Dear Comrades, the BAT issue and its collaboration with some key Local and
National Politicians to persistently exploit West Nile is a real battle to
fight for the welfare of the region for which this Foundation is formed. BAT
has robbed us for ages and has thrived through our region yet there is more or
less nothing tangible as pertains social cooperate responsibility apart from
the grants which has no reflection on the farmers save for those in Authority
in whose hands it is given. Tobacco growing has caused us not only food
insecurity but our soils and economic retardation due to its labour
intensiveness.
Our Tobacco farmers have been barely helpless for ages and imprisoned in a mind
set and an attitude that sees Tobacco as the only lucrative cash crop let aside
the fact that there is no deliberate move to make them stop tobacco growing
with an argument that there is no alternative and instead they are always
encouraged by the local leaders to even increase productivity.
To begin with, and from an informed point of view, experience inclusive, the
current Political Leadership in West Nile and the greater Arua in particular
will never dare to take on BAT for their subjects’ course save for some few
whose voices are suffocated. You may wonder why I have said this but in case
you didn’t know some details of the proceedings on the 29th July 09 disaster
inflicted on Tobacco growers in Terego by the Negligence of BAT where nine (9)
people died on spot and two more afterwards in the Hospital, here are some
highlights.
That fateful Wednesday I received a call from a friend who saw the accident
occur and I was among the first people from Arua Town to reach the scene which
was very terrifying. After transporting all the victims to Arua, we sat down
the following day to chat a way forward on how to take on BAT and I was a core
member of the Negotiation Committee. All the BAT staff went on hiding and they
send junior staff to attend to us more so sons of the soil except the security
officer. We send them back and demanded for other senior staff and the Leaf
Operations Manager.
As we were waiting for this team, One of the Politicians was called to Pajulu
the seat of BAT in Arua and claimed that he was going to calm and prepare the
Atmosphere in Yiddu where the nine Bodies were to be taken for a Requiem Mass,
worse still when called on phone by Dr. Ajeani, he still confirmed that he was
already on the way to Yiddu and was close to arriving.
When we waited in vain, time was not compliant and the relatives of the dead
were hungry and getting angry, I took with me one Munduga Lazarus Kesia and we
went to Pajulu only to find this Honourable in a closed meeting with the team
we were waiting for. I charged emotionally and told the officers there that
it’s like they intended to kill our people and as I was furious and we were
going back to Municipal Boardroom where we had the meeting, the BAT staff
shamelessly told us to take it easy and join the discussion. This was the first
betrayal by not only a son of the soil but a key Local government official
elected by the very suffering people.
Then surfaced the BAT team with the Company Secretary from Kampala only to
declare that they would only give a bag of 100kgs each of flour and beans with
100,000/= as burial expense for each. After a long struggle and when emotions
overran the house, they succumbed to our pressure and gave all that we demanded
then the bodies were taken late in the evening.
The following day our secretary who is a right hand of the fellow who went for
a secret meeting disappeared with the minutes and his phone was out of reach
and the “double standard group” was all of a sudden growing rapidly, the two
key Politicians and their followers teamed up and discovered an opportunity for
satisfying the financial needs.
We had decided that no one talks with BAT apart from the Negotiation committee
but out of the blue, the so called Honourables were fully engaged in private
meetings with BAT and some were sighted at White Castle. To cut the long story
short, these very people are disorganizing everything to date and they inform
BAT of what ever transpires from the Committee to which they have imposed
themselves as Ex-officio members.
When I left Uganda in September for studies, Hon. Saka (DLC Uriama) was the one
responsible for the committee which consulted the tobacco farmers from the
various centres for views to tassel it out with BAT but those who have turned
the situation for getting their own share from the company at the expense of
the blood of their own subjects are making it impossible.
To make matters worse the Top BAT management in Kampala has distanced itself
from all the agreements we made with the Arua staff claiming that they did it
without the guidance of the Company Policy yet it was in the presence of the
Company Secretary who is a professional Lawyer. On top, BAT has given an
accountability of 30,400,000/= expense on the accident Victims yet the actual
amount we used was not even half of this amount. As that is not enough, it
under graded tobacco and cheated on the farmers terribly. Just imagine a farmer
sold tobacco worth 1,350,000 Ug Shs and BAT took 1,200,000 for their loan and
the poor man was left with 150,000/=. This is real and the man is seeking help.
BAT through bribery and ploy further disabled the voice of the farmers by
turning West Nile Tobacco Growers Association into West Nile BAT Farmers
Association and Farmers representatives are appointed and paid BAT staff. That
very day, Farmers Representative was in the
BAT team.
Despite all the frustrations and betrayals by some Local Leaders, Few of the
District Local Councillors in collaboration with some opinion leaders and
Elders are tirelessly working to expose the exploitation of BAT and its allies.
There will be a meeting on 21st February 2010 for the final arrangements of the
Memorial Service to be held at the Scene of the Accident. Our support is
therefore highly needed in all aspects.
Dear comrades, as Fr. Ruffino has said this is really a course for us to
strongly give in our support. It is a bare fact that the people of West Nile
have been taken for granted because they are Lukewarm and they have been
exploited along this line since they don’t have a united voice right from the
grassroots to the Leadership. Our people need to be saved from this evil of BAT
and be sensitized on the fact that every crop is a cash crop. As it is one of
our key Objectives to hold Political and other Local and National Leaders
accountable, we should fully back this battle with BAT and Money Hungry
Politicians.
For God and Our People.
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