real politik

So, starting with baby steps.... what better way than politics? :DSo we had elections and everyone was getting all up and tight about Museveni going in for another term. And I, mostly to rile people up, I’d say I was going to vote Museveni. And it did rile people up. Mostly people thought I was going to vote for Museveni because of my tribe. Apparently him being in power means I am well off. While yes, corruption has led to an economic boom in the Western region of Ugandan, I don’t think that’s all of it. The rest of the picture involves a man who knows how to get what he wants.Museveni’s power has more to do with the message and who he’s telling it to.He know his audience. Think about it. If you’re reading this blog then you’re probably not the audience he really wants. You’re as bourgeoisie as I am, if not more. You went to good schools, you’ve got your car, your job, your bank account, and your friends hanging out with you in places where a 20,000/= plate of food is pricey but doable, never mind the overpriced coffee and beer. You are the very definition of bourgeoisie and he is definitely not talking to you. Insulted? I guess you could be, it’s your prerogative but can you blame him? He knows you have a lot less to lose than the other Ugandans. You have time to worry about the possibility of shit hitting the fan, You can afford to turn your nose up at shoddy government services you know, as you sip your coffee and check your facebook status. A good amount of Ugandans do not have that luxury. Wait, maybe luxury isn’t a very good word. It could be said that I’m judging and inferring that you don’t have problems or that the critique on Uganda is unfounded because only a few, rather than the majority, see it. Let me clarify that I am not. I’m just trying to say that problems differ among class lines; your critical issues are not the same. You think it’s important for Uganda to change Presidents for some hugely philosophical reason that probably has its basis in a few practical examples around the world. They don't have that same perspective. Understanding that difference is key to effecting change in Uganda.From my point of view the opposition doesn’t seem to pay the regular Ugandan enough attention. Most are great thinkers, with great reasons for wanting to be president, but those reasons do not resonate with the regular Ugandan. For the regular Ugandan, it is not about what you can do for them, it is about what you can do AND have done for them. This is Uganda after all, promises are worth very little. Even the law is a Frankenstein like being, twisted and morphed to suit the needs of the more corrupt. Besigye gets donations from the Ugandans in the Diaspora then come back and preaches to the choir, to us. He talks of democratic change, justice and a transparent government. A few of these are too idealistic, (Yes, I am cynical about African governments. Look at the precedent and if you still disagree, sue me). Their website gives you a ‘strategic’ plan. But what does that mean to the regular Ugandan? A bunch load of BS.Museveni on the other hand, doesn’t just say, look what I can do for you, he also says look what I have done! Peace: The bourgeoisie Ugandan scoffs. What peace when the people in the North have suffered rebel attacks as long as he has been in power? The regular Ugandan agrees. He is not stupid Free education: The bourgeoisie Ugandan scoffs. That is an insult to education. And the regular Ugandan must nod. She couldn’t afford to give her children an education without USE and UPE. Yes it is not perfect but a beggar is not a chooser.The list goes on of things Museveni says he has done. And the bourgeoisie Ugandan scoffs at it all, stating that at the end of the day, yes he might have done some things but it doesn’t even begin to cover the things he could have done if he had controlled the corruption in the government. And they are right. I agree. Museveni’s list of accomplishments is the least he could have done, the typical procrastinator handing in an assignment late and getting points for it. Definitely not what you would have got had you put real effort in to the work but points are points and those points mean something. They mean something to Average Joe, selling mangoes on the roadside, and Jane sitting in a shop in Jumbo Plaza. If Ugandans really want change, then our opposition leaders need to stop preaching to the choir and start preaching to the people whose vote really counts. Even if the entire bourgeoisie Ugandan voted (and to be quite honest, not many bother) we still wouldn’t be enough to change the leadership of Uganda. If Ugandans really want change then they need to step and take forums off the web and into the real world, on to the streets and glorified river beds often termed roads. The opposition needs to stop promising that when it gets in to power it will do things for us and start doing them now. I realize that is a difficult task but I do not believe it is impossible. The simplest thing they could do is offer services to the people of Uganda that NGOs currently offer, services we seriously lack and need. And we the bourgeoisie, if we really want change, need to stop talking about it together and start talking about change with the helper, and the driver and all of the regular people just trying to eke out an living one rung on the class ladder below us. We are frauds to expect change when we put in the least effort possible to effect it. I know it’s been simplified to make people do it but change is about more than casting a ballot. But that’s just what I think. The ramblings of a student just trying to understand her home