Uganda, April 17 -- Traders in Kampala and elsewhere in central Uganda who are refusing to open their shops on particular days to protest against high taxes collected too aggressively, as well as unfair competition from foreign rivals, have been keen to emphasise that their action is economic, and not political.

Many of them probably even believe it. Not being political or partisan saves them from the armed security operatives who were deployed in the empty streets as soon as the protests were announced. It also reflects a self-preserving apathy and indifference that has developed in the national psyche over decades of mostly political atrophy.

Yet few issues are more political than taxes. And, in Uganda, few movements have caused as mu...