Ugandan Prime Minister speaks about nation's new constitution

Ugandan Prime Minister Apolo Nsibambi speaks with members of the local media in Anabel Taylor Hall before his Sept. 7 talk. Sheryl Sinkow/University Photography

By Linda Myers

Apolo Nsibambi, appointed Uganda's prime minister last spring, came to campus to discuss his country's constitution, which he helped craft with enough checks and balances to prevent the abuses of power that harmed Ugandans under dictator Idi Amin in the 1970s and early 1980s.

The former minister of education in Uganda, Nsibambi still holds an academic appointment at Makerere University, as does his wife, Rhoda, who accompanied him. "It was our plan to be buried in our classrooms, but fate stepped in," he told the crowd in Anabel Taylor Hall auditorium Sept. 7. His recent appointment by Ugandan President Museveni is seen as a move to eliminate government corruption.

Citing chapter and verse from the new constitution, a small volume that he held in his hand throughout his talk, Nsibambi pointed out that "the people are sovereign," and the president -- the ruling leader in Uganda -- may only serve two five-year terms. There are also mechanisms in place to censure members of Parliament found guilty of corrupt practices. And the judiciary is independent, with judges who are tenured so that they may make judicious decisions without fear of political reprisal. Most important, he said, the constitution specifies that both "men and women are given dignity of person." The country's vice president is a woman, and every district is required to send at least one female representative to Uganda's parliament, significant developments in a country where there are more women than men and where previously most women were not allowed to own land.

Nsibambi pointed out that under Museveni, Uganda now has universal primary education and has tamed inflation, which has dropped from 168 percent to less than 10, an accomplishment noticed by the International Monetary Fund and the international community in general.

The audience included many of Cornell's African students, and while they were clearly pleased to have Nsibambi as a visitor, they also had some hard-hitting questions, which he fielded with candor and optimism for his country's future.

One student expressed some reservations that relative newcomer Uganda has now become "the darling of the West," while neighboring Kenya, which has been stable longer, has lost some of its sheen for foreign investors.

"One country can't perform well by itself," cautioned Nsibambi. "You need to network in Africa to work for global success."

Another student wanted to know when Uganda is likely to restore the development of political parties, banned since 1971 under Amin. While Nsibambi praised the current no-party system ("You don't throw out people who disagree with your policies," he said), he also noted that a referendum will take place in 2000 to determine the country's future political system.

A third student asked about the prevalence of AIDS in Uganda. Nsibambi praised the current regime for openly acknowledging the spread of the disease, which he called the first step in encircling it. "We used the state itself, the civil society, to sensitize people about it," he said. While Ugandan religious leaders have criticized the distribution of condoms, he assured the audience that they would continue to be part of the solution, as would better education and more affordable medication.

"The critical issue is leadership and accountability at all levels of society," said Nsibambi. His just-published a book, Decentralization and a Civil Society, expresses his views on the need for a vibrant civil society in his homeland and elsewhere.

Nsibambi was introduced by Henrik N. Dullea, vice president for university relations, and by Muna Ndulo, visiting assistant professor at Cornell Law School. Nsibambi's visit was sponsored by the Institute for African Development and a consortium of other Cornell groups.