Ms. Mukooza,
For the most part, this is one issue we are agreed upon.
I urge those Ugandans who still view Buganda's stance on federo with suspicion (sp), fear, apprehension to take the time to read the document at:
www.federo.com/Pages/Pattern_of_Local_Govt_in_Buganda.htm so they can aquaint themselves with what Buganda aspires for, and how something similar to this arrangement might benefit their home areas.
If nothing else, it might dispell many of the myths about what Buganda will do with federo!
Ssemakula
----Original Message Follows----
From: Rehema Mukooza <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED],[EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED],[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: ugnet_: Re: Fwd:Cultural leaders should stay out of politics = NO! What is "politics"??
Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2004 18:56:56 -0800 (PST)
You are right on, Ssemakula! Among the elected members in the whole governance system, we the people of Uganda shall elect people from our political parties.
Now, who was motivated by sensationalism?? It better not be me, for I already know the whole concept. Read what I wrote and take some time to understand it. I hope we are on the same page.
J Ssemakula <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>wrote:
Netters,
Most discussants of federo with respect to Buganda (motivated by sensationalism?) tend to forget that since about 1955 Buganda had a constitutional monarch.
Further, the type of federo that was proposed for Buganda did not include a despotic Kabaka able to trump local sentiments and preferances.
One can get educated about this via a 15-page pamphlet which has the nuts and bolts of the old federo: www.federo.com/Pages/Pattern_of_Local_Govt_in_Buganda.htm
The pamphlet is written in plain English. A hard-copy Luganda version is available from me and in several libraries. This 1963 pamplet is a "homegrown" document. It lays out concretely, in concise language, just what it takes to have federo governance. In Part III on County and Miruka (Parish) Councils a mechanism of limiting the influece of a given Kabaka with respect to local affairs is put in black and white: the majority of council members (60%) were to be directly elected by the people themselves. This, together with an elected Katikkiro, surely is a decent example of checks-and-balances, i.e.:
PART III: COUNTY AND MIRUKA (PARISH) COUNCILS.
A. Constitution.
14. County Council will consist of not more than 50 members, of whom not less than 3/5th will be directly elected. Each county will be divided into electoral wards on a Muluka basis. In the large Ssazas such as Buddu this will mean that two or more Miruka will be joined together for electoral purposes. All decisions of the council will be taken by simple majority. The above recommendations will be incorporated in draft legislation in the course of preparation.
and:
18. There are two possible forms which Miruka councils could take. Either they could be without formal elections, in which case the meetings would be open to any inhabitant of the Muluka who cared to attend, (this is largely the system which exists at present), or they could be directly elected on the same basis as the county councils. We favour the latter alternative, partly because it will not be difficult to arrange Muluka direct elections at the same time as elections to County Councils, and partly became a small council of elected representatives is more likely to be able to plan for the future of the Muluka than is an ad hoc gathering. The draft legislation now being prepared envisages Muluka Councils with one directly elected representative from each village.
Lastly, part of the pamplet's message is that "there is no free lunch": local councils were expected to generate revenues to operate local governments (see the first 2 sentences in Part V on Finance), i.e.:
PART V: FINANCE.
21. We wish to make one point clear at the outset. People living in the area of a local Council must expect to pay for its organisation and for the services which it provides. The will necessitate a system of local taxation for raising local revenue. For some years past it has been widely accepted that local authorities should be mainly financed by grants from the regional or Kingdom Government and that these in turn should be largely dependant on grants from the Central Government. This concept is fundamentally unsound, and most of the Kabaka's Government's financial difficulties arise from this fact that people are not prepared to pay for what they ask. From the start it must be realised that each council is a business concern, having the legal obligation to support itself financially and to make sufficient profit to pay for expansion and improvement. The only answer is local taxation by the County Council of people living within its area. If this is not tho ught
of as acce
ptable
then the whole idea of local authorities can be scrapped before further time and money is spent thereon.Ssemakula
"R. Kulabako" wrote:
Note: forwarded message attached.
__________________________________________________________________________
> ATTACHMENT part 2 message/rfc822
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
From: Rehema Mukooza
Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2004 18:53:14 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [DPNet] Cultural leaders should stay out of politics = NO! What is "politics"??
