Govt plan to abolish youth councils is bad
Aug 06, 2006
As the pioneer National Youth Council chairperson (1994-1998), I was astounded by statements attributed to Sam Rwakojo, secretary to the Electoral Commission, (EC) on postponing Women and Youth Council elections (New Vision, July 25) that youth councils do not do anything and that each of the partie
As the pioneer National Youth Council chairperson (1994-1998), I was astounded by statements attributed to Sam Rwakojo, secretary to the Electoral Commission, (EC) on postponing Women and Youth Council elections (New Vision, July 25) that youth councils do not do anything and that each of the parties has wings that look after the interests of the youth. I have also had an opportunity to look at a Draft Bill by the Solicitor General which intends to repeal the National Youth Council Statute and abolish Youth Councils. Interestingly every government official I have contacted, on this subject has expressed ignorance, leaving one with the impression that the Solicitor General drafts bills with no input from anyone.
Uganda has had a traumatic political history in which the youth have been the major victims. During the 1980s the mere mention of the word “youth†would send chills down the spine of many Ugandans because young people were misused to terrorise fellow Ugandans. At the frontline of every war that has been fought in Uganda, the majority of fighters have been youth. It was mainly due to the effect of our turbulent history on the young people and the country that the youth councils were established to:
lOrganise the youth of Uganda in a unified body;
lEngage the youth in activities that are of benefit to them and the
nation; and
lProtect the youth against any kind of manipulation.
These objectives are still relevant.
Young people between 18-30 years are six million. If Uganda has 10 million voters, 60 % of these are youth. Students in (0-level) secondary schools are over two million and will be voters five years from now. All these young people need the Youth Councils for the objectives mentioned above.
The reasons advanced for dissolving these councils are that they don’t do anything, they are expensive to maintain and they are also irrelevant under a multi-party political dispensation. It is important to note that while we are in multi-party politics, it is not the youth who are complaining. In fact they have recently elected their leadership in local councils and Parliament.
The argument that Youth Councils are expensive to maintain is obscurantist. Records show that for the last 13 years the government has funded the National Youth Council (NYC) with a total of sh2.9b only. If compared to sh10.3b, which is the estimated budget for Sembabule district for 2006/2007, and the fact that Sembabule has two counties and 184,000 people, then one can clearly see that funding the NYC for 13 years is cheaper than funding one district for one year. When I was elected chairman of the NYC in 1994, it had no office, no transport, and no money at all. Having laid the foundation for the NYC on which it is currently operating, under extremely difficult circumstances, I get dismayed when the false argument of cost is used to abolish the youth councils.
The issue of multi-party democracy cannot be the reason to abolish Youth councils because there are youths who are interested in politics but development. Those who want to be engaged in politics should be free to join party Youth Leagues. My own research shows me that out of the 54 Commonwealth countries, 44 have Youth Councils operating under multi-party democracy. These include Botswana, Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, Malta, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Seychelles, Sierra leone, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, Antiqua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbado, Belize, Brunie, Canada, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Malaysia, Malta, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Solomon Islands, St. Lucia Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, Fiji Island, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Tuvalu.
Youth elections are conducted by lining up, especially at the lower levels and they are through electoral colleges, and therefore not expensive.
Youth Councils have produced prominent leaders at various levels including, most recently, five out of the nine MPs to EALA in Arusha. These are Nusura Tiperu, Dan Kidega, Mike Sebalu and Lydia Wanyoto. Some LC5 chairpersons, MPs and other local government leaders are products of youth councils. I attribute this to the considerable leadership training, and national and international exposure gained through youth councils.
Uganda has been a success casestudy by countries like Rwanda and Kenya in the establishment of their Youth Councils. How do we then opt to abolish our councils?
On May 26, 2004 in New York City, the then Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Zoe Bakoko Bakoru, received an award on behalf of the National Youth Council in recognition of its outstanding contribution to the empowerment of youth, especially their participation in the country’s decision-making process. The NYC of Uganda was singled out for being the most democratic and participatory, with the most comprehensive structure which provides a strong framework for youth involvement in the socio-economic development of their country.
When Uganda hosts CHOGM next year, the youth are supposed to organise through the NYC and be actively involved in the Commonwealth Youth Forum which will be held alongside CHOGM.
Let the government answer the following questions:
lWhy was there no consultation and involvement of the youth who are the biggest stakeholders in this matter?
lWhy is every government official who should be owning up the draft Bill on the repeal of the Youth Councils and its dissolution reluctant to do so and instead refer to the Solicitor General?
Posterity will harshly judge any individual or group of individuals who will connive to suppress the voice of the youth. Therefore, I want to commend the youth of Uganda under the NYC for the spirited defence of the existence of their unifying body and their voice. I appeal to the President who is a very good friend of the youth, to maintain the stand he took when he met the executive committee of the National Youth Council at State House on July 12, 2006. I request him to prevail over anybody who is trying to undermine one of the best things that have happened under his leadership.
