The source that provided the titles listed by you; at the later days of Idi Amin's time, include "King of Africa" in the long list of the Marshall's titles. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mitayo Potosi" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, July 27, 2003 4:46 PM Subject: Re: ugnet_: Take It Or Leave It.DO UGANDANS HAVE A CONSCIENCE?
> > Never heard of this so-called 'King of Africa'. Any proof anywhere? > > > Mitayo Potosi > > > >From: Michael Aaku <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >Subject: Re: ugnet_: Take It Or Leave It.DO UGANDANS HAVE A CONSCIENCE? > >Date: Sun, 27 Jul 2003 10:28:51 -0700 > > > >Hi: > > > > In the titles below, you left out two titltes; inserted in bold below > > > >The hyena which eats Ssalongo Al-Haji Field Marshal Dr. Idi Amin Dada, > >V.C., D.S.O., M.C., Chancellor of Makerere university Conqueror of the > >British Empire, President of the Republic of Uganda and Chairman of the > >O.A.U., King of Africa; will not indeed vomit. > > > >We were there. > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: Owor Kipenji > > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Sent: Saturday, July 26, 2003 6:13 PM > > Subject: ugnet_: Take It Or Leave It.DO UGANDANS HAVE A CONSCIENCE? > > > > > > Take It Or Leave It > >------------------------------------------------------------------ > > With Austine Ejiet > > > > Why the hyena that eats Amin will not vomit > > July 27, 2003 > > > > Time, they say, is the best healer of them all. If, twenty > >years ago, when memories of the great man's genocidal exploits were still > >fresh, rumours had filtered through that Idi Amin Dada was comatose; > > > > That for all practical purposes, he was dead, save for > >intercession of modern technology via life-support systems, I am sure most > >Ugandans would have sought out the fatted calf from among their herds for a > >celebratory sacrifice. > > > > Like the modern plague, Aids, the president had turned the > >country into a killing field whose harvest, estimated to range anywhere > >between 500,000 and 800,000 souls, must have touched just about every > >homestead. > > > > With modern-day pestilence, at least you know what happened > >to your departed; you can do your duty by their remains, and attain a sense > >of closure. > > > > But what do you do with the spirits of loved ones whose > >manner of (or reason for) death you do not know and whose skeletons could > >be lying anywhere. They could be in Lake Victoria, Bwerenga swamp, Namanve > >forest reserve (or what is left of it), Matumbwe river on Bugerere road, > >Bujagali rapids, or the entire length of both the Victoria and the Albert > >Niles, to name but a few. > > > > Quite obviously the president could not have possibly killed > >the entire half million (plus) Ugandans - personally. > > > > And I doubt whether all the orders to cause people to be > >stuffed into the boots of cars and made to "disappear" emanated from him > >all the time. > > > > But he is guilty of each and every execution since his > >public espousal of brutality and cruelty gave a license to big time > >war-lords such as Brig. Hussein Malera (Military Police, Makindye), Ali > >Towilli (Public Safety Unit, Naguru), and Lt. Col. Farouk Minawa (State > >Research Bureau, Nakasero), to butcher Ugandans without let or hindrance. > > > > The small fry, armed and charged with the defence of the > >revolution, and the legions of refugees from countries, I am not going to > >name, who had nothing to lose, were just as lethal. > > > > Orders or no orders, I insist, as US President Harry S. > >Truman used to do, that the buck stopped in the Chief Executive's Office. > > > > On the strength of the excesses outlined above - which > >constitute only the tip of the proverbial iceberg - Ugandans of two or so > >decades ago must have found their president so revolting that in their > >secret thoughts, they must have said "your excellency, even a hyena will > >vomit after eating you." > > > > This is a peculiar and telling Ateso insult. If a hyena, > >which is not exactly renowned for moderation in its appetite or refined > >'table manners', should puke in disgust after eating you, then you must be > >exceptionally odious. > > > > Yet, almost a quarter of a century after Amin's last dance > >as Uganda's absolute 'monarch', the hyena that would have the misfortune of > >dining on him would not throw up. > > > > The air is thick with talk of "forgiveness and > >reconciliation", "amnesty and pardon", "magnanimity and mercy". > > > > Death has, of course, remained an institution regarded by > >most Ugandans with awe, despite years of brutalisation and trauma. > > > > It is not unusual to see a total stranger who chances upon a > >group of mourners, interrupting his errand briefly to join them, shed a few > >tears perhaps, and part with a little condolence money before taking a most > >respectful leave. > > > > Quite a bit of this is clearly at play here. Only a > >heartless ruffian would want to mock an eighty-year-old, terminally ill > >man. > > > > But I think there is a larger spectrum here, laced with a > >considerable dose of cynicism spawned by our recent history. There have > >been several Idi Amins in various guises who have killed and humiliated > >Ugandans in ways not terribly different from those used by the self-styled > >Conqueror of the British Empire. > > > > So