Members:
I've watched Ugandans from all walks of Uganda talking about the Kabaka getting "political" powers, and I've watched with kin interest. I've been among Ugandans for quite some time, and I've come to understand the basics of their logical reasoning. I'm not claiming to know all Ugandans but I can only go with what they say. Very few Ugandans are capable of reasoning beyond British, American, or Western influences on key issues. Why?? The colonial mentality is still very active with no doubt. When it comes to taxing policies, they will copy anything Western to point where they can tax a flying insect (TV-tax, then Radio-tax) if they are not stopped. The good thing is that we can use that some of the colonial legacy to better ourselves. I'll leave that there.
Let me talk about King Mutebi's remarks about more "powers". It makes me wonder how DP, UPC, CP can understand what the King meant by "power" and yet the Movement, Reform Agenda, etc and some folks can not figure that out. The call for more powers by the King have really expossed the ignorance of traditions among educated Ugandans! I can not believe how naive, senseless, misinformed Ugandans are! Let me cut the story short and enlighten Ugandans on this issue.
King Mutebi is not looking for "partisan", "political", powers. That is left to the politicians, people should not be afraid. The King wants more of his "traditional" powers freed not given. The King already has his traditional powers, only that they need to be freed by the constitution which has clearly limited them. All he wants is to liberize his powers from the constitutional captivity. The Kabaka has never been 'partisan' for he doesn't belong to any political party. Maybe one can bring up the Kabaka Yekka party for arguement's sake. The Kabaka has never been 'political' for one will never see him on a ballot paper. Whenever I hear educated folks talking about the Kabaka becoming political, I get to think that Ugandans have indeed missed the all concept.
1. The collection of taxes in the territory of Buganda is part of traditional powers. How does one expect to run traditional matters in this territory without collecting taxes?? This is common sense. Today, politicians do not collect taxes and they should not. They should leave that duty to traditional leaders. Politicians should stick to giving knowledge and advising the King on operational policies needed to get development running.
2. The call to give Buganda federalism is also part of traditional matters. Traditions have already layed it down that Buganda is an entity governing itself. What do I mean by "governing itself"?? Governing itself can be carried out through federalism or entirely Buganda as a nation alone. Since Buganda is part of a nation, Buganda is justified to become a State within this nation of Uganda. Denying Buganda a federal status is by itself denying Buganda her traditions. This is where I understand the King's point -- free/return traditional powers back to the traditional administration of Buganda.
3. Political parties in a Federal Kingdom of Buganda. Politicians in any political parties will not be stopped from standing for influential (political) positions by the King. Like I said, politicians should stick to giving knowledge, advising, and coming up with operational policies to run the Kingdom of Buganda. However the problem is that some politicians do not have knowledge, useful ideas, useful advise, and useful policies to run Buganda nor run Uganda. They are obsessed with the word "power", not knowing that knowledge, influence, useful ideas, useful advise, and useful policies focused on the development of the Buganda is "power". Some people think that power is ordering someone to do something against their will.
4. I would have no problem seeing DP, CP, etc politicians voted into the different influential (political) posts, all working under and for the Kingdom of Buganda with the Kabaka at the top. Why not?? People should look into these political parties and see if they agree with the parties' policies and ideas. If they so agree, then they should join that party in support of the goals and changes that party is strieving for in influencing and implementing policies that run and used to govern the Kingdom of Buganda.
What is so hard to understand?? We want a return of traditional powers where they belong. We have already tested what the dangers of wondering these traditional powers into non-traditional hands can do to society. Eg. Northern war, Luweero triangle, poverty, a crippled economy, URA tax fraud, corruption, etc, etc... We need to come back to reality!
Zakoomu R.
gook makanga wrote:
TUESDAY REFLECTIONS
---------------------------------
With Kintu Nyago
Cultural leaders should steer clear of politics
Feb 24, 2004
I believe in the hard won right to culture which had been undermined by the 1967 Republican Constitution that had been imposed on the population after the 1966 �Battle of Mengo�.
