Mengo should know that times have changed

Dec 03, 2007

IN the recent past, there has been a rift between the central government and that of Mengo; one standing for “our land” and the other “our people”.

By Yosef Ssekandi

IN the recent past, there has been a rift between the central government and that of Mengo; one standing for “our land” and the other “our people”.

According to the 1997 local government act, Uganda is under a devolution type of decentralisation. This means transferring part of the responsibility for decision making, finance, and management from the central government to quasi-autonomous units of local government with corporate status.

At what level power is disseminated can always be agreed upon; say federal states, districts, cities, counties. Such units through democratically elected leaders can raise their own revenue and make investments within the laws of the land — this does not make them independent from the central government.

Such a system has faced criticism by a section of the population and the solution suggested is a federation (federo). Again to an ordinary person, this means something else. When it reached controversial issues like land, the advocates even called for the return to once upon a time system.

The times advocated for have been over-taken by development of knowledge, which is slowly replacing relying on elders. The focus has also turned to reason and inquiry. Socrates for example introduced “know thyself” theory, which approves disobeying a bad command.

Perhaps this explains why some people can choose to deliberately remain quiet when asked to act by their elders (could be traditional or democratic leaders). Such development in knowledge paved way for the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century, and a starting point of a drift from kingship traditional systems where property would be owned by rulers on behalf of the people.

Traditional systems were and are still being replaced by militant and democratic societies. There exists a class of elites struggling to maintain the status quo. They are doing so for egoistic reasons, however, it is a matter of time.

The spread of western democracy continues to cripple the traditional systems and replacing kingship systems with contracts and laws, which are seen to be more reliable and undescriminative on grounds of class and tribe.

It becomes both impossible and illogical to shift power from a democratic system to a lower undemocratic system, if democracy is to mean electing leaders in a free and fair electoral process. It can only be a democratic government that can be put to task to provide accountability using the rule of law not a word of mouth.

By election, people give autonomy even to controversial issues like redistribution of land to the landless as a matter of social justice and basic human right; which can be a basis for food security, adequate shelter and improved environmental protection, ceteris paribus.

I feel sorry for the innocent people tear-gassed by police as they demonstrate in struggles intended to benefit the ego of some leaders; the government takes part of this blame as it should educate the masses.

In the middle of a discussion, I remember that human nature always strives for immediate satisfaction and earning a “living for today”, however, while attaining this, we ought to remain sensitive about likely negative externalities (e.g. war, economic slumps) of our actions.

It is time for Uganda to deal with land management and ownership specifically in Buganda, the fundamental change promised more than two decades ago is about to change, if the National Resistance Movement government goes through it successfully, history shall be written forever, however, if not managed, then a new republic awaits, this would be the most unfortunate evil of our times.

The writer is a student of the University of Reading
jsekandi@hotmail.co.uk

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