Prime
Will Afcon teach NRM fair politics?
Author: Alan Tacca. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
- I suppose I am an idiot. But in my estimation (mine), there is no football match that is more important than our national general election; not even a miraculous Uganda-Brazil final of the World Cup.
In the days before age encroached on President Museveni’s liberty with signals that football was no longer recommended for him, before his energy began to be measured in things like walking to places where his Bush War rebels had fought when they were young, Museveni put on his boots and made motions that roughly resembled those of a footballer, playing in contests like ‘Cabinet Vs Parliament’.
These were vanity exhibitions, politely referred to as friendly matches. On the field, the President would often be guided to find himself in a position (sometimes offside) where the ball had been deferentially set up for him to score.
The players on the other side would lamely pretend to tackle him. And the goal-keeper would sometimes deliberately leap in the wrong direction, allowing the President to score easily.
I do not remember whether Justice Byabakama ever refereed any of these matches, but being the illustrious judge who now chairs Uganda’s Electoral Commission, I suppose he would endorse them as wonderful examples of the game of football.
Most other people would be nauseated. Not only must the game be played on a properly maintained level field, with rules that must be obeyed, but the players must exert themselves to deliver an authentic performance. Otherwise they would face charges of conspiring to play a rigged match.
I suppose I am an idiot. But in my estimation (mine), there is no football match that is more important than our national general election; not even a miraculous Uganda-Brazil final of the World Cup.
I am, therefore, always puzzled when people fiercely protest an unfairly played or judged football match but remain relatively indifferent in the face of a rigged election.
As Museveni’s 1981-1986 Bush War exemplifies, a rigged election can trigger (or be used as an excuse to launch) a violent rebellion, causing hundreds and thousands of deaths and forced displacements, and disrupting the economic activities of millions of people.
I cannot think of a badly refereed football match or tournament anywhere that caused so much havoc.
In the wake of Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) decision to give the 2027 African Cup of Nations (Afcon) to Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda (jointly), the excitement of many Ugandans has only been checked by the persistent question whether the country would have the required infrastructure ready.
But there is another question that is equally important: Will Uganda’s political environment allow the tournament to take place here?
The record of incompetence, corruption and unfinished or very slow government infrastructure projects suggest that four years (2023-2027) may be too short for getting the stadia and other facilities ready.
But it is long enough to get the political environment messed up, given a planned 2026 General Election, and Uganda’s long record of State-inspired brutality, nasty politics and foul vote counts.
President Museveni may find himself in a huge dilemma: Should he pull all the stops, whip the Opposition to damnation and possibly drive the country into chaos, risking Uganda’s suitability as Afcon host? Or should he free Uganda’s politics and risk losing the 2026 election?
Then, intriguingly, as co-hosts, their own blemishes notwithstanding, will Kenya and Tanzania nudge Uganda to style up and remain on board?
Or will they speed ahead and make contingency plans to shine as a two-some should Uganda be thrown out?
Finally, after being drilled to ‘keep politics out of everything’ that matters to them, will more Ugandans begin to understand how – without exception – every aspect of their lives is somehow affected by how they are governed, by politics?
Mr Alan Tacca is a novelist, socio-political commentator.
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