By Alice Also, Secretary General ANT
KAMPALA-UGANDA/NEWSDAY: Recently Gen Elly Tumwine sent a public advisory to Mr Museveni to prepare fortransition. This created mixed responses, some of which were in praise and others were outright castigation. Even with the excess baggage General Tumwine carries, including years of unapologetically defending the regime’s excesses, we at the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) find his remarks are all the same important.
Why, you may ask. It clearly shows us all that even the most loyal, sycophantic functionaries of the regime recognize the need to peacefully transition the country. So, for what it’s worth, a Saul turned Paul even by word only is welcome in the kingdom of God.
The discussion on transition should be an issue for all Ugandans and should notbe left to disappointed ministers and bush war comrades. The ANT believesdiscussing transition now will save the country from a collapse with the currentPresidency. What we do not want is for Uganda to suffer pain from thestrongman collapse syndrome as has been the case in Somalia, Sudan, and Libya, among others.
The only antidote for that is national dialogue now and preparation in terms oflegislation, organisations, and institutions, and a change of mindset among the current managers of Government. The NRM has spent so much time destroying institutions of the State, from a weakened Parliament and a Judiciary devoid of independence, to a malfunctioning Public Service and a partisan, personalized military service. This state of affairs portends a chaotic transition and has to be fixed now before the transition unveils itself.
Our agenda as ANT is to call upon all Ugandans who love this country, acrosspolitical and occupational divides, to face reality and begin to engage President Museveni on transitioning our country peacefully to a leader outside of himself or his choosing. Let Ugandans decide for themselves.
Managing the transition in a stable, sustainable, and participatory way is our call. History tells us that coups leave countries fractured. In the same way, anunplanned transition can leave Uganda in chaos.
At the core of this discussion, there is the idea of legacy. Perhaps this is what the President of Uganda should concern himself with, if it matters at all to him. But let’s assume it does; what kind of legacy he will bequeath the next generation?
Rather than deepen his state capture, he should be open to the inevitable transition and post-Museveni Uganda.The transition we need is not from Mr Museveni to Mr Museveni – new additions to his names do not change the fact that he is the same Mr Museveni, and whose vision for the country no longer serves majority of Ugandans.
We need a change from President Museveni to be predictable, values-based leaders who are committed to selfless service. To Men and Women of integrity, committed to nurturing our youthful population with fairness and equal opportunity.
We call upon Mr Museveni to step down as the leader of Uganda and give ourcountry a chance to peacefully transition to a competent, transparent, andcorrupt-free government. The Alliance for National Transformation is ready todeliver values-based leadership, to restore the soul of the country, to rebuildstructures, and do away with the rot in government systems and instruments. People First, A New Future.God bless Uganda and its people
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