Ssemakula, I hope you do not mind my asking you a few unserious questions. I do not mean to demean all that you wrote in your discussion. 1; How much do you know about Lango, Acholi, or Lugbara cultural set up for administrative purposes? 2; Are you analysing Federalism from a Ugandan national context or "National" (read tribal) context? 3; How well conversant are you of the "Nationalities" (read Peoples) of Uganda in order that you explanation of federalism (may be add 'as seen by Baganda') would correctly understood as to mean Federalism as practised locally in Buganda vis-a-viz as a Uganda national political scenario? 4; Finally, at what level, or context is your approach to discusing about federalism looking at? Are you looking at Federalism as per Uganda in general, or Buganda in particular?
My take is that I think there is so much confusion as to Federalism with specific reference to each 'Nationality' in Uganda as opposed to Uganda as a nation. While I appreciate your explanation, I think what you wrote is very correct in as far as Buganda solely is concerned. And if you peeked at the other "nationalities" in Uganda, they are all set up in almost a similar manner. And from my understanding, none of them is at competition with any other nationality really. In other words, there is nothing which you have said which does not exist in any one of them. I, therefore, think, with due respect, that this discusion should be carried to another level so as to embrace the Uganda we are talking about. I think we will then begin to see that Buganda is not at any threat at all from any of the northern nationalities. If anything, by holding or lowering this discussion with the thought in anybody's mind that Buganda's intergrity and pride is being challenged or threatened in Uganda, one does not help but loose track of the real debate in Uganda. And I call upon all those Ugandans who are discussing the Ugandan issue to be carefull in first clarifying the context underwhich the debate is being conducted. Just curious Ssemakula, Thanks Bwambuga. "J Ssemakula" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >nbsp;Netters, > >What is federalism or in Kiganda parlance �federo� ?nbsp; My last exchange with Mr. >Kipenji on Ugandanet (Dec 6, 2002) on the subject ofnbsp; � Go slow on federo says >Kabaka Mutebi-Monitor 25/11/2002� contains a common use definition of federalism. We >were discussing whether federalism and monarchism are mutually exclusive. > > > > >nbsp;At the bottom of this note, I reproduce the relevant portions of that exchange, >slightly edited for readability. I have slightly expanded the quotation from UPC� s >document. The added text is colored red. > > > > >nbsp;Here, I merely elaborate on federo as understood by the Baganda as a fulfillment >of my promise last week to do so.nbsp; Most everyone knows or has heard that per >Uganda� s 1962 Independence Constitution, Uganda had (semi?) federal governance and >that Kingdom of Buganda was a federal entity within Uganda. While there is nothing >out of place with this arrangement, the devilish Obote in his sinister and >opportunistic power grab (albeit, stage-managed behind the scenes by Ghana� s >megalomaniac the Osagyefo, Kwame Nkrumah), chose to mislead the entire country with >his alarmist nonsensicalnbsp; �state within a state� sound bite. This became the >battle cry that was uncritically adoptednbsp; (or more appropriately, swallowed hook, >line and sinker) by his unsuspecting sycophants. > > > > >nbsp;Had they instead paused long enough to consider it, they would have quickly >realized that by conscious design, the very essence of federalism and its raison d� >etre, involves � a state within a (federal) state� . They would also have found out >that this arrangement was painstakingly negotiated and agreed to by all the >stakeholders of the time, including the very same power-hungry Obote who� d later >betray it.nbsp; They would probably also have found out that the concept of >federalism has a long human history dating back all the way to Cocceius (1603-1669) >and his federal (covenant) theology, based on the idea of two covenants between God >and man. Hence, there is absolutely nothing untoward or diabolical about federo. > > > > >nbsp;If Obote� s sycophants had engaged in even rudimentary thought process, they >would not have failed to see the advantages of federalism and demanded the same >status for their respective home areas, much as the representatives of the Kingdom >Buganda had done during the negotiations that led to the 1962 Constitution. >Certainly, this would have been much