Sunday, July 19, 2009

THE STATE OF THINK TANKING IN UGANDA .

QUOTE OF THE DAY : ‘One does not slaughter a calf before its mother’s eyes !’
-THE BAKIGA OF UGANDA-


Abwooli Rujumba Omurungi W’Abasambu, when one listens to Professor Stephen Adei’s profile, one does not stop but drool on longingly in disbelief and wonderment of how a peasants’ own can rise to such lofty heights and clinch such unprecedented feats.

He is Ghanaian and a proud graduate of the famous Legon University, a career diplomat, a travelled economist, a rivetting talker, a polished scholar and most of all- a happily married man. Prof. Adei in all those honorifics was called upon by the Sundoulous African Leadership Trainning to deliver a public lecture on the role of Think tanks in emerging economies like Uganda.This was at the Primrose conference hall of Imperial Royale hotel- Kampala on Sunday July 19th 2009.

He kicked of his lecture by comparing a Think tank to a brain. That, according to him, the whole body is always dysfunctional for as long as the brain is tampered with or is static in thought. He correctly reasoned that the implementation of the activities of a think tank in any nation is always determined by the leader a country has.

Thus if a country is endowed with a selfless, visionary, patriotic, foward- leaning and transfamational leader, it is highly manifest that such a country will have a highly developed think tank capacity and that such a capacity will be equated to its level of growth.

But in the alternative, if a country is plagued with a greedy non- patriotic megalomeniac in sonata with a racket of worshiping sycophants, it is highly unlikely that think tanks in such an economy will at any one time thrive. Uganda seemed to perfectly fit in the latter category.

The good professor then cited with approval the inspiring stories of the Asian countries of Malaysia, India and Singapore where think tank capacity was harnessed to the fullest by the visionary and adorable leadership in those respective countries.

Driven by the monumental role of think tanking, the above mentioned Asian Tigers were able to hop, step and jump in a matter of just a quarter of a century amidst all the imposing impedements manned by the Brettonwood institutions and their unfailing allies; probably the same period of time President Museveni has spent destroying Uganda.

Today, singapore boasts of one of the wealthiest, most industiallised ( with the world’s finest and biggest oil refinery) most self sustaining and shockingly prosperous economies of the world. She is the proud owner of the worlds’ highest per capita income !

Yet as a sovereign country, Uganda, was at the same level of development as Singapore only three and a half decades ago ! As Uganda was still trapped in the petty ethnic bickerings and grapplings over power, Singapore was busy building her institutions, harnessing her best brains through think tanks and resolvedly developing her rudimentary technology. It was during the same time that this great Asian tiger actually grew economic claws !

Thus at the peak of those very decicive two decades of transformation ie 1965- 1985 in the history of Singapore, Uganda inherited a new power status quo that shot itself to the helm. That was the National Resistance Movement of guerillamo Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.

What was actually bequethed to it at the overthrowal of Obote II was a ramshackled and exploited economy manned by inexperienced individuals. The untested guerilla band that was the N.R.M had to develop the economy from a pile of ruins to a success story. This seemed to have been the promise of the junta for the first reignal years.

However things degenerated drastically as the junta head sought to enlogate himself into power. He now turned into a crafty merchant willing to splash any amount of taxpayers remmitances to buy off dissenting voices. The Peoples’ state house of Nakasero became the market-place for these shoddy transactions. He then chose to preside over a thieving regime-- perhaps modern times most gifted and still unbursted racket of goonery.

He circumvented Article 105 of the constitution and imposed himself as Uganda’s ruler for life thanks to a generously rewarded legislature full of favour- seeking and praise- singing sycophants. He consolidated this evil deed by wantonly rigging the polls with gun totling mercenaries- the Supreme court attested to this !

The evil one has now presided over our country for almost a quarter a century but unlike Singapore with a thriving economy propelled sharply during the same period of time, with drastic results. Uganda is now home to the worlds endagered speecies of the greediest and most fearless vultures perhaps ever known to man ! They consume what belongs to the state in broad day light!

Unlike the good Prof. Adei who chose not to go into the cemantics of the state of think tanks in Uganda, i now choose to mildly take on this moral obligation.

The lack of fully fledged and independent National and University think tanks, i believe, partly explains the mess that is in our country. The lack of this critical fora necessary for national development has unfortunately seen the prized role of think tanks being hijacked by a clique of individuals called presidential advisors whose only vocation is to impress their employer if they are to have the next meal on their tables.

It is also accurate to observe, i so believe, that the resurgency of these advisors over think tanks is an intended ploy by government to hoodwink Ugandans from what is actually happening. A think tank is an unremitting fountain of a variety of ideas touching on the general state of governance in a country. It is in itself a pressure block that hatches and presses for implementation a string of policies bent towards propelling a national economy and a country to the top.

Thus the President and his government cannot accept these think tanks to thrive and unravell the web of deceit, theft, coersion, incerceration and the state of fear and hopelessness that Ugandans have been plunged to. It therefore follows that any attempt by an individual, think tank or institution to come out openly and expose the excesses of his administration will readilly collide with his ruthless wrath.

This partly explains why in the Universities, think tanking and student activism in national governance is at its lowest ever. These agile minds have been tactifuly kept in a state of fear, looming arrests, supression, tear- gassing and intimidation. Thus any student revolt and demonstration these days is remorselessly given the attention it deserves- rapid deployment, shoot on sight orders and tear gas cannisters !

KYOMUHENDO- ATEENYI