The party system as it appears in Uganda now is characterized by a high degree of imbalance, with a dominant ruling “hegemonic” party facing a weak and sometimes fragmented opposition who are disrupted from any organized political activity.
I don’t know if the opposition should therefore now consider organizing from within the NRM party especially in areas where the NRM is still very popular like in Rubirizi. So that from those areas the opposition can have their leaning but NRM representatives.
And as we wait for the challenging parties to think about that, my personal opinion is not about that political tactical but for the need of choosing better leaders. After the NRM primary, your chances to affect that will reduce or not be there.
As a non member of the NRM party, especially me from a community that still sympathetically votes NRM with a majority. Any argument that guides me to ignore the NRM to execute their party exercises alone is right but not tactically rational.
When I say that we all should not ignore the update of the NRM register and their primaries as well, I know some people will ask what chemical I use lately.
This at some extent looks like promoting the party like some individuals have already taken this path of argument and I have no worries whatever the fact is; so that this doesn’t become the centre line of my argument.
But realistically, the outcomes from the NRM activities affect all of us. In short, we are accidental members of the NRM party.
This is a hegemonic party of a ceremonial multi party dispensation. And if you’re fairly intentioned to see that your community selects good leaders get involved now in their own systems because themselves (NRM) will not leave you alone to execute your (opposition) party activities that can affect them.
Therefore, take your time off and update your name in the NRM yellow book. That merely doesn’t affect your political ideology. Get that legality that gives you chance to choose the right leaders because like in Bunyaruguru, after the NRM primaries your power to decide reduces to almost 0%.
For example, until now NUP still can’t afford a party primary to sort the leaders who will hold their flag because NRM will disrupt them and beat them from inside. So who are you to act like an Angel?
One Author and political scientist, Giovanni Sartori explains the distinction between one party states, multi party systems and what he calls hegemonic party systems. He says, “The hegemonic party neither allows for a formal nor a de facto competition for power. Other parties are permitted to exist, but as second class, licensed parties; for they are not permitted to compete with the hegemonic party in antagonistic terms and on an equal basis. Not only does alternation not occur in fact; it cannot occur, since the possibility of a rotation in power is not even envisaged”.
There are five principles of politics; the Rationality, Institution, Collective-Action, Policy and History principles. I am interested about the first and the last.
The first principle. The Rationality principle holds that all political behavior has a purpose and that people tend to be goal-oriented in their political activities as they make instrumental choices about how to act.
Rigidity especially in politics where choices represent our growth indicators, this rigidity will be our most impediment to growth. And this principle of rationality should guide us that while the goal is to elect good leaders, why should electorates ignore the popular system (NRM primaries) that decides about 90% and beyond which leaders officially get into office.
What the heart doesn’t feel, the eyes cannot see and there is no greater obstacle to vision than rigidity.
The last principle of politics which is the History principle, reminds us that how we got here matters. Political circumstances and outcomes are understood to be path dependent (partly determined by past events and choices).
How did we get here? The Movement system under which Uganda had been governed before the referendum of 2005 deviated from democratic principles, in particular the principle of freedom of association. In addition, even with the opening up of political space, the Movement, which turned into the National Resistance Movement Organisation (Party) and which has continued to be in power till now, has deliberately not facilitated the necessary conditions for full-fledged multiparty democracy to be established in Uganda.
The writer is a local opinionist. Rubirizi Edition Magazine.
Fredrick Beinomugisha.
beinfredrick@gmail.com | 0781871270 / 0751068770
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