Clear Leadership: Absolute Necessity in Transiting Societies

By K. David Mafabi

Quite a few people continue speaking about what they call “transition”, “succession”, etc. As we write, an Opposition grouping has cobbled together a so-called “Front for Transition” – or something like that.

Let us try to second guess the actual meaning of those who are atop the “transitionist” veritable Tower of Babel. For those outside the Movement, they have indicated that by “transition” they mean that the country “needs a new leader” – that is, somebody who is not President Yoweri Museveni. It would appear that the process of “removing” Yoweri Museveni from the Presidency and installing a different person, is the process of so-called “transition” or “succession”. The unanswered question is, how – outside of the electoral process and national legality – they intend to achieve their nebulous objective.

Additionally, minuscule Movement groupings now want to “identify leaders to succeed” Yoweri Museveni – both as President of Uganda, and National Chairperson of the Movement! This is in total disregard of the internal legal democratic framework within which such leadership questions are resolved. The groupings recklessly ignore the possibility of factionalism developing around their premature “consultations”. They recklessly, again, ignore the possibility of their politicking undermining the cohesion and focus required amongst wananchi for implementation of Government Programs for Socio-Economic Transformation.

The point is not that President Yoweri Museveni shall not retire one day. He has repeatedly talked about this and pointed out that he continues to lead because of the collective will of the people of Uganda and of the Membership of the Movement. He leads to provide overall leadership required in the discharge of critical national strategic tasks. As we stressed two weeks ago, these national strategic tasks constitute the WHAT – which in turn defines the WHO.

In 2017, the Strategic WHAT informed the campaign we waged for the lifting of Article 102(b) in the Constitution of Uganda. We stated then (in July 2017 at the Kati-Kati Symposium of Patriots and Volunteers, and in the subsequent Zonal Conferences), that the Strategic WHAT for which Uganda still needed Yoweri Museveni at the direct helm of state affairs included:
Ensuring that we get the first barrel of oil out of the ground and that the Oil continues flowing;
Ensuring that the Oil Refinery is constructed, and is working;
Ensuring that the Oil and Gas Pipeline is constructed, and is working;
Ensuring that diligent and prudent management of the revenues from Oil and Gas is in place, as well as ensuring their disciplined disbursement to carefully identified strategic priorities, on the road from lower to upper-middle-income status, and finally – to first-world status;
Ensuring that construction of Karuma, Ayago and Isimba hydropower stations is completed, and the Budhagali cost of electricity is down – as the entire electricity sector is stabilized, harmonized and rationalized;
Ensuring that National Investment infrastructure, operations and procedures – are harmonized, stabilized, consolidated and their work exponentially accelerated;
Ensuring the speedy completion of the construction of the 22 Industrial Parks and their full servicing by necessary facilities;
Ensuring that the necessary hard and soft infrastructure is in place for full e-government;
Ensuring the urgent construction and operationalization of the Standard Gauge Railway;
Ensuring consolidation of steady and irreversible progress towards deepened political and economic integration of the East African Community, as well as complete pacification of the region;
Ensuring further and maximal consolidation of National Defence and Security – to secure the gains of the Revolution;
Ensuring the maximal Ideological, Political and Organizational Unity of the Movement, as the country takes off in the new phase of development.

We stated then, that as these tasks are being decisively concluded, the founding leader and the Central Executive Committee, shall guide the Movement on when and how different generations and echelons of Cadres shall replace others.

We pointed (July 2017) to the example and experience of Mwalimu Julius Nyerere and the CCM during the heated internal leadership contest between H.E. the late Benjamin Mkapa and a highly popular H.E. Jakaya Kikwete, to replace Mzee Hassan Mwinyi. The anecdote goes, that Mwalimu had to guide and tell Jakaya Kikwete: “Chama ki takulea … Kaka yako tataangulia” (the Movement shall raise/nurture you … Your elder brother shall lead). Of course, “Kaka” could be replaced by “Dada”, “Mjomba”, “Shangazi”, etc. Jakaya Kikwete obliged and gave way to Benjamin Mkapa – who was finally elected CCM Presidential Candidate.

In the ANC, Mzee Nelson Mandela started guiding the ANC as his retirement approached – by stating repeatedly in public and private that his Deputy President Thabo Mbeki was already in charge – and that he (Madiba), was very comfortable with that!

What comes out in the experience of those national liberation movements during the selection of new national leaderships, is the combination of democratic practice with central guidance.

We also spoke then, about the experience of Singapore – from Lee Kuan Yew the first Prime Minister (1959 to 1990), through Goh Chok Tong (1990 to 2004), to Gen. Lee Hsien Loong (2004 to date). The three men were severally Prime Ministers of Singapore, and also leaders of the People’s Action Party.

There is a very important common thread running through the 3 cases cited above. This is the very careful and deliberate efforts by the founding fathers as they prepared to retire, to ensure continuity and stability of Ideology and Vision. Lee Kuan Yew, in particular, went to extraordinary lengths to ensure the continuity of Vision. He served as “Senior Minister” under Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong starting in 1990 – after his (Lee Kuan Yew) retirement as Prime Minister! He later was “Minister Mentor” in Lee Hsien Loong’s Cabinet from 2004 to 2011!

To return home. The “transitionists” outside the Movement, shall be roundly defeated by the superior Movement line. The handful of “transitionists” within the Movement should calm down, and participate fully in the hard work required of all in the discharge of our national strategic tasks – as for example lifting the majority of our people from poverty and subsistence economy. The National Chairperson, acting in tandem with the Central Executive Committee, shall continue providing appropriate and necessary all-round guidance to the Movement – as we advance inexorably towards full modernity.

K. David Mafabi
Senior Presidential Advisor/Political Affairs (Special Duties)
State House