Here's one reason why we should decriminalise the word "Change" in Uganda's politics

Each professional field will always have its lingua. In the civil society field where I am from, you will most probably find words such as “grassroots” commonly used.  These may however not be as common as you will find “methodology” in research or phrases like, “story angle” in the media circles.

Over a decade or two ago, political sloganeering in Uganda was heavily punctuated with various expressions, which at the center carried the word “change”.  In the 1996 election, the “we want change” camp battled with the “no change team” and the “no change” took the day.  While “change” was used to describe affection or the lack of it towards certain political ideas, today it has become one of the most detested words in Uganda’s politics.  Talk of stigmatization.  The word “change” has been strongly stigmatized.  Political, social and economic banter that has single or repetitive reference to “change” will be gauged and treated to the petty political polarization grid.

The word "change" has lately re-surfaced as a popular and unpopular noun in the run-up to the 2016 elections.  “Change” has been a big theme on the candidates’ campaign trail.  While every candidate is pounding furiously on the "change" drum, the noun now seems to be just exclusive to those in the political trenches. Religious leaders, public workers, civil society folks who have intentionally or unintentionally invoked the word “change” in their conversations have been judged very harshly as agents working to undermine or advance the current establishment. 

As the election rolls, let’s not be too simplistic to narrow serious discourses to mere nouns – “change” or “no change”. 

It is essential that Ugandans make a pledge in this election season – a promise that this time round, the election will not be an event to merely sloganeer “change” or “no change”.  Ugandans should be looking out for bigger things – the real issues.

“Change” or “no change”, what Ugandans want are clear safeguards and guarantees for better quality of life and better services.  And for that matter, “change” should not be mistaken to simplistically presuppose a change of person in the “driver’s” sit or a change of face.  Change should be seen as that qualitative advancement, say, from good to better or from better to best – a holistic progression that covers society’s form and substance.

For those simple minds that are preoccupied with cataloguing people and narratives as pro-change or conservative, I implore you to do better and instead catalogue the policy issues that are streaming through the current political banter.  Ugandans must thus rise above petty politicking.

Whichever side of the political grid one may be, we must appreciate that change or transformation is a fact of life. Change is sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. 

As a country, we must decriminalize and remove the stigma that comes with the “change” or “no change” expressions.  These are mere words, and no body should be criminalized for their use – at the end of the day, we are all Ugandans and we should remain so.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Loss of confidence in the Ugandan government Institutions; where is the hope for the common citizen?

Lately, my colleague and Political analyst, Gwada Ogot has engaged me in serious discussions on the degenerating trust and confidence in public institutions representative of democracy not only in Uganda but in many of the post 1950 new states.   In Uganda specifically, the past and current political developments undertone citizen’ dissatisfaction with, and lack of confidence in, the functioning of most government institutions.   Prior to the 2011 general elections, sections of society rejected the composition of the Electoral Commission (EC).   These sections of the public branded the Commission as an incompetent, partisan institution and highlighted it as incapable of presiding over a credible and fair election hence passing a vote of no confidence in it as an electoral institution.    At the peak echelon of political activity, the opposition’s indifference on the election results of the February 18 th , Presidential elections and the subsequent move by the Inter Party Cooperatio
Read more

Dialogue should have been the first resort to resolve Uganda's current problems

President Museveni’s call for political dialogue with the opposition party’ leaders which hit the headlines of most local Ugandan media outlets this week reminded me of Winston Churchill’s famous quote: " Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing...after they have exhausted all other possibilities ."  Putting this in perspective, Ugandans too can always be counted on to do the right thing after they have exhausted all other possibilities.   When the opposition decided to go to the 2011 polls, the initial mood was greeted with the feeling that all opposition political parties were going to field a single candidate under the Inter-Party Cooperation (IPC). Essentially, this would have been one of the wittiest ways that the opposition would have strengthened its competitive position for the 2011 elections.  As seen in some countries such as Kenya, a broad spectrum of opposition groups have adopted the initiative of coalitions by forming a common front with a un
Read more

CCTV Cameras? Our neighbourhood structures can do a better job!

In the village where I was raised in mid-western Uganda was a functional Resistance Council (RC), which later mutated into a Local Council (LC) with the adoption of the 1995 Constitution.   One of the members of the executive that has for a very long time stuck on my mind was the secretary for defence; he was called Mr. Boniface Byaruhanga.   This was not an era of mobile phones, but for lack of a fair expression, I will say, everyone on the village had Byaruhanga on their speed dial. Because of his active service, he was later to be commonly known as “Byaruhanga Defence”.   He did a super amazing job! God rest his soul in eternal peace.   This man generally kept the village defended and safe.   He outwitted petty thieves, burglars and any form of criminals. For some reason, he knew everyone on the village; a village that sheltered slightly over 800 folks.   We felt safe even on those days when we occasionally walked through the thick tree-lined avenues of Kabalega village in the w
Read more