better and sensible than plunging the country, >wholesale, into the chaos from which it has never recovered. > > > > >Why are the Baganda so insistent and adamant about federo?nbsp; To us federalism is >as natural as breathing.nbsp; Consider a child born into a homestead. After a period >of dependence on the parents lasting up to 20 years, the child matures and sets up >his/her own independent homestead in which the young wo/man is the supreme head.nbsp; >This, as we all know, does not in any way mean that the child no longer recognizes >his/her parents. It only means the young wo/man now takes responsibility for his/her >own upkeep, makes decision as to what to eat for dinner, when or if to come back home >from an event, etc, etc. > > > > >nbsp;Consider the cultural organization of the Baganda. We each belong to one of some >fifty or so exogamous and patrilineal clans. These clans vary in size. Each clan is >has a (often) hereditary clan head or leader (Omutaka, Omukulu w� Ekika) and various >officials (Bataka). The head of each clan adjudicates matters arising within the clan >that he has *consensual*authority to adjudicate.nbsp; The head of a large clan, e.g. >Mmamba (Lungfish), cannot interfere, even in the most minute way, in the affairs of >another clan, however small that clan may be relative to his, e.g. Ngo >(Leopard).nbsp; Any disputes arising within a clan, and (on rare occasions) among >clans, are referred to the Kabaka who is the Ssaabataka or Head of the clan heads. >So, it can be said that the Baganda suckle federalism right from birth!nbsp; In a >recent exchange on the net, some one suggested that Buganda is in danger of >disintegration (but for the unitary government). I am not aware of a bid for any clan >or a clan leader, however big the clan, to break away from Buganda. Of course, clans >have been known to split, but to the best of my knowledge, they have always chosen to >continue within Buganda.nbsp; Migrations into and out of Buganda have occurred from >time to time, in response to various push and pull factors that are the norm in human >society. > > > > >For completeness, I note that generally the Bataka (plural of Mutaka) have no >(political) administrative functions. For this, there are the Bakungu (plur. of >Omukungu) who are traditionally appointed for this purpose. There are also other >layers or levels of officials for various functions (political and/or cultural), some >appointed and the balance hereditary. The heavy lifting in the Kingdom� s >administration was done by the (appointed) Batongole (sing. Mutongole). > > > > >My claims that federo is a natural concept to the Baganda (as shown above) can be >verified easily enough by consulting the writings of the Late Dr. Michael Bazzebulala >Nsimbi, one of the authorities on Kiganda culture, especially: > > > > >M. B. Nsimbi 1956 Amannya Amaganda N� eNnono Zaago. 323 pages. (Originally published >for the Uganda Society by the E.A. Literature Bureau [although it was printed amp; >hardcover bound in UK for Kenya� s Eagle Press]. It is still in printnbsp; >(paperback) today but now published by Longman Uganda Ltd., and is one of the few >Luganda books available in US amp; UK libraries). > > > > >nbsp;M. B. Nsimbi 1950 Baganda personal names. Uganda Journal, 14: 204-215 > > > > >M. B. Nsimbi 1964 The clan system in Buganda. Uganda Journal, 28 (1): 25-30. > > > > >nbsp;These two articles are a thumbnail sketch of the book. Also, Martin Southwold� s >1961 Bureaucracy and Chiefship in Buganda: The Development of Appointive Office in >the History of Buganda. E. A. Inst. Soc Res., Kampala Uganda is largely based on >Nsimbi� s 1956 Amannya Amaganda N� eNnono Zaago, and could loosely be regarded as a >translation of it. Another source is the volume edited by L. A. Fallers in 1964, The >King� s Men: Leadership and Status in Buganda on the Eve of Independence, Kampala, E. >A. Inst. Soc Res. > > > > >It is possible that other Bantu communities in Uganda have a clan structure similar >in some way to that of the Bagandanbsp; -- a view supported by H. M. Beattie� s >article in Uganda Journal �Nyoro personal names� . If so, federo as concept will be >faamiliar enough to them not to require too much �marketing� . > > > > >As for our Northern compatriots, I don� t exactly know how one might go about >teaching or convincing them about the advantages of federo at the grass root level, >especially since they seem to have been brought up to believe that what is good for >the Baganda is automatically bad for them.nbsp; But even here, I think there is a >very powerful argument for federo: