*My Dear Brother Ocii, These are things I saw with my eyes, as a kid, while growing up in Masaka District.
I am at a loss as to what I have left out. I have no desire to hide anything from you, my fellow countrymen/women. When I am dead all this will be useless to me. I can appreciate that maybe my psyche had never been pricked to share even this little history, except the sweeping labelling/catégorisation of whole regions and peoples, and as I told Brother Odiya:** Let us also zero in on specifics and individuals. Donkey years have been wasted on meaningless generalities like: Baganda are bad/conceited/insular or whatever. Acholi are brutal. Batooro are lazy. Banyankole are thieves. Bakiga are the most hardworking and most intelligent people in the world!!** * ================================ On Tue, Oct 28, 2008 at 4:00 PM, ocii <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Mitayo, > > You definitely know a lot that many of us don't. Why pick and choose your > ways and words, when indeed Ugandans need nothing but the whole truths? > Please go all the way and let the people know what happened in the country. > You are picking and choosing your words too much in this one. > > Ocii > > --- On *Sun, 10/26/08, Mitayo Potosi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>* wrote: > > From: Mitayo Potosi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: [Ugnet] Origins of gun politics in a free Uganda > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], "The First Virtual Network for > friends of Uganda" <[email protected]> > Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], > [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], > "Anne Mugisha" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, [EMAIL PROTECTED], > [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Received: Sunday, October 26, 2008, 4:14 PM > > > *Re: Origins of gun politics in a free Uganda* > ** > *Comrade Ochieno,* > ** > *I am sorry but your narrative as to when violence was introduced into our > body-politic, is disingenuously flawed, and incoherent.* > ** > *You talk about a pre-independence period, and then jump to the fall-out > between KY and Obote, and subsequent intrigues.* > ** > *As to how KY came to be, and later, how it became so emboldened to take > on, in a quasi-military confrontation, the Central Govt., you don't say.* > ** > *Please note that Ben Kiwanuka was the first Prime Minister for the period > before independence. * > *For some reason the British never wanted to leave Uganda with Kiwanuka at > the head.* > ** > *It was then that Kabaka Yekka was formed, for the purposes of divide and > rule. * > ** > *But it soon emerged that spreading Kabaka Yekka into Masaka District, > Kiwanuka's home district and a predominantly Catholic area (as compared to > the more Anglican rest of Buganda), was going to be a difficult task.* > ** > *Comrade Ochieno, I remember very well the political violence that the > Kabaka Yekka goons unleashed on our people in Masaka District, to force KY > down our throats.* > ** > *Banana plantations were erased. * > *People's houses were set on fire. * > *Innocents were murdered/assassinated. * > *Fascistic KY militants were marauding everywhere with 'jambiyas', cutting > Achilles tendons of our herds of cattle.* > ** > *Those were very traumatic times in Masaka District. * > *The rest of Uganda didn't even seem to care or notice!!* > ** > *We were accused by Mengo of being a fifth column of traitors against the > King. * > ** > *UPC was in a love-fest with KY and they never cared since most of those > that were dying were assumed to be Kiwanuka's DP's. * > ** > *Of course the British imperialists (who were the primary architects of > the mayhem) never batted an eye lid. * > ** > *Arch Bishop Monsignor Joseph Kiwanuka at Lubaga condemned this oppression > and violence and cautioned Kabaka Mutesa to cease this sectarian politics. > * > ** > *Kabak Yekka had been so emboldened by the inaction and silence of the > British and UPC, that they marched to Lubaga to arrest the Arch Bishop for > daring to disagree with Muteesa. * > ** > *They arrested his private Secretary Father Joseph Ssebayigga (he passed > away about two years ago).* > ** > *No wonder then that when, in later years, Kabaka Yekka fell out with > Obote they attempted to take him on, violently.* > ** > *That is where you Ochieno now start your narrative. * > *Please call your narrative 'The second wave of violence', by an > emboldened KY. * > ** > *You reap what you sow !! * > *Obote had nurtured the rabid dogs against us from Masaka, and now they > were coming to bite him.* > ** > *There is another and similar hollow narrative. * > ** > *That the genocide in Rwanda started on the day after the downing of > the Habyalimana plane.* > ** > *Hey hey, it seems we are perfecting the game of the 'Big Lie' .* > ** > *When we were dying in Masaka, those in Luweero never cared !!* > *Who is now caring when our brothers and sisters in Acholi are dying?* > *Who is going to be next?* > ** > *How come we don't seem to learn?* > *Why are so many intent on distorting our history?* > ** > *Some say Obote introduced violence into our body-politic, in 1966; and > now this Ochieno twists the lie; that violence was introduced in 1966, but > by others and not Obote !!