting and settling land negotiations with landowners. Why is Museveni not addressing these glaring internal flaws, tightening his government, and making it lean and efficient?  

Whereas former Ugandan dictator, Idi Amin expelled Asians from Uganda, Mr. Museveni is determined to expel indigenous Ugandans from Uganda, if not resisted. Already, this regime is selling back birthrights at a walloping US$400 to Ugandans who fled its earlier violence. These are signs that Ugandans are on track of losing their to their land and property rights. 

The vested interest of Mr. Museveni in amending land acquisition laws is suspicious and calls for public scrutiny. Mr. Museveni’s own Party’s legislators have rejected the proposed amendment.  Why is the President becoming so obsessed with usurping land from Ugandans?

 This Museveni land usurpation scheme has shifted the boundary of trust and patience among Ugandans. Imagine that former regimes implemented every national development without grabbing land from citizens. Historically, the traditional land tenure systems have existed in various parts of the country and yet Dr. Obote built schools and hospitals, Amin built hotels, presidential lodges and Mpoma Satellite station without grabbing the land.

 The contentions in the proposed Land Amendment Bill is the agenda to acquire lands deemed necessary for public interests forcefully, and then later consider a compensation value for its owners.  Moreover, there is no guarantee for fairness and transparency in the land valuation processes. 

Additionally, the compensation is based on what the government decides, and the evacuated victim of such land grabs cannot refuse or negotiate.  If there were to refuse, government would dump the compensation package at a nearby courthouse.

By any measure of sense, this proposal is frivolous, dehumanizing, and heinous. Museveni wants to deprive Ugandans of their rights to land and property, and such should invite legitimate resistance nationwide.

 Mr. Museveni should know that his regime is not trusted with its reputation of unrivalled corruption.  Mr. Museveni;s own declaration that he is not anyone’s servant, and that he is pursuing his own ambitions has change public opinion of him, making this land amendment is rightfully suspect.

 Mr. Museveni should attend to the current investigations of dubious land deals learn why the public has little faith in his proposal. If this land amendment is imposed on Ugandans, the reality of mass displacement, unjustifiable suffering, and dehumanization due to homelessness, famine, and conflict for subsistence space will overwhelm this country.   

In developed capitalist societies where governments are the sole authority over land, the challenges of housing and homelessness are a hallmark. Any sensible Ugandan will never support this land amendment proposal. Let Museveni take the land by force like they have done in Amuru. 

It is up to Ugandans to give up their rights to their land under these dubious schemes.  Otherwise, Museveni should allow a legitimate land acquisition process, consistent with current laws and market rules to prevail.  His priority should be ending corruption and inefficiencies within the planning and procurement divisions in government. The National Development Plan should reflect future government projects allowing a planning space of 20-30 years. Such a plan would allow preservation of lands for national development in advance. Where citizens are affected, the state should respect property rights, and apply social justice principles to compensate citizens at an agreed market price.

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