Museveni. One could pose such questions as: > > > > >nbsp;Would an Acoli have held fellow Acholi in concentration camps or so-called >�protected villages� for over a decade as Museveni has done?nbsp;nbsp; Why or why not? > > > > >nbsp;We, the Baganda, believe that the advantages of federo are self-evident and that >every community that so freely chooses ought enjoy them. > > > > >nbsp;How does federo work? A small (17 pages) document written in 1963 entitled �The >Future Pattern of Local Government in the Kingdom of Buganda� , a report to the >Minister of Local Government, H.H. The Kabaka� s Government, suggests, concisely the >functions (and implications) of federo governance at a practical level. This reports >is buried somewhere on the federo website, is also available in major research >libraries in USA amp; UK. I also have a Luganda version that I� ll scan sometime and >send to anyone who can read Luganda. I have a feeling that it will be most helpful >and educational to those who still think that Buganda is a bogeyman while showing how >honestly and seriously, the 6 men of the committee that wrote the report (C.M.S. >Mukasa, A.C. Stuart, S.K. Musisi, S.M. Lubega, G.G Wright amp; D. Pasteur) took their >responsibility. > > > > >nbsp;Ssemakula. > > > > >nbsp;========================================= > > > > >From: "J Ssemakula" lt;[EMAIL PROTECTED];nbsp; > > > > >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > >CC:[EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > >Subject: Re: ugnet_: Go slow on federo says Kabaka Mutebi - Monitor 25/11/2002 > > > > >Date: Fri, 06 Dec 2002 18:06:31 > > > > >Mr. Kipenji: > > > > >nbsp;Your reply is flawed to the point of being inconsistent with very idea of what >federalism is (or what federal principles are). > > > > >nbsp;In my understanding, federal governance involves a union ofnbsp; states -- which >are treated as political equals no matter what their physical, population or economic >sizes arenbspp;-- that have muttually and freely >agreed to subordinate their governmental powers to a central authority -- the federal >government -- in *certain specified common affairs*. As such, *uncommon* affairs are >rightly the business of thhe states. I'll expand on this (federo) a bit next week. > > > > >Even Buganda's nemesis number one, Obote's UPC, seem to have finally (publicly) come >around to some of the above tenets. Evidence ofnbsp; this can be detected in the >rambling essaynbsp;that one ofnbsp;their mouthpieces recently posted on the net >entitled, funny enough, "Whatnbsp;Will UPC Do to the Opposition?". In a section on, >of all things, "*Exhortation*" theynbsp;say: > > > > >nbsp;" � Democracy begins with the freedom of choice� We should ask ourselves now >whether or not we still want this union called Uganda to continue and to mature into >a modern nation, a home, a country for all of us, as enshrined in our national >anthem? If the answer is 'yes', then let us consciously give consent to the existence >of this union, in our own rights. Let it be a voluntary union of consenting >peoples�nbsp;nbsp; If, however, we feel that Uganda is an encumbrance and it cannot >be sustained, then let us have no pretences, lets mutually agree so that each >community goes its way. There is no point and its (sic) a waste of valuable time >ifnbsp; some communities of the union feel cheated, marginalized, discriminated >against and being deliberately left out, and others feeling strongly that they are >being held back whereas they can go it alone." > > > > >nbsp;Now, except for the simultaneously deaf, mute and blind, it is no secret that >Uganda is composed of communities that are different culturally, socially, >linguistically,nbsp;and just about any dimension one cares to think about.nbsp; > > > > >nbsp;Given this acknowledged and well-documented diversity, it seems to me >thatnbsp;the only long-term solution to the question of governance isnbsp;federalism. >Under that arrangement, our Northern compatriots who have time and again indicated, >on the net, an innate fear that their balls would fall off if they prostrated >themselves before a king, would live happily ever after in their own state where they >would not suffer such an affront to their sensibilities. Likewise, we the Baganda, >would be free tonbsp;do and behave in whatever manner we want with our Kabaka. In >other words: each state or nation would be free to do as its cultural development >allows and/or expects, without infringing upon anyone else. > > > > >nbsp;I'd imagine that anyone familiar with Uganda's recent historynbsp;would surely >know