What misses in opposition fight against M7
- Uganda’s opposition has the will of the people and government has done all dirt to be direct enemy of people and change is ripe in the country. But what don’t opposition leaders do right to turn masses into change agents
By: Muliika George Orwell
You must only rely upon your own determination, Help yourselves by standing together, strengthen those amongst yourselves who are weak, band yourselves together, organize yourselves and you must win
For over thirty years, Ugandans have opposed Museveni’s rule. Different groups and individuals have used all known forms, to fight the dictatorship–but it has ended up building the more.
Through out Museveni’s regime, Ugandans have shown disgust for use of violence to change power and its obvious nonviolence means is the only opted for option for power change.
Unfortunately, this hasn’t been effectively exploited, opposition has relied on traditional styles yet even dictatorship has changed to live to the modern time trends
The current opposition strategies work in the dictators favor as they only target confronting his strong points ignoring the weaker deadly ones.
To bring down a dictatorship most effectively and with the least cost there are four immediate tasks:
1 One must strengthen the oppressed population themselves in their determination, self-confidence, and resistance skills
2 One must strengthen the independent social groups and institutions of the oppressed people
3 One must create a powerful internal resistance force; and
4 One must develop a wise grand strategic plan for liberation and implement it skillfully.
A liberation struggle is a time for self-reliance and internal strengthening of the struggle group. These are simple steps to oust a dictator but also simple to keep him in power if not implemented by opposition
Charles Stewart Parnell summarized it well in the call out for the 1879 and 1880 Irish rent strike campaign:
It is no use relying on the Government . . .
You must only rely upon your own determination, Help yourselves by standing together, strengthen those amongst yourselves who are weak, band yourselves together, organize yourselves and you must win
When you have made this question ripe for settlement, then and not till then will it be settled.
Against a strong self-reliant force, given wise strategy, disciplined and courageous action, and genuine strength, the dictatorship will eventually crumble. Minimally, however, the above four requirements must be fulfilled.
As the above discussion indicates, liberation from dictatorships ultimately depends on the people’s ability to liberate themselves.
The cases of successful political defiance-or nonviolent struggle for political ends-cited above indicate that the means do exist for populations to free themselves without bloodshed by taking the non-violent approach.
The ways and results of violent conflict are well known. Physical weapons are used to intimidate, injure, kill, and destroy.
Nonviolent struggle is a much more complex and varied means of struggle than is violence. the struggle is fought by psychological, social, economic, and political weapons applied by the population and the institutions of the society.
These have been known under various names of protests, strikes, noncooperation, boycotts, disaffection, and people power.
All governments can rule only as long as they receive replenishment of the needed sources of their power from the cooperation, submission, and obedience of the population and the institutions of the society.
Political defiance, unlike violence, is uniquely suited to severing those sources of power.
The common error with improvised political defiance campaigns is the reliance on only one or two methods, such as strikes and mass demonstrations.
A multitude of methods exist that allow resistance strategists to concentrate and disperse resistance as required. About two hundred specific methods of nonviolent action have been identified, and there are certainly scores more.
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