Page:Self-Government for Uganda An African State Manifesto by the Progressive Party.djvu/24

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VI FEDERAL VERUS UNITARY SYSTEM

The political plan we have outlined favours a federal constitution Because each tribe has its own culture and history which it is not prepared to abandon, at any rate at present, the natural political development should take the form of federated states. The Progressive Party strongly supports this view because it is the only way of forming a nation out of an artificial Uganda created by a foreign power. An imposed unitary system would hinder rather than foster unity; nor does evidence from other parts of Africa show that a unitary system is one most desired by Africans.

One of the arguments against federal unity in Uganda is that the units would be too small: they could never maintain themselves. But this is hardly convincing when even smaller units are known to exist in other federal states. And the states invisaged are at present running local govern-ments of their own: surely they can be made into states with limited powers. In any case, if they chose voluntarily to amalgamate into bigger units say at the Provincial level they could do so.

VII ELECTIONS

It is the aim of the Progressive Party that elections shall be by universal suffrage on a common voters roll. There would be urban and rural constituencies. Multi-racial government based on communal representation will be ended. In the Lukiko, it is political monstrocity for the Ssaza- chiefs to have seats there, because they are civil servants. They should not be included in the next Lukiiko.

As a first step towards this system, the Progressive Party is deter- mired to press that in 1957 58 elections there is one electoral Procedure throughout the country. It is political suicide to have on the same Legislative Council representatives of different constituencies variously elected for.