that, at least in Buganda, we have had a CONSTITUTIONAL monarchy since circa >1955. Even if that were not the case, it'd be OUR (we the Baganda) business alone, to >decide what kind of kingship WE, the Baganda, want -- knowing fully well that OUR >Kabaka does not have ANY influence WHATSOEVER, even ONE MILLIMETRE OUTSIDE of the >Kingdom of Buuuganda.nbsp; > > > > >nbsp;Similarly, we the Baganda, have absolutely NO right whatsoever in deciding >whether the people of Lango or Ma� di or any other place outside of Buganda have a >King or a Pope or an Emperor, or Governor, or an Rwot, or an Emir, a Sultan, a >Premier, or whatever designation they so freely choose to runnbsp;affairs WITHIN >THEIR society. In other words, the internal affairs of any community are that >community's business. > > > > >nbsp;Thus, I disagree that monarchism and federalism are mutually exclusive. > > > > >The Baganda have no need to "market" federalism outside Buganda. I'd hope that the >advantages of federalism TO EVERY COMMUNITY are self-evident and need no special >''marketing" efforts. The inevitable alternative for Uganda given our socio-politico >realities, I fear, is total disintegration at some point in time -- or perhaps a >perpetual dictatorship. > > > > >nbsp;It should be obvious to all that we are stronger together than each on our own. >So let us work on finding ways in which we all not only benefit from our union, but >also know exactly what those benefits are and how we benefit. > > > > >nbsp;Ssemakula > > > > >nbsp;----Original Message Follows---- > > > > >From: Owor Kipenji > > > > >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > >Subject: Re: ugnet_: Go slow on federo says Kabaka Mutebi-Monitor 25/11/2002 > > > > >Date: Fri, 6 Dec 2002 14:54:35 +0000 (GMT) > > > > >nbsp;Mwaami Ssemakula, thanks for your question. From the start I do not think I said >Federalism that I very strongly support is incompatible with Monarchism, but from >what most Federalist agitators in and within Buganda appear to be gunning for, they >are more interested in Monarchism than Federalism and this makes the issue of >Federalism thus harder to market outside Buganda because all the discussants appear >not to be discussing from the same page. > > > > >If you remember in a different for the issue of a Karamojong being elected a Prime >Minister in the Federal State of Busoga was raised and that "mu mbujjuvu" actually >revealed what Federalism meant to most people. > > > > >nbsp;Bundesrepublik Deutschland is a Federal State, so is Switzerland, Canada and to >a certain extent the so-called United Kingdom, this very much contrasts with the >Monarchism that is practiced in Swaziland not very far from Uganda. > > > > >Monarchism is more closely related to the totalitarian governance that we have had >shoved down our throats in Uganda for eon years. The only difference with this >centrist totalitarianism is that the politicians at the centre of it all claim they >got the mandate of the people to do whatever they have always done. In Monarchism >however leadership is not contested by all and sundry because genealogy predetermines >whom the leader should or should not be. In this respect therefore Monarchism and >Federalism may after all be mutually exclusive. Thanks. > > > > >nbsp;Kipenji. > > > > >===================================================== > > > > >--- J Ssemakula lt;[EMAIL PROTECTED]; wrote: > > > > >Mr. Owor Kipenji: > > > > >Do you think that Federalism and Monarchism are incompatible or mutually exclusive? >Is so, why? > > > � > >nbsp; > > > > >From: Owor Kipenji > > > > >Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > >Subject: Re: ugnet_: Go slow on federo says Kabaka Mutebi-Monitor 25/11/2002 > > > > >Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 15:05:50 +0000 (GMT) > > > > >nbsp;nbsp;Are we in Buganda for Federalism or Monarchism?. That is the issue I would >like all peace loving Baganda whosenbsp; "Ekitiibwa kyava da" to discuss with the >rest of Ugandans for I am an ardent supporter of Federalism. > > > > >Thanks. > > > > >Kipenji. > > >--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Add >photos to your e-mail with MSN 8.Get 2 monnths FREE*. -- He it is Who created for you all that is on earth...He is the All-knower of everything. Swaddaq Allahu Al-Adhim. Michael Bwambuga. __________________________________________________________________ The NEW Netscape 7.0 browser is now available. Upgrade now! http://channels.netscape.com/ns/browsers/download.jsp Get your own FREE, personal Netscape Mail account today at http://webmail.netscape.com/
