Corruption scandals: Is Museveni digging a political grave for NRM?
KAMPALA
In a speech that marked the beginning of the end
of Hu Jintao’s era and formally ushered in new leaders for the coming
decade, the Chinese president singled out the suspected [ruling] party
members, asking them to be ethical and to rein in their greedy family
members, whose trading on their connections for money and lavish
displays of wealth have amplified public cynicism about the party.
Unlike the case in Uganda and other countries, in
China, corruption is a crime that draws capital punishment or the death
penalty. President Jintao has relinquished his role at the top of the
Communist party for Xi Jinping to take over as the country’s paramount
leader.
While China is not Uganda, President Jintao’s fear
that corruption could prove “fatal” to the Communist Party and bring
down the state if not tackled coincides with the analysts’ warning that
by protecting the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime
Minister, Mr Pius Bigirimana, who was named in the loss of donor funds,
President Museveni is trying to dig his political grave and that of the
ruling National Resistance Movement.
Because of widespread corruption, Prof William
Muhumuza from Makerere University’s Political Science cited key
challenges Uganda faces today — a rich-poor gap, putrefying public
institutions because of patronage — highlighting the imbalanced
development between the wealthy politicians and a struggling
countryside.
Combatting corruption and promoting political integrity, Prof Muhumuza told Sunday Monitor, is a major political issue. However, his analysis is that it is unlikely to lead to the government being voted out because “corruption is mainly a concern of elites”.
Combatting corruption and promoting political integrity, Prof Muhumuza told Sunday Monitor, is a major political issue. However, his analysis is that it is unlikely to lead to the government being voted out because “corruption is mainly a concern of elites”.
Ignorance of layman
“The patronage dispensed through various avenues, the populist government programmes, though of poor quality (e.g. UPE, free healthcare, SACCOs etc) and the influence of the beneficiaries of corruption may instead win more support from unsuspecting ordinary person,” Prof Muhumuza said. “The majority ordinary people are yet to link corruption at the national level with the poor quality of service delivery. This consciousness is still lacking at the moment.”
“The patronage dispensed through various avenues, the populist government programmes, though of poor quality (e.g. UPE, free healthcare, SACCOs etc) and the influence of the beneficiaries of corruption may instead win more support from unsuspecting ordinary person,” Prof Muhumuza said. “The majority ordinary people are yet to link corruption at the national level with the poor quality of service delivery. This consciousness is still lacking at the moment.”
According to Prof Muhumuza the case of Mr
Bigirimana being protected by President Museveni needs to be understood
in the context of neo-patrimonial nature of African politics, where
regime survival is insured using state resources that are irregularly
acquired.
That patronage-driven politics thrives on
corruption. And public resources are ordinarily stolen to reward
“cadres” and regime sycophants. “The patrons and their clients are
rewarded and sustained through political appointment (e.g. as
presidential advisers, chairpersons and members of commissions,
ministers, RDCs etc). These privileges serve as a reward and political
investment for the next round of electors.
“The point here is that regime supporters or
“cadres” in this case, are placed in strategic positions - usually the
ones with a lot of resources, so that they can help to syphon them for
purposes of building a political base for the regime. This is typical of
almost all African regimes. The NRM is not an exception,” Prof Muhumuza
said.
In a “damage control” statement to the donors who
have already suspended aid over theft of aid at the OPM, President
Museveni took time off to respond to what he called: “politically
motivated red-herrings”, targeting people he said were trying to give
the impression that the problem of corruption in Uganda is because of
lack of “political will” to fight that corruption.
“Who? Me, Yoweri Museveni, lacking “political
will” to fight corruption and criminality when I am stronger now than I
was in 1971, when, together with my colleagues, we took the regime of
Idi Amin head on, or when in 1981, with 27 guns, we attacked Kabamba?
Those who peddle those falsehoods should be treated with the contempt
they deserve,” Mr Museveni said.
While President Museveni brags of putting in place
the numerous anti-corruption laws and institutions, by protecting
suspects, some of whom are his ministers and close allies, the Executive
Director, Anti-Corruption Coalition Uganda, Ms Cissy Kagaba, says has
killed the impetus in the fight against corruption and promoted impunity
in the process.
The infamous 2010 Temangalo land scandal involving
Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi was the first case that possibly exposed
the lack of political will to fight corruption. At the height of this
scandal, a caucus meeting was called at State House, Entebbe, where a
decision was taken to defeat the Commissions, Statutory Authorities and
State Enterprises report implicating the ministers involved. Again, the
ministers who were implicated in the 2007 Chogm scandals survived
through the party caucusing and others who, with tainted images, have
since been re-appointed in key Cabinet positions.
“Even if NRM uses corruption to entrench itself in
power, this is unsustainable,” Ms Kagaba said. “With time, Ugandans
will get tired of those who steal their money and in the end they will
get angry and remove their leaders from power. This is what caused the
Arab spring. Take the example of OPM scandal; do you expect the people
in northern Uganda to be happy when a certain group of people decided to
steal their money?”
On several occasions, President Museveni has
promised to stamp out corruption but no tangible solution to the crisis
has been witnessed by the country today. The President is now accused of
offering lip-service to the fight against the vice. But in trying to
explain what has become of his promises to wipe out corruption in his
government, Mr Museveni told the donors that key institutions like the
IGG, seem to have been infiltrated by questionable characters.
Looking forward, former IGG Augustine Ruzindana said: “Everyone,
voters, civil society, religious organisations, business community,
international community, political parties and politicians, including
those in NRM etc...must appreciate and accept the imperative of regime
change and work for its realisation.”
From the political succession debate viewpoint, Mr Nicholas Opio, an independent analyst said, endless corruption scandals will give President Museveni more arsenals to realign his political cards and purge his numbers of historically connected and ambitious folks viewed as possible power points.
From the political succession debate viewpoint, Mr Nicholas Opio, an independent analyst said, endless corruption scandals will give President Museveni more arsenals to realign his political cards and purge his numbers of historically connected and ambitious folks viewed as possible power points.
More praise-singers coming up
According to Mr Opio, corruption will also be nectar for attracting political optimists who will be involved in a rat race to be the loudest political praise singers of the President, his family and corrupt ministers. However, Mr Opio said that will not entrench the Museveni rule. In any event, he said, the NRM government’s credibility is being undermined by the increasing cases of corruption. “The regime’s smoke screen showmanship in fighting graft is increasingly becoming evident. Little wonder donors are now reacting by cutting aid,” he said.
According to Mr Opio, corruption will also be nectar for attracting political optimists who will be involved in a rat race to be the loudest political praise singers of the President, his family and corrupt ministers. However, Mr Opio said that will not entrench the Museveni rule. In any event, he said, the NRM government’s credibility is being undermined by the increasing cases of corruption. “The regime’s smoke screen showmanship in fighting graft is increasingly becoming evident. Little wonder donors are now reacting by cutting aid,” he said.
With hindsight, Mr Opio thinks, Ugandans are to
blame for the corruption we see in government today. “We have not been
able to channel a collective outrage for the theft we have seen across
government departments and ministries, either because we are
beneficiaries of the same (by way of pecks and benefits) or because the
people involved in the fight against corruption themselves do not have
the moral authority and public support to be able to mobilise a critical
mass,” Mr Opio said.
But on whether corruption will be the vice that
would dislodge the President’s 26 years of uninterrupted rule, the
Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Mr Nandala Mafabi, said regime’s
“cronyism” and “corruption” have a corrosive effect, disadvantaging
innocent Ugandan traders and entrenching a regime. “The money for
service delivery is always siphoned by corrupt public servants and
ministers. President Museveni’s government has been turned into a
hunting ground and this is the problem,” Mr Mafabi said.
“Corruption continues to obstruct any kind of
reform whether in the political or economic spheres. The poor are poor
and the rich are growing fatter. They are buying votes because they have
impoverished our people. But the good news is that as poverty comes
closer, the people are beginning to see the reality. In the end, people
will eat their money and vote out those who steal from the poor.”
Dr Paul Omach, a senior lecturer at the Department
of Political Science, Makerere University, is of the view that the
corruption the country is witnessing today cannot be reduced to the
actions or roles of individuals, be it Mr Bigirimana or someone else.
“These are servants at the service of an establishment that benefits
from looting to further its stay in power as well as personal enrichment
or primitive accumulation,” Dr Omach said.
He added: “Looting of public resources is used by
the political establishment to finance political activities such as
patronage, political financing, (and other not so noble oppressive
activities against perceived opponents). Individuals who are used to
execute looting of resources from the State, therefore, benefit from
some protection from their political bosses. Any punishment meted to
them tends to be symbolic (e.g. one may be relieved of duties but will
continue to enjoy privileges of office).”
