Mr Museveni, patronizing FDC leaders isn’t democracy but self-defeat‍ 

The soul of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has survived Gen Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s repertoire of violence for 18 years and it will surely survive his patronage.

As a member of FDC, I have been a witness to the threats and fear that have haunted our party since its inception. Many of us have faced the wrath of the rogues, and several have lost lives, in the dungeons and on the streets, during this struggle for a democratic change from rulership to leadership.

Despite all that, we shall not fold our hands in despair like spectators as the people – Patrick Amuriat, Nandala Mafabi and others with whom we entrusted the party leadership plunge the same into the capitulation of Museveni’s patronage, to follow the likes of Nobert Mao’s Democratic Party (DP) and Jimmy Akena’s Uganda People’s Congress (UPC).

Mr Museveni, it is time for you to realize that patronizing the opposition is not a display of strength, but rather sheer cowardice. By gaslighting those with a different conscience and preventing them from fighting for their recognition, you only reveal your fear of dissenting voices. True democracy should embrace the diversity of opinions and allow for a healthy exchange of ideas – without undue influence. It is through this battle of ideas that a nation can grow and prosper.

Nations prosper because of leaders establishing economic and political institutions that increase citizens’ incomes and welfare, not policies which buy political support to sustain undemocratic hooliganism like you have been doing since 1986 when you established an impecunious profligate cartel that has stunted our possibilities as a nation.

I was recently reading a book, ‘How To Run a Country’ by Marcus Tullius Cicero, and therein he asserts that the rulers who wish to keep their subjects under control and fear are quite mad. For no matter how much a tyrant might try to overturn the law and crush the spirit of freedom, sooner or later it will rise up again either through public outrage. Freedom suppressed and risen again bites with sharper teeth than if it had never been lost.

“How can a state ruled by a tyrant be called a republic at all? For that is what republic means— res publica, “the property of the people.” No country where everyone is oppressed by a single man, where there is no common bond of justice, where there is no agreement among those coming together, can ever belong to the people”

Democracy is not about annihilating the opposition, but about fostering an environment of mutual recognition, reciprocal altruism, and respecting a social contract that upholds the rights and dignity of all citizens. When you suppress the opposition through violence, patronage and intimidation, you undermine the very foundations of democracy.

It is unfortunate that there are those among us who are oppressed because we fear death on the streets more than we desire recognition in our country. This fear-driven oppression only perpetuates the cycle of violence and stifles the growth of a truly democratic Uganda. To break free from this vicious cycle, we must stand together and demand a change in leadership.

We must ensure that our leaders are chosen based on their commitment to democracy and their ability to uphold the rights and dignity of all Ugandans. The glorious revolution of 1688 in England trimmed the power of the king and his executive and the nation changed from extractive economic and political institutions to inclusive ones, which paved the way for the great development Britain faced in subsequent years.

For 37 years you, Mr Museveni, have been in power and failed to build strong inclusive political and economic institutions to extricate Uganda from impoverishment, but plunge it down the imbroglio of indebtedness and oppression, soon the citizens will learn that the countries that we admire today, to transform, overthrew the elites who controlled power, wealth and knowledge to establish governments that were responsive and accountable.

Mr Museveni, if your power derives from guns and money, and you assert your dominance using these means, then you are weak. True strength lies in the ability to inspire and lead, not in the forceful suppression of dissenting voices. The role of a leader is to unite the people and create an environment where every citizen feels valued and heard.

By relying on violence and intimidation, you only expose your own weakness and insecurity–and that makes you a weak ruler not a leader. The FDC, a party which I and millions of others joined in 2005 at its outset, has been afloat due to the resilience of its activists and the exemplary honest leadership of our founding leaders Like Dr Kizza Besigye and others who resisted the baits of patronage.

Despite the challenges we have faced, we have survived Museveni’s attempts to extinguish us and by that, has increased the number of bait to finish us. That is why, the recent allegations that president Patrick Oboi Amuriat and secretary general Rt Hon Nandala Mafabi were bankrolled by our tormentor during the 2021 ‘elections’ have threatened the existence of our party and however much many have asserted that this is FDC’s waterloo, I believe that we shall rebrand ourselves and bounce back with indescribable resilience.

As we search for ways to heal the soul of Uganda after the traumatizing rule of Gen Yoweri Museveni, we must remember that as an opposition party we are in the nursery and so should always be ready to replace those whom we accuse of failing our nation since independence.

We must continue to fight for our democratic values and refuse to be silenced by fear or patronage. The soul of the FDC may have survived Museveni’s violence, but we must ensure that it thrives and leads us towards a brighter future. It is time for true democracy to prevail, where the recognition of every citizen’s dignity and conscience is prioritized over the power of guns and money.

The author is a Ugandan lawyer and novelist exiled in Germany