By Ronald Kizza Kasoma
On 07th May 2024, the President of the Republic of Uganda H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni met with several factions of traders in Kampala together with their leaders at the Kololo Independence grounds.
This was a follow up meeting from the one the president had earlier had with the leaders of the traders who had several concerns about the trade order but most prominently taxation and the use of EFRIS (Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing Solution) in the collection and administration of tax.
The President wanted to hear from the wider group about these concerns and definitely together find a solution but also to make some clarifications on the so many misconceptions that the traders had around taxation.
I will not dwell so much on the details of what was discussed because I am not a trader, much as I consume what the traders sell. I will however dwell on the conduct of the traders during the meeting and the impact this kind of conduct could have had or might have on the outcomes of the meeting and what should have been done better. I was privileged to have watched what transpired during the meeting on Television and on the different social media platforms and so below are my observations:
Venue: I commend the organizers for the choice of the venue – Kololo Independence Ground. Since majority (if not all) of the traders were from Kampala, the venue was very accessible, convenient and comfortable to all parties. No wonder the traders and their host all had vibe and were able to express themselves. In addition there were minimal distractions and hence both parties remained largely focused on the agenda of the meeting.
Preparations: Basing on what was presented by the respective representatives of the traders, it showed they knew what the issues biting them were, however, they were short on facts, purpose and comparison. It is one thing knowing what the issues are, and it’s also another knowing the facts around the issue. This is a sign that the traders or their representatives didn’t take off enough time to do thorough research and or deep dive into their issues. Hence they looked ill prepared. Relatedly apart from raising the issues affecting them, very few took time to propose alternatives. For example, if the traders feel the EFRIS path isn’t working, what is the alternative solution that resonates or fits the current times?
Communication: The traders were given ample time to raise their issues before the President. I salute the organizers for allocating all this time to the traders. There is never enough time for anything but I believe two hours was good. I also commend the President for setting aside the time to sit and listen to the traders. My observation however is the traders spoke with a lot of emotions. Depending on the side one chooses to look at this, it can have both positive and negative impacts towards what the traders and convener intended to achieve from the meeting. Tempers were flaring from every trader that got the opportunity to speak, to the extent that at some point the language some traders used while referring to some government officials was derogatory something that I believe was uncalled for. There was no need of undermining other stakeholders because at the end of the day the traders and the undermined stakeholders both need each other.
It is important that during an engagement of such magnitude, both sides respectively speak to each other regardless of who thinks is right and wrong, bearing in mind the choice of words and language that must be used. Short of that, the outcomes from such engagements can never be good or the best for either party. Something that the traders missed was that while communicating in such meetings or engagements, it’s important to stay level headed and mutual respect is paramount. Secondly one doesn’t have to speak only what the other party wants to hear, therefore patience must be exercised.
No wonder at some point the meeting turned rowdy; there was heckling and walking out of the meeting while the other party was still giving their side of the story. These acts were below the belt to say the least and as such if it were not for the patience of the President, the meeting wouldn’t have yielded anything.
Some of the scenes from the traders we witnessed during the meeting left us with a number of questions: Were these legitimate traders? Was the heckling and later the walk out by some traders stage managed or was it intended to end the meeting unceremoniously? Who benefits from this kind of conduct?
In future engagements, therefore, one needs to advise our traders that listening to each other is very crucial, using appropriate language is another important aspect, arrogance or the sense of entitlement can only lead to a deadlock, but above all, it is normal for the two parties to agree on all or certain aspects of the dialogue but this disagreement must be with utmost respect and not boycotts or walking away and heckling.
I salute the president that despite the unbecoming behavior from some of the traders, he accepted to meet them again.
This is another opportunity for the traders to organize better, do more research about their issues, analyze critically the government’s point of view and then come up with possible solutions that the government side can buy into and thereafter create a win-win situation.
The fact is the government needs the traders the same way they need the government. For God and my Country.
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