Mayanja: He crisscrossed the Rubicon [image: Abu Mayanja (C) with President Idi Amin at a function.]
Abu Mayanja (C) with President Idi Amin at a function. FILE PHOTO By Fred Guweddeko Posted Sunday, October 2 2011 at 00:00 In Summary *Abu Mayanja [1929-2005] is remarkable not only for his role in driving Uganda to independence, but for making the most memorable statement in Uganda politics comparable only to the 1986 ‘Not a change of guards, but a fundamental change’ of President Museveni and the 1972 ‘transferring the economy to the indigenous people of Uganda’ of Idi Amin. * Share This Story Share<http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.monitor.co.ug%2FNews%2FInsight%2F-%2F688338%2F1246016%2F-%2Fro8k8l%2F-%2Findex.html&t=Daily%20Monitor%3A%20%C2%A0-%20Insight%C2%A0%7CMayanja%3A%20He%20crisscrossed%20the%20Rubicon&src=sp> Kampala. Abu Mayanja’s March 3, 1958 statement reads: “… I have crossed the Rubicon. I set myself firmly against any autocracy whether it be foreign and imperialist or native and feudal. I stake my future and dedicate my life to the realisation of democratic principles in my country no matter from which side the obstacles may emanate. This is a declaration of political faith …” Unlike, Amin who transferred the economy to Ugandans, Mayanja is comparable to President Museveni in betraying the greatest political statements in Uganda history. Mayanja adoption of the political religion of fighting against all kinds of undemocratic tendencies in Uganda was contradicted throughout his political career. *Battling Kapenguria Club* In March 1952, Mayanja with I. K. Musazi and leaders from proscribed underground violent ‘Native [Bataka] Movements’ from seven ethnic groups [tribes] of Uganda established the first political party, the UNC, for a democratic independence struggle. However, a month later, April 1952, Mayanja battled the Kampenguria Club, which was supporting the Kenya democratic struggle, with Mau Mau accusations. In June-August 1953, Mayanja mobilised UNC nationwide opposition to the Oliver Lyttleton forced East African Federation plan causing a demand for immediate independence crisis. Mayanja quickly dropped the struggle, cooperated with colonialists, received a Cambridge scholarship, and left the problems that led to the deportation of Mutesa. On the past and the current British backed East African Federation, Mayanja switched from militant opposition when it was first announced on June 30, 1953 by the Secretary of State for Colonies to discreet support when it was again proclaimed by Baroness Lynda Chalker and Lord Howe on November 10, 1996. Mayanja joined Cambridge University in September 1953 on a Colonial Office scholarship and a member of the British Conservative Party talking the language of racial partnership based development in the colonies. By 1954, he had switched to the Fabian Wing of the Labour Party and was spitting fire in the press against British Colonial rule and the deportation of Mutesa. The colonial university scholarship was withdrawn but Mayanja continued on a Buganda Kingdom bursary and was in the 1955 triumphant entourage of Mutesa return. However, Buganda Kingdom became hostile to the UNC, where Mayanja was the UK representative, for its closeness to Nkrumah who was dismantling the Asantahene [King] of Ghana. Mutesa visited London in February 1958 and avoided Mayanja who reacted by telling the press in London that the UNC plan was to kick out the British and form a Government that will not include a King. Buganda increased persecution of political parties and boycotted the 1958 Legislative Council elections. Mayanja, in UK, accused Buganda Kingdom of dragging Uganda back to the 18th century, calling on Baganda to resist reimposition of feudal tyranny with debasement of the human personality and customary law vagaries. Buganda withdrew the bursary and Mayanja completed studies with funds from John Kale in the Afro-Asian Peoples Solidarity Organisation in Cairo. Mayanja who had opposed Mau Mau in April 1952 changed in December 1958 and backed replacing the UNC President Musazi with Obote for differing the John Kale violent plan to boycott the colonial Government and throw the British out of Uganda using Mau Mau related methods. Upon his return, Mayanja though a confessed democrat used crude means to regain by grabbing, from Dr Kununka, the post of UNC Secretary General which he had deserted in August 1953 to benefit from a colonial office [then UNC enemy] scholarship. Mayanja and Obote strongly defended the 1959-60 UNM colonial government boycott in the Lego and the courts of law, and made the Governor and the Attorney General to publicly admit that boycott, even of a government, was not illegal. However, when Obote exposed John Kale and the boycott communist links, and created an ideologically independent national political party in March 1960, Mayanja supported and yet he was still the UNC Secretary General. From the ideologically independent national political party, Mayanja became a Buganda Kingdom Minister which was the opposite of his new UPC and held the conditions he had a few months back denounced. Between March and June 1960 Mayanja was fighting for national independence in both UNC and UPC, and a Buganda Kingdom Minister opposing national independence in favour of Buganda. The press reported that Mayanja, who had declared war against parochial politics, was ‘missing in action’ when the Buganda Kingdom, where he was a Minister, was declaring unilateral independence. Mayanja, who had denounced Buganda Kingdom for shunning the 1958 Legislative Council elections, was one of its leaders when they rejected the 1961 elections. Mayanja, a champion of democracy who had advanced Uganda politics from the ethnic natives [Bataka] movements to modern political parties, UNC, in 1952 became without elections the Secretary of an ethnic Movement, the KY. Mayanja introduced into the KY Movement, one Museveni [not President Museveni], who had been responsible for violence in the 1959-60 colonial boycott. Thus, contrary to his confessed democratic principles, *Mayanja saw his KY Movement make history as a violent political organisation third to the LRM and the NRM in Uganda history. *Mayanja, through the KY, negotiated the alliance with the UPC which created the national consensus that delivered independence to Uganda. This was his greatest contribution to the political development of his country. The Abu Mayanja Foundation will hold this year’s annual Abu Mayanja Memorial Lecture on October 4, at The Sheraton Kampala Hotel, Rwenzori Ballroom. *[email protected]* * *
_______________________________________________ Ugandanet mailing list [email protected] http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/ugandanet UGANDANET is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/ All Archives can be found at http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ 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. ---------------------------------------
