Uganda Re-Elects Museveni

Yoweri Museveni won Uganda?s election last week, and the official count over the week-end gave him about 60% of the vote. Outside observers say there were significant problems with the balloting, and the president?s main rival was charged with rape and treason during the campaign. Mr. Museveni has been in power about 20 years, and if he can pull off the federation of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, he says he will retire happy. Those terms are acceptable.

While the re-election of any president who has been in office for 20 years is grounds for concern, Mr. Museveni must be compared to his predecessors. When one is the successor of Milton Obote, who suspended the constitution when he was caught smuggling gold as Prime Minister, and Idi Amin, a criminal insane man who wrecked his country, the bar isn?t set very high. So, when Mr. Museveni came to power in a coup in 1986, the world figured he couldn?t be any worse.

For the past 20 years, Uganda has improved economically. At the same time, he has engaged in military adventurism in the Democratic Republic of Congo, yet he seems unable to crush the rebellion in the northern part of the country led by the Lord?s Resistance Army (an organization run by another sociopath in the Amin mold named Joseph Kony). Conspiracy theory lovers suggest that the LRA is useful to him by creating an enemy on whom to blame errors, mistakes and disasters.

His desire to unite Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya into an East Africa Federation may prove to be a pipe dream. While it is not beyond the bounds of possibility, it seems unlikely that three relatively poor countries could successfully unite when every attempt in the developing world at such unity has failed. Indeed, there is some debate as to whether the EU will succeed.

However, when this presidential term expires in 2011, he will be 67 years old ? not too old to try again for another term, even though he says this is the last. He?s becoming another ?African Big Man,? the very type he railed against when he took over in 1986. ?The problem of Africa in general and Uganda in particular is not the people but leaders who want to overstay in power,? he said in 1986. He now claims he only meant those who lacked the democratic backing of the people. He was right the first time.

Editor?s Note: The Kensington Review wishes to express its gratitude to Daniel Finkelstein of The Times for his original article on this bill as well as his assistance in tracking down the report on the web.

The Danish flag appears here as a protest against the violence being done to the free press of that country and elsewhere by those offended by some cartoons of the Prophet Muhammed, peace be unto him. A perceived insult is not an excuse for intimidation and violence, even in the name of the Creator. One cannot insult God, only small-minded men who falsely claim to speak for Him. ? Copyright 2006 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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