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Amin’s illness and death have generated debate and emotional utterances: restrained or rancorous. I was particularly astonished by reports of barbed remarks of our President about Amin’s death and burial, clearly bordering on the heartless.
He would, he affirmed, have nothing to do with Amin’s burial; not even touch him with a long pole. That when Amin killed Ugandans, did he think he was immortal? Ironically, as overly lingering unpopular rulers move about, hemmed in by costly brigades of sharp shooters, they vainly feel “unassailable!”
Since H.E. spoke in his official capacity, “Uganda’s views” were a contemptuously cruel jolt to 13 mothers, 54 children, friends and relatives; and to Amin’s extensive geographical, ethnical, religious and commercial “constituency” that pervades the region; and certainly the god-fearing fraternity.
H.E. spat at our embassy staff for visiting Amin in hospital. These officials will, in my view, and regardless of their individual feelings, have salvaged Uganda’s image by offering this professionally humane public relations atonement. Earlier on, H.E. (fountain and custodian of the prerogative of mercy) affirmed his belief in the merits of the death penalty!
I have read lustrously dispassionate analyses by Dr Muniini Mulera and Mr Timothy Kalyegira (The Monitor, August 18); yes, factual accounts of what they knew about Amin: without hurting the feelings of his kith and kin or of those related to victims of his misrule. That is as it should be.
Just listen to what leading 19th Century British playwright, George Bernard Shaw says about “The Difference Between Atonement and Punishment.” I should add: “…and revenge.”
“The primitive idea of justice is partly legalised revenge and partly expiation by sacrifice. It works out from both sides in the notion that two blacks make a white, and when a wrong has been done, it should be paid for by an equivalent suffering. It seems…as a matter of course that this compensating suffering should be inflicted on the wrongdoer for the sake of its deterrent effect…; but a moment’s reflection will show that this utilitarian application corrupts the whole transaction.
…the shedding of innocent blood cannot be balanced by the shedding of guilty blood.
Sacrificing a criminal to propitiate God for the murder of his righteous servant is like sacrificing a mangy sheep…: it calls down divine wrath instead of appeasing it.
In doing this we offer God as sacrifice the gratification of our own revenge and the protection of our own lives without cost to ourselves; and cost to ourselves is the essence of sacrifice and expiation…...The Baronet’s cousin in Dickens’s novel, who, perplexed by the failure of the police to discover the murderer of the baronet’s solicitor, said “Far better hang wrong fellow than no fellow,” was not only expressing a very common sentiment, but trembling on the brink of the rarer salvationist opinion that it is much better to hang the wrong fellow…
“The point is a cardinal one, because until we grasp it, not only does historical Christianity remain unintelligible to us, but those who do not care a rap about historical Christianity may be led to the mistake of supposing that if we discard revenge, and treat murderers exactly as God treated Cain: that is exempting them from punishment by putting a brand on them as unworthy to be sacrificed, and let them face the world as best they can with that brand on them, we should get rid both of punishment and sacrifice. It would not at all follow: on the contrary the feeling that there must be an expiation of the murder might quite possibly lead to our putting some innocent person…to a cruel death to balance the account with divine justice.”
Incidentally, the hyped Human Rights Commission condemning Amin and Obote, was denied mandate to investigate the deeds of the NRM/A!
I largely agree with Bernard Shaw: the reason I oppose capital punishment, and espouse forgiveness and reconciliation. I entirely condemn Aminism’s beastly disregard of the rule of law. But, as a Christian and compassionate being, I unreservedly forgive Amin the departed. Some other time we may examine his silver linings. Meanwhile, May God bless his soul!
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