After Mugabe and Jacob Zuma, all eyes are on Uganda’s Museveni: how long can he cling to power?

After Robert Mugabe, Jacob Zuma all eyes are on Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni: how long can we let him cling to power?

For more than 32 years Uganda has endured horror upon horror at the hands of the democratically elected president: Museveni. Africa has been getting rid of toxic rulers recently, when will his reign end?

Uganda: the pearl of Africa has silently obeyed Museveni for the last three decades fearing the consequences of overthrowing him. Indeed it is a reasonable excuse, as it is hard to fight corruption when individuals, since they are deprived from education, do not realise that they are not living in the so called ‘democratic’ country Museveni claims Uganda is.

With corrupt officials (whose morals were abandoned upon entering the house of parliament), Ugandans are mimicking the ways of the European officials as seen in the pre-postmodern era. They continuously, purposely and honourably misinform individuals by bribing voters who are desperate for money. By doing this, individuals give up their God-forsaken right for Museveni: their right to vote freely.

Will Uganda follow in the footsteps of Zimbabwe?

Now Ugandans have no excuses since the economically unstable, poverty struck, inflation-ridden Zimbabwe has risen to adversity and gained the independence they deserve. On 21st November 2017, Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe resigned as president under intense pressure from the military, his own party, and mass protests – all done with minimum damage since it was a goal supported by many. The news was celebrated on the streets of Harare, drinks and hopeful faces sprang to the end of a chapter for Zimbabwe.

Not long after on February 14th, 2018, inmate and best friend of Mugabe, Jacob Zuma, resigned, putting an end to a period of scandals and mismanagement-which is disappointing since Zuma served time as a political prisoner alongside Mandela in his youth-following Mugabe’s fate.

How long will Uganda’s battle persist?

But in Uganda, President Yoweri Museveni clings on, plotting to change the constitution so that he can stand in the 2021 elections. So how long can he escape justice? The better question is how long will Ugandans allow him to? When multi-party electoral politics were restored in Uganda in 2005, what Museveni was handed in return was the removal of presidential term-limits. Giving this monster the power to run as president as many times as he desires: despite the presidential term already being 5 years long which apparently isn’t long enough for this theif to rob Uganda and get out, but instead is in need of a lifetime pass to extract as much out of Uganda and into his family and not enjoying any of the money. Maybe he believes that his wealth will follow him to hell, which doesn’t make sense as he will be preoccupied by the burning sensation that, like his presidential election, will last an eternity.

However, the constitution luckily still placed a limit, presidential candidates can not be over 75 years of age. What a joyous predicament Museveni is in.

The corruption continues…

How more democratic can Uganda get you may ask, well jolly-lot more.  A Ugandan lawmaker has admitted to being paid thousands of dollars in order to help extend the three-decade rule of Museveni. Robert Kyagulanyi: a government critic and a fairly popular musician also known as Bobi Wine, said he received 29 million Ugandan shillings ($8,000) in order to support a proposal to scrap a clause barring anyone over the age of 75 from running for the presidency.

Despite this attempt, the president is not having everything his own way. There were chaotic scenes in parliament when the bill was introduced; popular protests have been violently suppressed, but keep recurring. I believe we can from this data give Uganda the benefit of the doubt. Maybe their sunny days aren’t far as we may think.

Uganda’s history is tainted also

Sadly Museveni isn’t Ugandans worst dicta- I mean democratically elected president. Uganda’s 3rd democratically elected president Idi Amin Dada was – believe It or not – an arguably greater dictator than Museveni. One of his policies was based on a dream.

A dream in which he believed the people hindering his country were Asians. His ‘dream’ instructed him to chase away the Asians, who until then owned most key businesses that shook the world. He gave them just 90 days to leave or perish. Many of them left, others did not, but instead chose to commit suicide. Asian businesses were then distributed amongst his people.

These actions were sadly never really confirmed by the United Nations as an act of xenophobia or communism yet we gave Russians and North Koreans a hard time for how they governed their nations. Let’s be honest, some lives matter more than others. And at that time, Idi Amin had no empathy towards any Asians.

It took Ugandans only roughly eight years to defeat this dictator; it is taking these reasonably more educated Ugandans more than 32 years to put an end to this ridiculous dictatorship.

Education is key

Maybe the educated intellectuals in Uganda need to read up on American history on Thomas Nast, an American cartoonist, who pioneered the use of cartoons to educate politics upon illiterate immigrants to defeat Boss tweeds reign. Maybe that is how Museveni can stand down, through education.