PRESIDENTIAL TERM LIMITS - A TOOL FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE

PRESIDENTIAL TERM LIMITS - A TOOL FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE
By Jeff G. Wadulo This is a very controversial subject especially where the stakes are high on the need to keep power forever and where the democratic institutions to ensure peaceful transfer of power are very weak and the power vested in the person and position of one individual – The Pres...ident. So many countries have been plagued by this ill and some have done well to avoid the temptation that comes with the sweetness of incumbency. Countries like Malawi and Zambia are nascent examples. But what makes the issue of term limits attractive to incumbents in Africa? And this is to move away from the advantages of Term Limits parse. They argue that term limits indeed limit incumbents from completing good and popular programmes meant for the welfare of the people and nation that they lead. To the best of my knowledge, this is the one and only best reason they can give and you would understand where they are coming from. The assumptions here are that these “very good and rare” leaders are the only ones and the best brains of their countries without whom the country will not and cannot move forward. It also assumes that they are the best thing that ever happened to their countries and people to the extent that they are almost deities bestowed upon their people by some god never mind whether with a capital “G” or not. But what is true on the ground, especially in Africa where I happen to hail from? Only a few countries such as Ghana and South Africa and maybe now Nigeria can claim the credentials of a true democracy in the offing or under consolidation. These are democracies that are getting tested and have had several incidents of peaceful transfer of power from one president to another. Never mind that some of them are still under the authoritarian rule of their dominant parties such as the ANC in South Africa or CCM in Tanzania. But when the president’s term limit has ended, these have freely and peacefully transferred power to the next president. What then is left is for cases where term limits have been challenged such as in Uganda - the only East African country without them – where the incumbent president has manipulated the parliament to remove them. The underlying reasons being many: - Corruption and the fear of the repercussions – they can not imagine leaving power and being asked to be accountable for their sins while in power A weak Electorate – in most cases the poorer a country is the more exploitative and undemocratic its leadership is. So there emerges politics of patronage and intentional impoverishment of the majority in order to disenfranchise them. A poor population is easy to rule. A weak opposition – not a fault of their own - but because the incumbent leader demonizes the opposition and makes their access to the electorate very difficult since the incumbent has all the resources around them, they can almost always and most certainly win the election. Former revolutionary armies – Mugabe, Museveni, Kagame? Gaddafi,etc. Personalisation of the army – these incumbents especially in Africa have built personal armies around them making it difficult for them to be removed from power peacefully. Selfishness – the need to continue pilferage of the national resources for a few members of the ruling class and clan. Almost all of them would like to rule for life even at the expense of their fellow party members and normally want to groom their sons to succeed them. What is the trade off? Accumulation of ill gotten wealth; Undermining institutions or bribing them in order to keep power; Oppression and brutality; Suppression of freedoms in order to keep power; Disenfranchisement; Unemployment; Poverty; Lost generation; Endangering the lives of their friends and family and; the need for International Community Intervention and the attendant costs. Lack of term limits is a Carte Blanche for enabling a small class of people to entrench themselves in power and holding the rest of the country at ransom as it has happened in Egypt, In Libya, Zimbabwe and Uganda. We need to fight for the restitution of presidential term limits in Uganda for the above reasons to rebuild our country on the path to democratic governance. It is also important for healing the nation because it is now polarized along tribal, ethnic and opportunistic lines for the incumbent on one end and the rest of the country who are pro-democracy on the other. This transition requires us to establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to seek justice for those aggrieved all these years. The incumbents also need to be reassured that they will be treated with respect when they leave power but only those who have individual cases to answer will be prosecuted. You can not believe it that even Raul Castro of Cuba has realized the need for Term limits after isolating their country together with his brother for over 50 years. Actually this is the other danger of having no term limits. You can easily put the destiny of a country in the hands of one individual for an entire generation and more. Look at all of them - Gaddafi 42 years and counting, Fidel Castro 50 years, Mubarak, 30, Ben Ali 23 etc. Since these are not kingdoms, what are these guys doing in power all this time? It also stifles the development of other leadership opportunities in the country. Term limits are therefore good for Africa and other growing democracies elsewhere in Latin America and Asia. I will not discuss China and North Korea, for these seem to be in a league of their own. Term Limits are good because: - They make leaders and their governments more accountable; There is little time to create hegemonies; Makes available more resources for development; More equitable distribution of resources; They free former leaders who can be open to more work to build other democracies in the world; More respect for the country; More tourism and business opportunities; Strengthening of their economies as they gain investor confidence; Create more respect for their armies and police; More respect for the intuitions of those countries such as parliament and the judiciary and most important the institution of president. So let’s go guys! Term Limits for Uganda and Africa! The author is the Executive Director of Jenga Afrika, a Think Tank promoting Governance Excellence in Africa.
PRESIDENTIAL TERM LIMITS - A TOOL FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE