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And I still state that the entire discussion of
Buganda is silly. And the sooner the rest of Ugandans realize that the
sooner we can move on. Mutebi must start by explaining to us what happened to
his bank, Teefe Bank, that was a development, if this king with all Baganda had
put their heads in that only one institution and we saw it succeeding then I
would have a minute for this crap of more power. Or better yet, a word from
Ssabasajja rebuking its failure and an inqurely of who ate our money in that
bank. But I have never heard mengo explaining to us what happened in that bank.
Ssabasajja now you want my taxes? HOI I am a Muganda but no I will give it to
central government for at least central government buys guns and calls for the
Sebutinde inquirely to cover it up.
Second nonsense. I have read here that Kabaka
is un-political, and the explanation goes that he does not stand for an
office. Well granted, but that goes further for his cabinet is as well not
elected. Now that is fine as long as Baganda are okay with running this kingdom
on the standard it was in during 1500, they can do that. But accepting to run
this kingdom on its level of 1500 and you come back and ask for authorities
which must be given to elected people, the people who stand for office, means
you are trying to blow and suck at the same time. And that has never happened
successfully any where.
And why Mutebi and Buganda has just figured out
that what Museveni gave them was Byoya Byanswa does allot of explaining about
this entity.
What Mengo should do in to sit with the king and
decide on developmental structures that they can do. get off your butts and
developed your area, start with fighting ignorance in Buganda, start
with fighting illiteracy which is abundant in Buganda especially in women.
Start with getting allot of Baganda'a scholarships to go out there and be
educated. Look here UPC is holding on today not because of Obote as a man,
but because he believed in educating Ugandans, and he has educated very
many that his name will be on Uganda for the next 50 years, at least for
then they will have died of age, and since his departure we do not produce
educated brains at all.
But hey Mulwanyamuli advised Baganda women/girls to
try their best and go abroad to get white men who will give them money to
send to Buganda. That is the investment Buganda is looking at, marrying Buganda
girls to white people. Omukulu Mulwanyamuli yes and many are coming
here and they are Mukomba boxes who are illiterate, yes we know many Baganda
women here who come and can not even read. Mulwanyamuli but you should look at
them 5 years down the road after thy have been married to a 75 year Mukuula
binnyo, when they are 21. The discussion is silly
indeed.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, February 27, 2004 3:20
AM
Subject: The other side of the federo
demand
| The other side of the
federo demand |
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I�M POWERLESS:
Mutebi |
OPINION
KABAKA Ronald
Mutebi II was quoted in the media to be saying that he is ineffective
(byoya bya nswa) to initiate development because he lacks political
power.
According to him, Mengo cannot undertake development
activities without a federal power structure.
And Bunyoro�s
Omukama Solomon Gafabusa Iguru also claimed his kingdom cannot develop
because it does have the means.
Then columnist John Kakande
picked it up arguing that the Government �has avoided responding to the
substantial issues Mutebi raised.�
Firstly, the traditional
leaders have not raised �substantial issues,� but rather finding excuses
to explain their inability to initiate development.
In Buganda�s
case, many royalties are collected but few people know how they are
used.
For the record, all the previous kings of Buganda and
Bunyoro had absolute political, military and economic powers over their
subjects and neighbours but failed to develop their kingdoms.
To
the contrary, they succumbed and lost sovereignty first to Arab
merchants and later to British colonialists.
If political power
alone were adequate Uganda under Milton Obote, Idi Amin and Yoweri
Museveni would have developed by leaps and bounds. Yet despite the
absoluteness of their rule, Obote and Amin became irredeemable
disappointments.
The struggle for political supremacy was the
immediate cause of Buganda�s demise as Ssekabaka Sir Edward Mutesa II
wrote in The Desecration of my Kingdom of his trials and tribulations
with Obote.
And look, His Highness The Agha Khan has no
political power but has built a global economic empire and the Ismailia
community is truly well off. In fact, African political lords kneel
before him asking for money!
As a resident in Buganda, I
disagree with leaders who use cheap platitudes to divert us from their
inabilities, and want to levy additional taxes to what the central
government already collects!
The facts on the ground tell a
different story from what the Mengo elite feed the population on.
For example, of the 272km of tarmac road from Kampala to
Mbarara, 200km past Lyantonde are in Buganda. Buganda enjoys 80km of
eastern highway (Kampala-Jinja), over 60km from Masaka to Mutukula to
the Tanzanian border, and 173km up to river Kafu out of 360km Gulu
highway.
Of the 310km Kampala-Fort Portal road, Buganda has
200km at Nyabingora in Mubende district without considering the
inter-district road networks like Mukono-Kayunga, Kiboga-Mubende and
Wakiso-Mukono.
Apart from Lakes Victoria and Kyoga, and the
River Nile, Buganda has chunks of fertile arable land owned and
controlled by individual Baganda and others who live there.
Although the Kabaka has chunks of land, it is not known if he
has any modern farm, ranch, zoo, estate, forest or game reserve within
Buganda for tourist attraction or learning. Does he need political power
to do these basic things?
Yet it is evident that ordinary
mortals like James Mulwana, Sudhir Ruparelia, Gordon Wavamuno, Karim
Hirji, and groups like Madhvani and N.K. Mehta built empires not from
politics but focused private enterprise.
It is not sustainable
to argue that one needs political power first in order to put these
resources to good and productive use, as many at Mengo believe. What we
need is an enabling atmosphere in which the majority can seize available
opportunities to advance themselves.
The myth that granting
�federal� status to Buganda will automatically spur development needs to
be broken because it is not borne out by historical or contemporary
facts abundantly available.
For example, there is no single
school or hospital built by the Buganda government, but all we know is
that some people have falsely claimed institutions built during the
colonial period to be theirs. Even today under the guise of the Kabaka
Foundation, a lot of money is being collected and put to private use.
Then some Mengo officials get �friendly� head teachers where they
sponsor students but claim the schools belong to the Foundation!
Nigeria is a federal country whose states are much bigger and
wealthier than Uganda�s districts combined, yet Nigeria is much as
backward with some leaders still using superstitution to stop
immunisation against polio.
Kakande�s argument that �the
Government is not willing to grant federal status to Buganda or regions
because it entails ceding some powers and resources,� is not based on
the facts available.
Under decentralisation, the central government
meets over 85 percent in budgetary support (capital and recurrent
expenditure) including grants to the districts.
These districts
are autonomous in planning, priority setting, decision-making and
programme implementation.
It is the central government that pays
for all defence, security, education, health and infrastructural
expenses throughout the country except for private enterprises.
So it is clear that neither powers nor resource allocation can
be the main reason many people are apprehensive about a federal status
to either Buganda or other regions.
On the contrary, many of the
districts or regions including Buganda have not demonstrated ability to
meet their own bills.
The truth, which many pseudo federo
advocates don�t want to accept is that people at lower levels (village,
district) have tasted democracy in decision-making and resource control.
We challenge federo advocates to ask for a referendum on the
issue even within Buganda if their claim that �our people,� want federo
is correct and popular.
Published on: Friday, 27th February,
2004 |
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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)
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