the buffoon slaughtered an estimated half a million > >people. Haven't many of his successors who also used violence to come to > >power replicated the Field Marshal's acts of carnage? > > > > The skulls of Luwero had the good fortune of being collected > >into a few sacred shrines. > > > > But has anybody cared to count how many fell in West Nile > >after 1980? Has anybody cared to count the skulls in Lango in the aftermath > >of Milton Obote's second ouster in 1985? > > > > For a long time the Iteso were second to the Baganda in > >numerical strength. Why did the population census of the early 1990s see > >them relegated to fifth or even sixth position? > > > > What happened to the others or to the Iteso's powers of > >procreation? How many skulls adorn the grasslands of Acholi? > > > > With so many other despots at large or sleeping peacefully > >in their graves, it is surely futile to rave at a dying tyrant whose > >extradition we should have effected a million years ago but didn't. > > Then again Amin, for all his ruthlessness, made a few people > >deliriously rich and happy. > > > > His Economic War, which began with the expulsion of > >foreigners, mostly of Asian extraction but also including Israelis, British > >and Americans, culminated into Operation Mafuta Mingi. The latter involved > >donating prosperous department stores, shops, sophisticated businesses, tea > >plantations and ultra-modern factories, free of charge to bicycle > >mechanics, mandazi sellers, and other empty-headed bunglers. > > > > Their only qualification for the business enterprise in > >question was their tribe, the language they spoke, their religion, or the > >ruthlessness with which they executed perceived opponents of the regime. > >You cannot ever hope to persuade these Cinderella businessmen that Amin was > >anything but an angel. > > > > Those who couldn't benefit directly form Operation Mafuta > >Mingi had magendo or speculation trade to fall back on. > > > > For the well connected, magendo could (and did indeed) > >became more lucrative than owning big shops selling merchandise that people > >could not afford. Here is how it worked. > > > > Because of mismanagement and serious shortages of foreign > >exchange for replenishing stocks or buying spares for the factories, almost > >all the necessities of life disappeared from the stores and shop shelves. > > > > Whatever stock still existed in the country was safely > >tucked away to be accessed only by the chosen few who could produce an > >allocation chit from a powerful government functionary. > > > > People who were not in the least bit interested in business > >but knew influential general managers, bureaucrats or ministers would walk > >into the good man's office without a shilling in their pockets and ask to > >be allocated a lorryful of beer, soda, textiles or sugar as the case might > >be. > > > > The beneficiary would sell that silly (but valuable) piece > >of paper to any one from the myriad of business people who always thronged > >the minister's/general manager's outer office. > > > > The chit would go to the highest bidder, who had the ability > >to pay for it in millions. But, knowing of course, that he had the freedom > >to raise the price of the commodity sky-high in order to recoup his money > >and also make a handsome profit. > > > > Tell me how a man who becomes a millionaire in the twinkling > >of an eye without any investment or sweat can hate the person who > >instituted the system. > > > > Didn't the man accomplish anything positive whether by > >design or by accident? Of course, he did. > > > > Nobody rules continually for eight years without blundering > >onto something good. Yes, he put an end to kondoism or armed robbery. > > > > Yes, he put the fear of God into the Karimojong by > >threatening to cut off their penises, thus banishing cattle rustling for > >the duration of his rule. > > > > And yes, he pushed through to the end the completion of some > >projects planned for or started by the Obote I government. > > > > He completed the construction of the Nile Hotel and the > >International Conference Centre. He pursed the idea of colour television > >(for what it was worth) until it was realised. > > > > He built Uganda's mission to the United Nations in New York. > >Okay? He also completed Radio Uganda's short-lived External Broadcasting > >Services transmitters at Dakabela, Soroti. > > > > The hyena which eats Ssalongo Al-Haji Field Marshal Dr. Idi > >Amin Dada, V.C., D.S.O., M.C., Conqueror of the British Empire, President > >of the Republic of Uganda and Chairman of the O.A.U., will not indeed > >vomit. > > > > But I shudder to think that a genocidal tyrant can purchase > >his immunity from prosecution by living to a ripe old age in exile and > >gorging himself to death. This is not acceptable completely and also. > > > > > > > > > > � 2003 The Monitor Publications > > > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > East African | Daily Nation | About Us | Feedback | Site Map | > >License | Monitor Mail > > > > > > > >--------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- > > Want to chat instantly with your online friends? Get the FREE Yahoo! > >Messenger > > _________________________________________________________________ > Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. > http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail >
