Uganda must ‘outgrow’ the Museveni and Besigye mindset

The much anticipated ‘Museveni-Besigye Talks’ have featured in various media recently, as have more longstanding calls for an inclusive national dialogue to build consensus on several enduring challenges and questions about Uganda as a ‘nation’.
While some analysts such as Dr Munini have argued a Museveni-Besigye Talk as a prelude to a national dialogue, and that while calls for a national dialogue were important, ‘a headlong rush … without creating the conditions for its success, is a bad idea’, and that ‘without cooling down the overheated temperature of the Museveni-Besigye contest, there is very little chance a national dialogue will survive’.
That Dr Munini is probably right, sadly, is at the core of our problem as a country today - the personalisation of institutions and the institutionalisation of personalities.

Besigye and Museveni appear to be ‘bigger’ than the institutions and constituencies ‘they represent’. More worryingly though, the two may have more in common than what many Ugandans see. Between the two, four presidential elections have been won and lost, with both claiming victory in at least three of them (2001, 2006 and 2016), both were bush-war comrades and played telling roles as the NRA/M shot its way to power in 1986, they worked together for 15 years thereafter, they know each other more than anyone else. Also, their presence has stifled the emergence of alternative leaders within the NRM and the Opposition, both have made promises not to stand as presidential flag-bearers and broken those promises, but finally a deeper analysis of their styles of leadership may reveal a lot more in common!

So, what exactly would the subject of the dialogue for these two powerful individuals be. We can speculate about a few: FDC’s demand for an international audit of the 2016 presidential elections, a call by the NRM that the FDC defiance campaign ends completely, freeing of supporters of Besigye and FDC held in state custody, and perhaps by some stretch of imagination, a discussion about larger political and governance reforms, which could lead to what many hope for—an inclusive national dialogue. As a matter of principle, a dialogue between Museveni and Besigye is welcome and there are many things the two can and should talk about, but in all honesty, as Ugandans, we should not be held hostage by these two individuals - when or even whether they eventually talk or not. The larger historical, governance and political challenges Uganda faces are way beyond the two - a stagnating/declining economy, biting unemployment, growing social disharmony, the search for truth and justice for thousands affected by Uganda’s treacherous past, corruption, militarization of society, de-institutionalization of decision making, to mention a few. In fact, one may argue, looked at in a collective, the two of them are now part of the problem of Uganda today.

For as long, as Museveni and Besigye both appear on a presidential ballot at anyone time, Uganda may struggle to make real political progress. So, one outcome of a Besigye-Museveni talk should be that neither of them will be on the presidential ballot in 2021—it is perhaps the single most legitimate decision a Museveni-Besigye dialogue can achieve. This alone will unlock immense opportunity, save our constitution from further adulteration and present new energy for Uganda.
Uganda’s politics must ‘outgrow’ Museveni-Besigye and then we can start seriously ‘un-sowing the mustard’ seed through a robust political transition process, for which an inclusive national dialogue will be an important part.

Mr Larok can be reached on [email protected]