In trying to explain why the government is
protecting Mr Bigirimana, Lwemiyaga MP Theodore Ssekikubo said: “What’s
the magic behind Bigirimana who is costing us billions of shillings for
our brothers and sisters in northern Uganda and Karamoja?” “By refusing
to interdict the PS, it’s now clear that this man, Bigirimana, is just a
middleman in the scam. It’s without any doubt that the biggest office
is behind the scam. Bigirimana is just a whipping boy and the big people
are hiding behind him.”
On the proposal to refund the stolen money on
behalf of the people they called “thieves”, Mr Ssekikubo said: “Let
President Museveni sell his cows to cover Bigirimana if he wants and let
Mbabazi also sell his mansion in Kanungu and China to cover up
Bigirimana.”
But MP Gerald Karuhanga (Independent Youth
Western), one of the anti-corruption crusaders, believes that if
President Museveni continues to protect the corrupt, with time Ugandans
would get tired and vote his government out. “If the President continues
to fight corruption Bigirimana style, Ugandans will eat his money for
campaign and vote the opposition. When you critically analyse what is
going on today, you will conclude that by failing to stamp out
corruption in his government, President Museveni is blindly digging his
political grave and that of his party.”
Presidential Press Secretary Tamale Mirundi has
described calls for Mr Bigirimana’s removal as act of mob action in the
fight against corruption. He said: “President Museveni is the one
championing the fight against corruption in the country and not Members
of Parliament.” Mr Mirundi said the audit report on OPM scam was
instituted by the government not donors.
Prof Muhumuza said being one of the few privileged
“big men” (patrons) from Kisoro District where the NRM regime wins by
over 95 per cent, there are all reasons for the President to protect Mr
Bigirimana in order “not to annoy his clients.” He also said that there
could be fear that if he is sacrificed he could spill beans that may
expose “more than we currently know”. “It is tactical that he be given
time to erase evidence that may expose some powerful individuals in the
system and limit the blame to the civil servants.”
The other reason is the fear of embarrassment to
the government before donors and the public, given that the OPM is
headed by powerful national figures. “If the truth is allowed to come
out, it could be detrimental to the regime. Any skillful politician must
always try to do damage control,” Prof Muhumuza added.
But Kibanda MP Sam Otada, who described Ugandans
as “chicks” whose “mother-hen” had been eaten by “vultures”, asked
citizens to rise up and demand accountability from leaders. “The
arrogance of our leaders must stop. The notion that you can succeed by
not working hard must be defeated,” Mr Otada said, adding: “A situation
like this is a national disaster and people must take responsibility.
This is why President Museveni should stop behaving as if there is
nothing happening.”
The NRM government, according to Dr Omach, has
presided over massive inflow of resources from donors, especially since
1992. The economy also registered remarkable growth. And the regime used
the liberalisation programme to reward supporters and turned a blind
eye to outright pillage of public resources and allowed corruption to
flourish. For this, Dr Omach said, it enjoyed “tacit” and “explicit”
support and nearly unquestionable loyalty from people who amassed
wealth.
Elite beneficiaries
To answer the question on how corruption will affect Mr Museveni, Dr Omach said: “This is a very corrupt society, and many people, especially the elite have benefited from corruption. The problem now is the shrinking resources from which to loot, and still sustain basic public services that can mollify the general public.”
To answer the question on how corruption will affect Mr Museveni, Dr Omach said: “This is a very corrupt society, and many people, especially the elite have benefited from corruption. The problem now is the shrinking resources from which to loot, and still sustain basic public services that can mollify the general public.”
Dr Omach sees President Museveni as a leader in a
dilemma; if he genuinely tackles corruption, he must change the politics
he practices, while at the same time alienating those who have
benefited from patronage and lack of accountability to enrich
themselves.
“Those who were used to execute corrupt activities
for the political establishment may end up ‘talking’ and embarrassing
the political establishment. If he ignores it, public service will
deteriorate to unsustainable levels (if they have not yet already),
donors will further reduce support and the public will be alienated,” he
added.
A special audit report of the Auditor General
found that more than Shs50 billion was stolen by officials at the OPM.
The money was meant for the Peace, Recovery & Development Plan
(PRDP) in northern Uganda and Karamoja sub-region. But Mr Museveni has
defended Mr Bigirimana as a “whistleblower”, in a scandal that has
rocked his government and rattled his relationship with the development
partners.
By Yasiin Mugerwa
Source:Daily Monitor
By Yasiin Mugerwa
Source:Daily Monitor
No comments:
Post a Comment