By Timothy Nsubuga

6^th Sept 2010

British PM Cameron

British Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservative-Liberal Democrat [Con-Dem] coalition government has significantly watered down the UK’s previous policy of insisting on the observance of human rights when dealing with African countries.

In a move that some analysts say was widely expected from a Conservative government, the foreign policy insistence, it seems, has shifted to the pursuit of trade deals.  Dr. Ephraim Okalebo, a 59yr old strategic studies expert who works for a major multi-national company in Abuja-Naigeria, gave Uganda Correspondent two reasons that he thinks could explain the shift in British foreign policy towards Africa.

First of all, he said, “…it’s perfectly consistent with the Conservative party’s ideology.  Since time immemorial, they have had a soft spot for private enterprise as opposed to the more human conscience stuff that the Liberal Democrats, for example, hold very dearly.  Didn’t Margaret Thatcher oppose trade sanctions against apartheid South Africa”, he asked.

Following on immediately from that more ideologically premised reason that Dr. Okalebo gave, he also thinks the prevailing political and economic realities affecting Britain’s strategic national interests in Africa have a lot to do with the shift in British foreign policy.

Look, he says.  “…China’s no strings attached approach to trade with Africa is rapidly finding favour with most African leaders.  Many are turning to China because it does business with them without asking about the human rights and democracy skeletons in their cupboards.  Because of that, China is quickly winning the battle for influence in Africa.  Do you seriously think Britain can sit back and watch when that is happening”, he asked.

And it’s not just this analyst who seems convinced about the foreign policy shift.  A few UK based as well as international human rights organisations are reported to be lobbying the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office hard against what one of them called “the paradigm shift towards inhumanity”.

Britain’s Foreign Secretary William Hague, in an obvious effort to allay such fears, moved quickly last week and tried to reassure the world about the righteousness of British foreign policy.  In a letter published in The Telegraph newspaper under the title “Human rights are key to our foreign policy”, Mr Hague rode on the back of Britain’s humanitarian response to the Pakistan floods disaster and said:

“…this outpouring of public support…confirms something fundamental about our society’s attitude to the suffering of others, whether that distress is caused by natural disaster, state oppression, or conflict.  It is not in our character as a nation to stand by while others are in need; or to be unmoved when they are denied the hard-won freedoms and protections that we enjoy in Britain as a result of centuries of striving for individual rights within a democratic society”.

While expressing regret for continued human rights abuses in countries like Somalia, Burma, the Democratic Republic of Congo and North Korea, Mr. Hague also came very close to giving away Britain’s partial resignation from the fight for human rights.  “Human rights are not the only issue that informs the making of foreign policy but they are indivisible from it; not least because the consequences of foreign policy failure are human”, he said.

It’s fair to say that there will be many suspicious cynics out there who will interpret that to mean that yes, the UK under David Cameron’s “Con-Dem” coalition government, has indeed abandoned Britain’s long held public posture of fighting for democracy and human rights across the globe.  To read William Hague’s full article, navigate to our “Opinions” section.  END.  If it’s Monday, it’s Uganda Correspondent.  Never miss out again!