Concerns over constitutional amendment proposals

The recent endorsement by the Ugandan parliament of a proposal to amend the constitution to remove presidential term limits could create political turmoil in the East African country, opposition politicians and some western governments have said. The MPs voted overwhelmingly on 28 June to change a 10-year old provision in the constitution that limited a president to two five-year terms. A national referendum on the issue is due to be held in July. Opposition politicians said the proposal to lift the term limits was intended to allow incumbent president Yoweri Museveni, whose second elected term expires in March 2006, to run again. The president has so far refused to state whether he is interested in running for a "third term". Asked by reporters on Sunday, he said a meeting of his ruling party's delegates, due soon, would decide who their candidate in the next elections would be. Ruling party cadres across the country have openly started campaigning for Museveni to get a "third term". The president, who seized power in a military coup in 1986, has already been in power for 20 years, during which he twice organised and won elections. "It is sad that Uganda will get back to its past bad ways. I find the decision by parliament last Tuesday very costly," said Paul Ssemogerere, previously foreign minister under Museveni and now leader of the opposition Democratic Party. Reagan Okumu, an opposition MP from northern Uganda where a brutal 18-year old war against Museveni's government is being fought, commented: "Maintaining Museveni in power has been a very expensive venture. Hundreds of thousands of people died while he fought his way to power, and many more have died while he is in power." He said opposition politicians were experiencing "a lot of harassment and intimidation in the countryside, including being faced with [the might of the] military". A government spokesman described the opposition as "lawbreakers and anarchists". "The government will have to act against those who are opposed to what we think is a major constitutional change. We shall firmly deal with those sowing fear," information minister and government spokesman, Nsaba Buturo, told IRIN on Saturday. He asked the opposition to learn to lose honourably, saying, "the vote was a victory for democracy: the people will now hire and fire their presidents, and not have the constitution dictate to them who to fire". The opposition politicians said 28 July was "nothing but a cover for his [Museveni's] plan to stay in power for life" and vowed to boycott the referendum. US TALKS TOUGH On Friday the US Ambassador to Uganda, Jimmy Kolker, said a boycott would deprive the opposition of an opportunity to explain their vision of democracy in Uganda. He also criticised the government for the way it had handled the process so far. "The Movement [ruling party] is portraying the referendum on the change of system as a chance to remove critical politicians from the institutions of government, so that their influence can be diminished still further. "At the same time, leaders of the opposition are pretending that Uganda's decision whether to adopt a multiparty system is of no consequence at all and are boycotting the referendum," Kolker noted. "In America, we believe that political competition improves government policies and gives citizens more voice. Sadly, no one is providing that positive vision of Uganda's political future," he added in a speech marking his country's independence day. He cast doubt on Uganda's democratic credentials and cautioned: "Freedom of expression, of association, of assembly are sacred principles in any serious democracy; until Ugandans exercising those rights are protected, and those violating them are punished, Uganda's democracy will be incomplete." He observed that the "red warning lights" of high-level corruption in government and harassment of the political opposition were flashing and Uganda should be alert to them. "One warning signal is that in privatisation, procurement decisions and budget allocations, politicians too often put personal and political advantage - including outright greed - ahead of the national interest," Kolker said. "Another worrying sign is that violence, intimidation and threats remain a regular feature of Uganda's politics." While some ordinary Ugandans were worried that continued political squabbles could lead to violence, others said the vote by the MPs was a positive development. "The people will have no other way to change a government. It is very difficult to unseat a government in Africa through elections," said James Ouma, a student at Makerere University in Kampala. Rachael Kataratambi a businesswoman in the capital, Kampala, remarked: "The constitution states that we have the power over our governance and I think this is what parliament reinforced. I don't see why we should have political unrest if we believe in democracy."