Our elites must unbury their heads

As Harris and Trump square off in the US, Ugandan elites are taking sides.  Their intellectual swords drawn, you hear them mouthing policy choices shaped by the age-old jostle between those for States’ Rights (Republicans) and those in favour of Federal Power (Democrats).

Their sophistication in discussing US politics is impressive. However, as soon as they switch their attention to Ugandan politics, they are reduced to discussing President Museveni and who will replace him.

This is the scope of our politics, these days. And our elites feel this does not sufficiently exercise their grey cells.

This is understandable, even though unacceptable. To be sure, Ugandan intellectuals, especially those between 35 and 55 years of age, have taken wing as political ostriches.

Burying their heads in the sand when facing Ugandan political realities only to rear the head of their partisanship when discussing US politics, has turned them into a variation on “White Liberals”.

These liberals were condemned in America by Malcolm X in the 60s. They were also pummelled by Steven Biko in 1970s South Africa.

In both cases, White liberals were accused of being against institutionalised racism at the same time preserving the White privilege born of such racism.

This soft bigotry of divided loyalties played out in the way they did very little to promote the civil rights movement. Instead, they embraced the comforting fiction that their privilege was not at variance with it.

In Uganda, our elites are largely the same. They are against the status quo but do not feel they should risk their privileges by actively opposing it. That is why their hearts are for change in Uganda, but their minds are consumed by how it shall take shape in America!

Although our elite are akin to the “White liberals” of old, they are conservatives. If they weren’t, they would actively seek change in Uganda.

The cherry on top of this paradox is that they will pay the price for being of two incompatible dispositions.

Uganda shall continue to sink. In so doing, our elites will further be submerged by the sub-elites actively involved in our political processes.

There is a way out of this mess, however.

Donald Woods, a previously somewhat sedate South African White liberal, threw in with Biko. That is when Biko’s legacy was captured in Woods’ two books.

The twin impact of these works served as narratives of Biko’s activism and made it tell in a post-Apartheid South Africa.

Similarly, our elites should use their intellectualism to help create environments in Uganda where leadership naturally emerges from a diverse pool of talent.

This can be done by their understanding of policy, law and what it means to challenge reactionary assumptions about our politics.

Americans, on the other hand, do not even acknowledge the hours they spend on social media telling us why Harris is wrong or how Trump is wronged. 

If they respond to our country’s call, our elite will embody instead of express progress. With their intellectual lead, we may create institutions where service is so deeply woven into the fabric of leadership that change will define it, instead of disrupting it.

Then, possibly, their ideas will reflect a future where all our hearts and minds belong.

Mr Matogo is a professional copywriter