Is military rule the nuclear option?

Who once thought that a sovereign country like Uganda would have to go begging in Europe to construct 50 homes for chiefs in Acholi for example?

It is only the naïve who think that the President’s continued embrace of military fatigues- battle dress uniform (BDUs) for public occasions even where they are obviously in bad taste is not an innocent gesture.

The BDU is a very comfortable work-cloth. It is used to distinguish the President from other contenders to the throne. If some special instructions need to be issued to the proletariat they descend into the same form of dress bereft of rank and insignia. The Kyankwanzi annual retreats for the ruling party while light on actual military drills emphasize this point.
Uniform allows the President to remain assertive. This is a matter of style. However, with time, designs fall out of date with the times. A good place to start is looking around your neighbours to see what they are doing. Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete is a retired army colonel. You would struggle to find him in BDUs.

Elections in Tanzania have been contentious of late but Tanzania’s political system still has a track record of orderly transition of leaders from office. Tanzania is in an elite tier of states that have institutionalised the office of ex-President.

Others are South Africa where nationalist leader Nelson Mandela is a national icon and tourist attraction. With time, Sam Nujoma in Namibia another war hero legend who had developed second thoughts about peacefully leaving office may acquire the same status.

All of these countries have had good reasons to institutionalise military rule. The founding of Namibia, Mozambique (where NRA’s roots are in the defunct Fronasa), and South Africa are through protracted military struggles. Tanzania and Zambia’s history is intertwined with the struggle against apartheid.

Infact, in cash strapped Tanzania at one time the military was the only functioning institution just like infamished Ethiopia in 1984 was dominated by one economic activity Ethiopian Airlines whose business accounted for one half of the economy.

Military experiments while common during the cold war, both the United States and the Soviet Union and their junior lackeys ruthlessly promoted coup d’états to uproot popular regimes in Latin America, Africa and Asia they have been discredited as little more than personalised fortresses that had to be torn down to unleash the full potential of their countries. Chile, South Korea, Brazil and many others have made this stride.

Second tier countries with a long history of military rule may make this stride in this century after casting the demons of excessive militarism: Nigeria, Pakistan if the Americans withdraw from Afghanistan, Indonesia now the world’s fifth most populous country creating new true economic powers.

The President and his handlers seem to struggle with this point. The realities of global capitalism make “centralised” command rule very difficult to sustain. Variants of this model- foreign aid, foreign military intervention, monolithic political systems have all failed.
Who once thought that a sovereign country like Uganda would have to go begging in Europe to construct 50 homes for chiefs in Acholi for example?
The United States after a decade of waging a universal war on terrorism has realised the folly on a human and economic scale of the excesses of exported militarism and military rule. President Barack Obama’s inaugural address promised more alliances and less war an economic necessity as the bills from Iraq and Afghanistan come due.

A soldier in the barracks or in a confined area is very different from a soldier in a civilian or live environment. Command structures would have to be put in place in the more than 1,000 local governments in the country at the sub-county level, 200 districts and so on.
Military governors or viceroys are part royalty- part commanders you can see how kingdoms re-established after years of protracted negotiation and struggles would clash with the new regime.

Budget enthusiasts have watched in horror as the Police’s budget crept from reasonable to unreasonable- military rule will probably bankrupt the treasury.

Soldiers executing civilian functions requiring a civilian lifestyle will make our current military royalty who have dabbled in business look like chump change.

The military option like corked champagne is very difficult to return to its genie once the bottle is uncorked. Somalia, Egypt, Myanmar, the DRC have all learnt and are still learning these lessons.

One hopes that Defense Minister Crispus Bazarrabusa Kiyonga and President Museveni are offering more thought to this idea that if they fail to resolve to assert themselves over the body politic it will be necessary to call the army in.

They need to pay more attention to the deteriorating economy more than anything else. Because without food, it will be impossible with both the civilians and the military.

Mr Ssemogerere, an attorney and social entrepreneur, practices law in New York.

kssemoge@gmail.com