* > ** > *Why all this twist to cover up the real truth ?* > > *Mitayo Potosi.* > ** > *==========================================* > > Origins of gun politics in a free Uganda > > Joseph Ochieno > Uganda Peoples Congress has a new member. She is a 42-year-old middle class > Muganda born in 1966. The first time we discussed Uganda politics she told > me that anybody who will unite Uganda as one country would have her vote. > > I told her that in fact her wishes were enshrined under 'Objective One' of > the Uganda Peoeples Congress (UPC) constitution: "To build the Republic of > Uganda as one country with one people, one parliament and one government". > > My friend's mother, a former Kabaka Yekka (KY) member, almost certainly > voted for Mama Miria in the 2006 elections while her father supports the > Democratic Party (DP). Our discussions recently touched on whether Uganda's > independence is '46 wasted years' of self rule. > > Our experiences since independence have made us so apathetic that we blame > everyone else but our sometimes-collective and individual-selves. > > In the last 23 years, those who have been ruling us by proxy or otherwise, > without our mandate, never waste a moment to blame it all on those who ruled > and governed in the earlier 23. The narrative is so entrenched that even the > political, media and intellectual elite, who should be in a better position > to dissect the issues, seem to have bought into it. But when did it really > go wrong for us? Uganda attained her independence following a negotiated > settlement in London in 1961. The key players were DP, UPC, Mengo/ Buganda > (Kabaka Yekka was born after the London agreement) and Bunyoro. > > In April 1962, fresh elections were held which UPC easily won. UPC sought > to form a government but DP declined. It was after that refusal that UPC and > KY agreed to form a coalition with Milton Obote as the executive prime > minister. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. > > In 1963, UPC sought a constitutional amendment that saw the removal of the > British office of governor general and replacing it with a symbolic > president elected by parliament. Sir Edward Mutesa was elected to that > position and the office of governor general was erased. > > In 1964, a referendum was held, as agreed at Lancaster House, to resolve > the impasse over the disputed (Buganda vs Bunyoro) 'lost counties'. When > this was agreed to in 1961, no one knew which party would be in government. > So Obote as the executive prime minister only executed what had been agreed > by all. Nothing wrong with that, except that some people did not like the > results and opted to target the messenger - only! > > Tension brewed from this turned into mistrust and with it, arrived the > politics of behind-the-scenes-manoeuvres. A new political re-alignment now > started and by 1965, only three years into our independence, there were > already plots to assassinate the prime minister and overthrow the > government. The plots and the actors were real. They actually tried it but > failed. > > Dr Obote wrote that the deputy army commander was the military chief of the > operation which he was to execute on behalf of others. According to Obote, > this was the first time that the gun was introduced into the politics of > Uganda, in 1965. > > But if only some people could own up. They did not, hence the arrest of key > players, including some ministers. If some of these events led to the 1966 > crisis, neither subsequent attempts nor the initial plots have helped > resolve Uganda's pre-independence problems. Now, 46 years after > independence, 23 years after UPC and Obote were forced off the political > centre stage, the same old problems are glaring in our faces, unresolved. > But why? > > Like then, nobody wants to own up but instead, continue to blame the same > old messenger, long since retired. UPC worked extremely hard to ensure we > had one independent country in 1962. It is extraordinary that those who > should help younger Ugandans through this reality are so disingenuous > dishonest to themselves and our country. > > Mr Ochieno is UPC's special presidential envoy to the UK & Ireland > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > *Related articles* > > _______________________________________________ > Ugandanet mailing [EMAIL PROTECTED]://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/ugandanet > % UGANDANET is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/ > > > The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including > attachments if any). The List's Host is not responsible for them in any way. > --------------------------------------- > > > ------------------------------ > > *Yahoo! Canada Toolbar :* Search from anywhere on the web and bookmark > your favourite sites. Download it now! <http://ca.toolbar.yahoo.com/> > > _______________________________________________ > Ugandanet mailing list > [email protected] > http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/ugandanet > % UGANDANET is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/ > > > The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including > attachments if any). The List's Host is not responsible for them in any way. > --------------------------------------- > >
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