Political pluralism may curb insurgencies, analyst says

A decision by President Yoweri Museveni to allow political parties to operate freely in Uganda could help end a 17-year insurgency in northern Ugandan and increase the prospects for peace with the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), according to regional analysts. Museveni last week indicated that he supported a multiparty system in Uganda, but said the decision should be subjected to a countrywide referendum. Addressing the ruling Movement party's top decision-making organ, the National Executive Committee (NEC), Museveni also called for the retaining the Movement, not as a political party, but as an organisation. David Mafabi, the political director of the Kampala based think tank, the Pan African Movement, told IRIN that opening up the political space in Uganda would reduce the number of political groups taking up arms. "Whatever the case, this is welcome," he said. "It can only impact positively on the country's political situation. It can only assist in the peace building in the country." Museveni, who came to power in 1986, has opposed political pluralism which he said contributed to ethnic divisionism and civil war. His recent change of heart has been seen by some analysts as a move to quell growing discord within the Movement, deflect pressure from donors, and woo back dissidents opposed to his seeking a third term. Apart from long-established political parties such as the Uganda People's Congress (UPC) and the Democratic Party (DP), the Movement is also facing stiff opposition from the Reform Agenda, a political pressure group led by Kiiza Besigye, Museveni's former ally and main challenger in the 2001 presidential elections. "Museveni has not changed his position on political parties. He is only facing reality, that some people won't follow the Movement, and even within the Movement, there are cleavages," Mafabi told IRIN. "You need to go back to his writings where he has always argued that many political parties do not work in African countries," he said.