This right, now enshrined in Article 37 of our 1995 Constitution, in part reads that �Every person has a right �. to belong to, enjoy, practice, profess, maintain and promote any culture, cultural institution, language, tradition� religion in community with others�.
My other view is that partisan politics should be left to the proletariat with our cultural institutions remaining firmly apolitical.
They are required as pillars of stability.
We can learn from the experiences of other enduring apolitical constitutional monarchies in Britain, Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Japan and closer to home from the Ashanti and Zulu kingdoms and the Northern Nigerian emirates respectively.
I differ from Luwero�s Haji Abdu Naduli�s position, as reported in last week�s Bukedde Ku Sunday, advocating for the creation of political monarchies in contemporary Uganda.
I, however, understand Naduli�s sentiments. The populist NRM mobiliser cut his political teeth in the Mengo led Kabaka Yekka (KY) party of the early 1960�s.
But caution is required and we need to learn from history. For the re-introduction of political monarchies in Uganda would be a clear recipe for disaster.
Debating the role of monarchies on Uganda�s political landscape dates back more than a century. It always emerges in periods of political transition.
This occurred during the sectarian/religious wars of the 1880�s and in events leading to the signing of the 1900 Uganda and 1955 Namirembe Agreements respectively.
This debate re-occurred at the Lancaster House talks that created our 1962 Independence Constitution and in the making of the Republican 1967 Constitution that banned monarchies altogether.
This issue again emerged during the 1990�s Army Council and Constituent Assembly deliberations that re-instated our monarchies.
This question has over the years troubled many eminent Ugandan minds.
It formed the core of Bishop Joseph Kiwanuka�s Pastoral Letter in 1962 whose prophetic contents warned of the looming danger associated with the creation of political monarchies in Uganda.
Similarly the Democratic Party�s visionary founder, Benedicto Kiwanuka walked out of the Lancaster House Constitutional Conference in protest over the UPC-KY�s insistence on the creation of partisan political monarchies.
On the other hand extremist elements within the UPC during and after 1966, after falling out with KY, responded to this question by applying brute force. This in addition to unilaterally abrogating the very 1962 Constitution.
All well meaning Ugandans need to avoid recreating similar circumstances and those that led to the traumatic and tragic ending of the political monarchies of Ethiopia, France, Czarist Russia and Cromwell�s England, amongst others.
The near universal respect and prestige accorded to Uganda�s contemporary cultural leaders directly relates to their apolitical status that antagonises none of the major contending political organisations.
Politicians and parties would like to benefit from this popularity, which explains why nearly all of them, even those that have historically been opposed to monarchism, now support these institutions and in Buganda�s case its demand for a form of federalism.
Politics, however, is partisan in its nature and if our cultural institutions and leaders are allowed to turn political the dynamics are such that they will inevitably antagonise many contending political forces.
As a way forward, the government of Uganda should conclusively implement its long held promise to facilitate the existence and set out activities of our designated cultural leaders.
As is the case with the South African, Lesotho, European and Japanese constitutional monarchies. Such intervention should not undermine their autonomy and dignity and needs to be crafted in a manner that ensures that these institutions do not merely depend on the goodwill of the government of the day.
The current NRM government, with its record of being responsive to the demands of the monarchist lobby, is well positioned to introduce this long awaited policy.
I will end by mourning the 190 or so Ugandans murdered last Saturday by the notorious Lord�s Resistance Army rebels in Barlonya Camp, north of Lira. This culture of impunity must be stopped at all costs.
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
� 2004 The Monitor Publications
Gook
�The strategy of the guerilla struggle was to cause maximum chaos and destruction in order to render the government of the day very unpopular�
Lt. Gen. Kaguta Museveni (Leader of the NRA guerilla army in Luwero)
---------------------------------
---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Finance: Get your refund fast by filing online
---------------------------------
Yahoo! Groups Links
To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UNAANET/
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail SpamGuard - Read only the mail you want.
---------------------------------
Dream of owning a home? Find out how in the First-time Home Buying Guide. -------------------------------------------- This service is hosted on the Infocom network http://www.infocom.co.ug
---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail SpamGuard - Read only the mail you want.
--------------------------------------------
This service is hosted on the Infocom network
http://www.infocom.co.ug
