Ensuring the self-assertion, self-becoming, all-round prosperity, well-being, survival and insurance of the African people – is the major question of our time. The revolutionary furnace in which this historical process shall be consolidated, is the accelerated political and economic integration of East Africa, and of Mother Africa.
The above, is the strategic historical context in which the Presidential Election of 14th January 2021, is being held. The strategic historical context, defines our national tasks over the next decade or so.
The presence of Yoweri K. Museveni at the direct helm of state affairs over the period, is absolutely vital to the successful discharge of those tasks. Other, possibly important, concerns – are peripheral to the discharge of the national tasks.
It is instructive that when the Uganda Opposition launched their “Unity in Diversity” umbrella the other day, the national tasks did not feature. The best they could present to the country, was a nebulous electoral pact!
President Museveni, concluding the Nelson Mandela Memorial Lecture at Makerere University on 31st August 2017, declared, “On the issue of political integration, a vital requirement for the survival of the African people as a free people …, the post-independence African leaders and the elite are in danger of being like the tribal chiefs who betrayed Africa between 1500 and 1900 by failing to unite our people for their own salvation. The political leaders should not be condemned alone … The elite to be condemned include: professors, journalists, religious leaders, cultural leaders, magicians, teachers, etc …”
“The only two people who escape this condemnation are Mwalimu Nyerere and Sheikh Amani Abeid Karume who united Tanganyika and Zanzibar to create Tanzania”.
“ … Mzee Mandela gave his all for Africa. He has no debt with Africa … It is you and me to do what Mwalimu Nyerere, Mandela, Nkrumah, Sekou Toure, Modibo Keita, Walter Sisulu, Oliver Thambo, Patrice Lumumba, I.K. Musaazi, etc., did not do to insure Africa from the threats similar to the ones we have just gone through or worse”.
The national tasks mentioned above include:
Ensuring continued national strategic leadership for the country which is: ideologically clear; appropriately focused in terms of revolutionary and transformative national development policy, robust and firm;
Ensuring further consolidation of Democratic Government, National Defence and Security;
Ensuring consolidation of steady and irreversible progress in building the East African Federation, as well as the African Economic Community;
Ensuring the Ideological, Political and Organizational Harmony of the Country – as the country takes-off in the new phase of development.
Ensuring that the country puts Strategic Infrastructure in place, so that:
- The first barrel of Oil comes out of the ground, and the Oil continues flowing thereafter;
- The Oil Refinery is constructed, and is working;
- The Oil and Gas Pipeline is constructed, and is working;
- The diligent and prudent management of the revenues from Oil and Gas is in place, as well their disciplined disbursement to carefully identified strategic priorities, on the road from lower to upper middle income status, and finally – to first world status;
- The construction of the major hydro-power stations is completed, and the Budhagali cost of electricity is down; as the entire electricity sector is stabilized, harmonized and rationalized – including consolidation of the first steps towards peaceful use of nuclear energy;
- National investment infrastructure, operations and procedures – are harmonized, stabilized, consolidated;
- The speedy construction of all the planned Industrial Parks and their full servicing by necessary facilities, is completed;
- The necessary hard and soft infrastructure is in place for full e-government;
- The urgent construction and operationalization of the Standard Gauge Railway is undertaken;
- Etc
We wish the Ugandan people all the best in the electoral process now under way. We have no doubt that wananchi shall massively and resoundingly return Yoweri Museveni and the Movement to office – not because he has all the answers, but because he has the clearest and long term view of what needs to be done.
Let us touch briefly on two other matters, as we conclude. First, their Excellences the Catholic Bishops – under the Uganda Episcopal Conference – recently issued a Pastoral Letter regarding the 2021 Elections. In its depth, it was a welcome relief from some of the other recent hasty statements by individual spiritual leaders as quoted in the media.
What is most disappointing is that in the discussion of violence in the campaign, the Bishops, just like many other commentators, look at the security forces as the source of violence! They completely ignore recorded and visible incitement to violence and violence, by some of the political actors! We could forgive our spiritual leaders lack of knowledge about the plans and preparations for violent confrontation by some of the political actors … But their silence on incitement which is very visible in the public domain, is most disappointing and baffling …
Second, there has been an open onslaught on democratic Government in the United States, over the last 48 hours! The onslaught evokes eerie echoes of the Fascist seizure of power by Benito Mussolini in Italy 1922, and by Adolf Hitler in Germany in 1934. Historically, “Fascism” is an ideology of right-wing fringe elements of the bourgeoisie. It has two principle methods: the use of political demagoguery, and of open terror.
Clearly though, the American people are vigorously resisting this backward step. The fringe elements will be defeated.
In the meantime, some of the functionaries of that establishment who have been haranguing us about “democracy and human rights”, should have the minimum decency to cease henceforth – and focus their energies on their own backyard.
We, moving with our people, shall continue growing and nurturing democratic governance and observance of human rights – in our national specificity. We shall continue doing this because it is the right thing to do, not because of bullies and big power diktat!
David Mafabi
Senior Presidential Advisor/Special Duties
State House
8th January 2021
