Museveni’s 56% northern victory is ‘another rape’
By John Dex Opira
28th Feb 2011
As the NRM celebrates the 2011 election ‘victory’, there is a lot to bear in mind. “This time round Northern Uganda will vote for NRM” was the government’s propaganda slogan. I think this slogan was based on a pre-conceived plan to use the north as rigging cluster.
Museveni was one of the first candidates to campaign in the north. His campaign trip was a total waste; notwithstanding that he dished out 10million shillings for every constituency and distributed cheap yellow T-shirts. All his work was however undone when Dr. Kizza Besigye, Olara Otunnu, and Norbert Mao campaigned in the north.
Last minute change of strategy
In a desperate attempt to counter the work that the opposition leaders had done in the north, the NRM sent a youthful team [with northern links] from Kampala with a lot of money. A small team based in the region was also facilitated. Their strategy was simple: “Just have this money and vote for us. We shall give you another district if you want”.
This was a killer strategy for the peasants whose poverty bites like “la nina”. Coupled with January cash scarcity, the timing was great! In some parishes, they went door to door; while in others, they targeted groups. Alcohol was bought, bulls slaughtered, and cash distributed.
The role of the army in NRM’s northern ‘win’
The role of the army is crucial in Uganda’s elections. The army was involved from the very beginning of the campaigns. Deep down in the villages, 4th Division soldiers openly supported some candidates. When the money came, the Division became the branch depot for the NRM candidates.
This practice, although illegal, was done openly with total impunity. Illegal polling stations were setup and the opposition was powerless to do anything about it. On the voting day, all soldiers and their wives were commanded to vote for the Commander-in-Chief. Any defiant unit faced punishment for disobeying orders.
As if that wasn’t enough, on the eve of voting day, army jet fighters were rolled to do formation flights over Gulu and other towns. Heavily armed soldiers patrolled all corners of town. Their facial expression seemed to suggest to voters that the NRM must win. It was nothing short of psychological intimidation.
The impact of new districts in NRM’s northern ‘win’
Before Museveni came to power, Uganda was more united. A student from Nebbi could happily study in Ntare. The one from Busoga happily studied in West Nile. This created nationalist who could work in different regions of Uganda because they knew and respected different cultures.
Under Museveni, Amuru, a new district in itself, was divided further to create Nwoya district. Lamwo was curved from Kitgum. Agago from Pader; and Omoro is to be separated from Gulu. All these “Movement Districts” come with Woman MP position; a typical case of scratch my back and I scratch yours.
And the results showed that the NRM won in nearly all the “Movement Districts” because our peasants don’t know the liabilities that come with new districts. NGOs were now required to open offices in the new “Movement Districts” even though the old district headquarters were just a kilometer a way across the swamp.
The role of the illusion of peace in northern Uganda
The government was only a participant in the Juba peace talks. It wasn’t the initiator or mediator. The people who deserve credit for the relative peace in northern Uganda are well known but not appreciated. The current development in the north stems from international partners. PRDP is merely a good piece of paper which earns government credit even without adequate funding.
How the absence of civic education helped Museveni ‘win’
While it’s the responsibility of the Electoral Commission to provide voter education, this was not done. Many votes were considered spoilt and yet this could have been avoided. Civic education which is the role of the civil society was also inadequate. Some NGOs who tried to participate in the 2006 elections learnt the hard way when their materials were detained by authorities. This gap provided fertile ground for intimidation, rigging, fraud and non participation by some people who considered it a waste of time.
With their money, the role of the army, weakness in the Electoral Commission, and the excitement of new districts, the Museveni claimed a 56% ‘win’ instead of the usual 11%. The international observers were also not keen on key issues. There is therefore need to revisit their role to avoid biased reports based on their strategic national interest.
For these reasons, some Ugandans have already called Museveni’s 56% ‘win’ in the north “another rape”. END. Please log into www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories and anytime mid-week for our news updates.
