Parties, it is time to show your worth
Sep 18, 2005
THE G6, a group of six main opposition political parties – the Democratic Party, Uganda People’s Congress, Conservative Party, Forum for Democratic Change, Justice Forum, and The Free Movement, about a fortnight ago issued fresh political demands that they want implemented for a smooth transitio
THE G6, a group of six main opposition political parties – the Democratic Party, Uganda People’s Congress, Conservative Party, Forum for Democratic Change, Justice Forum, and The Free Movement, about a fortnight ago issued fresh political demands that they want implemented for a smooth transition to multiparty politics.
Some of the demands, in my view, were misconceived. The demand that government disbands the Presidential Guard Brigade was obviously mere political rhetoric. The call that government guarantees all exiles security to return home is ridiculous. The most prominent exiles are UPC president Milton Obote and the FDC boss Col. Dr Kizza Besigye. Do they really need security guarantees from government to return home? I don’t think so. Obote has argued he would return to Uganda once the ‘Movement dictatorship’ has been dismantled and multiparty politics is restored.
Since UPC is free to operate now, there should be no more reason for Obote to stay in exile. I am not convinced that there is a valid reason for Besigye to stay in South Africa. Besigye would be more effective in his political campaign if he was in the country.
The demand by the G6 that government convenes a national conference to be attended by all ‘legitimate’ civic and political organisations to ‘discuss and agree on the equitable democratisation process before the end of October 2005’ is misconceived. I don’t think such a conference would serve any useful purpose now or even have a consensus. The time for such a conference was before Parliament passed the constitutional amendments.
Early last year there were attempts by government and the G6 to hold talks over the political transition. For three months, the government team and the G6 leaders argued about procedural matters. Subsequently, the talks aborted because the two sides could not agree on procedural matters. It was an opportunity the G6 in particular and the country in general lost. The Government, embarrassed by the failure of the talks, held talks with 12 fringe political groups and factions for four complete months. A 492-page report was made after the talks at the Fairway Hotel.
One of the recommendations was that a president should be obliged to form a coalition government with other parties if his party fails to win majority seats in Parliament. Although these talks took so long and cost the taxpayer a fortune, there is no evidence that government ever considered the recommendations that were made. I do not think anyone has interest in another costly political circus.
Nonetheless, the G6’s demand that government expeditiously amends the electoral laws and other pieces of legislation that directly impact on the political transition is legitimate.
In its proposals to the Constitutional Review Commission and Parliament, the Electoral Commission had recommended that electoral laws should be enacted at least six months before the elections. The delay to enact the relevant electoral laws was blamed for some of the irregularities in the previous presidential and parliamentary elections. Candidates had barely 30 days to campaign during the 1996 presidential elections.
However, the G6 parties should stop the blame-game and giving excuses for their ineptitude. The opposition is wasting a lot of precious time in petty quarrels. All the main opposition parties have been wrecked by internal splits and none has been able to hold a delegates conference.
One of the G6 parties recently lost financial assistance from a big donor due to internal wrangles. Parties in the past claimed they could not mobilise support from the countryside because Article 269 of the Constitution barred them from operating. Now parties are free to hold public rallies, open branches and convene delegates conference. Why have they not done so? With just six months left to the presidential and parliamentary elections, parties have not yet established nationwide structures. None of the parties has elected its leaders. None has chosen its presidential candidate.
In a nutshell, parties are doing a lot of talking, without any action!
Ends
Some of the demands, in my view, were misconceived. The demand that government disbands the Presidential Guard Brigade was obviously mere political rhetoric. The call that government guarantees all exiles security to return home is ridiculous. The most prominent exiles are UPC president Milton Obote and the FDC boss Col. Dr Kizza Besigye. Do they really need security guarantees from government to return home? I don’t think so. Obote has argued he would return to Uganda once the ‘Movement dictatorship’ has been dismantled and multiparty politics is restored.
Since UPC is free to operate now, there should be no more reason for Obote to stay in exile. I am not convinced that there is a valid reason for Besigye to stay in South Africa. Besigye would be more effective in his political campaign if he was in the country.
The demand by the G6 that government convenes a national conference to be attended by all ‘legitimate’ civic and political organisations to ‘discuss and agree on the equitable democratisation process before the end of October 2005’ is misconceived. I don’t think such a conference would serve any useful purpose now or even have a consensus. The time for such a conference was before Parliament passed the constitutional amendments.
Early last year there were attempts by government and the G6 to hold talks over the political transition. For three months, the government team and the G6 leaders argued about procedural matters. Subsequently, the talks aborted because the two sides could not agree on procedural matters. It was an opportunity the G6 in particular and the country in general lost. The Government, embarrassed by the failure of the talks, held talks with 12 fringe political groups and factions for four complete months. A 492-page report was made after the talks at the Fairway Hotel.
One of the recommendations was that a president should be obliged to form a coalition government with other parties if his party fails to win majority seats in Parliament. Although these talks took so long and cost the taxpayer a fortune, there is no evidence that government ever considered the recommendations that were made. I do not think anyone has interest in another costly political circus.
Nonetheless, the G6’s demand that government expeditiously amends the electoral laws and other pieces of legislation that directly impact on the political transition is legitimate.
In its proposals to the Constitutional Review Commission and Parliament, the Electoral Commission had recommended that electoral laws should be enacted at least six months before the elections. The delay to enact the relevant electoral laws was blamed for some of the irregularities in the previous presidential and parliamentary elections. Candidates had barely 30 days to campaign during the 1996 presidential elections.
However, the G6 parties should stop the blame-game and giving excuses for their ineptitude. The opposition is wasting a lot of precious time in petty quarrels. All the main opposition parties have been wrecked by internal splits and none has been able to hold a delegates conference.
One of the G6 parties recently lost financial assistance from a big donor due to internal wrangles. Parties in the past claimed they could not mobilise support from the countryside because Article 269 of the Constitution barred them from operating. Now parties are free to hold public rallies, open branches and convene delegates conference. Why have they not done so? With just six months left to the presidential and parliamentary elections, parties have not yet established nationwide structures. None of the parties has elected its leaders. None has chosen its presidential candidate.
In a nutshell, parties are doing a lot of talking, without any action!
Ends