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Kampala — PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has reiterated that he supports the idea of regional political federation before an African political union.
In a speech read by foreign affairs minister Sam Kutesa to heads of state attending the Africa Union conference in Sirte, Libya, Museveni argued: "Since 1963, I have always belonged to the latter school - the school of regional political federations."
He said at the regional level there was more potential for cohesion and compatibility than at the continental level.
Museveni did not attend the summit that opened in Libya yesterday to deliberate on issues relating to agriculture.
Iran's hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, both of whom had been invited by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, cancelled at the last minute. Gaddafi is the chairman of the African Union (AU).
Press reports said Gaddafi wanted to use the summit to pressure African nations into accepting his vision for a greatly empowered AU executive.
Gaddafi wants to bring all African Union's organs under a single federal authority, as part of his campaign for a "United States of Africa".
However, many countries, especially in the eastern and southern Africa, favour a more gradual approach to integration, according to press reports.
This is the third time Museveni is expressing his stand against the formation of a 'United States of Africa' at an AU meeting.
In February, in Ethiopia, he clashed with Gaddafi after the two disagreed over the direction of the formation of a single government for all African states.
Museveni calls for the strengthening of regional blocs. "I would not like to miss this historic opportunity by undertaking more complicated tasks that, in our view, have little viability."
He said Uganda supports a three-tiered-integration process: regional political federations, a common market for the whole of Africa and areas of joint or common action.
"As far as Uganda is concerned (and we already have a rough authorisation for this through consultations throughout East Africa), we are prepared to transfer sovereignty only to the regional federation level," the speech read.
He pointed out that his position since 1963 has been in support for African political integration through regional federations.
Giving an example of East Africa, Museveni said the shared borders, languages and cultural linkages make it acceptable to all the groups of the region, Congo and parts of Mozambique, to federate.
Museveni said one of the obstacles to continental political unity is lack of a common language.
"You cannot have a country without a common language - indigenous or borrowed. USA uses English; India uses English, their own huge linguistic groups (Hindu, Gujarat, Tami and Bengali) notwithstanding; Soviet Union used Russian and Brazil used Portuguese."
Museveni added that lack of a common language could also be a source of tensions and even conflict. He also pointed out that there is almost no infrastructure; rail and road linkages.
"Economic integration does not demand the same degree of cohesion as political integration. A federated East Africa could eventually be a very cohesive part of Africa, using Kiswahili enriched by Bantu and Nilotic/Cushitic dialects. Such a cohesive African state would become the strategic backbone of the African peoples," he explained.
Museveni said the AU Committee of seven, which was set up to look into the matter, also identified areas that cannot easily be handled at either the national or regional levels even when regional federations are formed.
The areas of concern include trade negotiations with foreign countries, dealing with the desert (the environment) and inter-state security issues.
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Africans need to hear the views of other African leaders. Museveni is a stooge of the west as shown by his activities in the DRC. With Kadafi's approach, it will be more difficult TO PROGRESSIVELY RECOLONIZE AFRICA.
Thank you president Museveni,for beating against the words of Gaddafi.Such a man who has sponsored many rebel wars in African countries,helped to destroy life and property in many countries,like Liberia and Sierra Leone,can today stand for a united Africa.
No way!Africans prefer a slow and steady regional integration.There'll be a united Africa one day,but not that under the watch of the Colonel of Libya.
These are excuses from a ruler who has divided Uganda where soon each family will have and be a district on its own. Diving Uganda into tiny districts has made his small bahima ethnic group appear as one of the biggest ethnic groups, while he keeps the other conquered tribes divided fighting both inter- and intra-tribal wars so that he can rule for eternity.
If India, a very culturally minded people, can forge the largest democracy, using a foreign European language, out of so many ethnicities why cant Africa do it too? There are four major European languages namely, English, French, Arabic, and Portuguese, spoken in Africa. Africa can adopt these languages at the top tier and translate these into others - such Swahili, Amharic, Zulu, Yoruba, etc - at the lower tiers. This can easily be done especially in the information age that we now live in. Software translators and transcribers can easily be developed where they are nonexistent to do the translations and transcriptions on the fly. But really there is already a case of Ecowas the West African economic organization that is functioning well using French, English, and Arabic.
And to the point of gradualism based on regionalism: to be honest the so-called regional entities havent been that successful as they havent moved beyond being talking shops.
What is happening here is that Museveni is scared of him and his small ethnicity becoming irrelevant in the larger context of the United States of Africa. It doesnt help him especially when his ambition of becoming the first East African President is fading away rather quickly.
In the original text he quotes the break up of the former Soviet Union as one of the excuses of not forming a united Africa or especially fast trucking it, forgetting the Soviet Union was forged through brute force of military conquest. To the contrary African Union is being forged through consultation that results in an agreed working constitution.
The key issues is that Africa has no record of respecting constitutions, so that even if a constitutional framework were mutually drawn up there is likely to be, rather than not, many mad dictators on the ready to violate it.
Gaddafi, Jumping the boat will not be the answer for Africa. The African process of united Africa will require a gradual steps. I agreed with Museveni 100%. Even though, many African welcome the idea of United Africa, I think the process is still far away because of the confused state of some african nations. Jumping the boat will bring Gaddafi to power and serious corrupt practices will push us into more instability.
Some of us just want the continent to be a little mature( after Gaddafi) for this process to start. We hope Gaddafi will understand instead of pushing his way.