What do govts learn from coups?

With the advent of independence in the late 50s and early 60’s euphoria, new hopes swept through Africa as nation after nation attained self-governance.

There were new dreams and expectations as the colonial masters handed over the instruments of power to the indigenous peoples. 

To most Africans this was the end of a long freedom struggle in which so many had suffered.  It was the end of slavery, human degradation and exploitation.
 However, these dreams were soon shattered as  many governments  across the continent fell victim to coup d’etats.

The new military rulers accused the civilian government of everything from corruption and incompetence to mismanagement of the national economy. 

It can be said that the season between 1960; 1970 until mid 1980s has generally been labelled the decade of coups in Africa. 
Coups spread like a wild bushfire. 
Africa has had a combined total of 149 coups with Burkina Faso being affected most -ten times and Uganda four times. 

Coups normally occur without warning; without preparation and are as a result of the effects of globalisation, where the “domino effect” also applies, (If it has happened elsewhere, why not us). 

Africa is ripe to many more coups if issues of poverty, hunger, education, peace and justice, affordable and clean energy, health, gender equality and descent work, economic growth and development, partnerships and building economic blocks; clean water and sanitation, corruption and nepotism, sustainable peace and justice, sustainable cities and life on land or land matters are not addressed. 

Rather than solve the African contemporary political and socio-economic problems, military coups in Africa have tended to drive the continent into even further suffering and turmoil.  This has been the case in Uganda, Ghana, Mali, Chad, Togo, Congo and most recently Guinea to mention just a few African states.  

Africans are seeking to attain some level of decency and creating their destiny. As William Jennings Byran said, “Destiny is not a matter of chance, but of choice, not something to wish for, but to attain”. Thus, there is a sense of vigor and rigor among a new set of Pan Africanists to set a new agenda and attain their desired destiny. 

“To take a decision you must make a decision”, therefore coup plotters are men acting openly, in cohorts and in extremes; as they are capable of higher courage crime whose assured retribution is to leave them either at the mercy of the nation they have wronged, or of the anarchy they have summoned but could not control, because they no longer love or honour their countries
 
They are men acting with dexterity and unusual courage with greater degrees of success. The masses find themselves subjects of cheering in the earlier years until the darkest years emerge.  

However, the question is do governments pick a lesson or two from such political and military manoeuvres to solve the underlying issues or its business as usual- condemnations? 

The young generation factor as leaders of the day is slowly and surely gaining momentum. Worldwide the young generation is fighting to find space and recognition.

At the international level, the world’s biggest superpowers, the United States and China together boast of nearly three quarters of the worlds self-made young billionaires most of whom made their fortunes in such burgeoning industries as e-commerce, social media and the shared economy. 

Do other countries pick a leaf on these industries to give space and hope to the youth or they do otherwise? 
For instance, the USA has 20 billionaires aged 40 years and below. 
The USA and China have 73.6 percent of the 53 young billionaires known to exist across the globe.

In Uganda we have a handful of these but even then they don’t employ as many youth hence living many young people unemployed, redundant and despondent. 

The positions of regional political and economic blocks, the international diplomacy and constitutions to legitimise or delegitimise coups are all effects of globalisation. 

Today, we confess that we have had our doubts whether the patriotism of our people is not too narrowly provincial to embrace the proportions of national peril.

On one hand we have leaders who leave on deception leading their countries more surely to the distrust of men and hence to suspicion of principles.

Also,  enthusiasm is a good material for the coup plotters, Or our populations are intelligent enough to comprehend that the choice is between order and anarchy, or between the equilibrium of a government by law and the tussle of misrule .

Could a coup be maintained without the ordinary stimulus of hatred and plunder, and with the impersonal loyalty of principle? These are serious questions, and with no precedent to aid in answering them. 

Patrick Kajuma,   Scholar, UMI