The president should also critically look at the motives of anybody behind the proposed abolition of youth and women councils because of rumours that some people may want to damage his credibility in the eyes of the youth and the women who constitute a formidable political force in this country. It will be a sad story if the very government that established the youth councils for very good reasons is the one which abolishes them, instead of strengthening them and ensuring that young people are protected from the vagaries of multi-party politics.
Ends
Uganda has had a traumatic political history in which the youth have been the major victims. During the 1980s the mere mention of the word “youth†would send chills down the spine of many Ugandans because young people were misused to terrorise fellow Ugandans. At the frontline of every war that has been fought in Uganda, the majority of fighters have been youth. It was mainly due to the effect of our turbulent history on the young people and the country that the youth councils were established to:
lOrganise the youth of Uganda in a unified body;
lEngage the youth in activities that are of benefit to them and the
nation; and
lProtect the youth against any kind of manipulation.
These objectives are still relevant.
Young people between 18-30 years are six million. If Uganda has 10 million voters, 60 % of these are youth. Students in (0-level) secondary schools are over two million and will be voters five years from now. All these young people need the Youth Councils for the objectives mentioned above.
The reasons advanced for dissolving these councils are that they don’t do anything, they are expensive to maintain and they are also irrelevant under a multi-party political dispensation. It is important to note that while we are in multi-party politics, it is not the youth who are complaining. In fact they have recently elected their leadership in local councils and Parliament.
The argument that Youth Councils are expensive to maintain is obscurantist. Records show that for the last 13 years the government has funded the National Youth Council (NYC) with a total of sh2.9b only. If compared to sh10.3b, which is the estimated budget for Sembabule district for 2006/2007, and the fact that Sembabule has two counties and 184,000 people, then one can clearly see that funding the NYC for 13 years is cheaper than funding one district for one year. When I was elected chairman of the NYC in 1994, it had no office, no transport, and no money at all. Having laid the foundation for the NYC on which it is currently operating, under extremely difficult circumstances, I get dismayed when the false argument of cost is used to abolish the youth councils.
The issue of multi-party democracy cannot be the reason to abolish Youth councils because there are youths who are interested in politics but development. Those who want to be engaged in politics should be free to join party Youth Leagues. My own research shows me that out of the 54 Commonwealth countries, 44 have Youth Councils operating under multi-party democracy. These include Botswana, Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, Malta, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Seychelles, Sierra leone, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, Antiqua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbado, Belize, Brunie, Canada, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Malaysia, Malta, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Solomon Islands, St. Lucia Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, Fiji Island, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Tuvalu.
Youth elections are conducted by lining up, especially at the lower levels and they are through electoral colleges, and therefore not expensive.
Youth Councils have produced prominent leaders at various levels including, most recently, five out of the nine MPs to EALA in Arusha. These are Nusura Tiperu, Dan Kidega, Mike Sebalu and Lydia Wanyoto. Some LC5 chairpersons, MPs and other local government leaders are products of youth councils. I attribute this to the considerable leadership training, and national and international exposure gained through youth councils.
Uganda has been a success casestudy by countries like Rwanda and Kenya in the establishment of their Youth Councils. How do we then opt to abolish our councils?
On May 26, 2004 in New York City, the then Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Zoe Bakoko Bakoru, received an award on behalf of the National Youth Council in recognition of its outstanding contribution to the empowerment of youth, especially their participation in the country’s decision-making process. The NYC of Uganda was singled out for being the most democratic and participatory, with the most comprehensive structure which provides a strong framework for youth involvement in the socio-economic development of their country.
When Uganda hosts CHOGM next year, the youth are supposed to organise through the NYC and be actively involved in the Commonwealth Youth Forum which will be held alongside CHOGM.
Let the government answer the following questions:
lWhy was there no consultation and involvement of the youth who are the biggest stakeholders in this matter?
lWhy is every government official who should be owning up the draft Bill on the repeal of the Youth Councils and its dissolution reluctant to do so and instead refer to the Solicitor General?
Posterity will harshly judge any individual or group of individuals who will connive to suppress the voice of the youth. Therefore, I want to commend the youth of Uganda under the NYC for the spirited defence of the existence of their unifying body and their voice. I appeal to the President who is a very good friend of the youth, to maintain the stand he took when he met the executive committee of the National Youth Council at State House on July 12, 2006. I request him to prevail over anybody who is trying to undermine one of the best things that have happened under his leadership.
The president should also critically look at the motives of anybody behind the proposed abolition of youth and women councils because of rumours that some people may want to damage his credibility in the eyes of the youth and the women who constitute a formidable political force in this country. It will be a sad story if the very government that established the youth councils for very good reasons is the one which abolishes them, instead of strengthening them and ensuring that young people are protected from the vagaries of multi-party politics.
Ends