I read an article published yesterday in The Investigator News. One Patrick Semambo claims that the nationalist policies that my father Amin implemented since 1972 were the reason for today's endemic corruption. I will not dwelve in the economic statistics and the record per capita income rise that Ugandans experienced under Amin. In fact let me table the matter as colloquially as possible for the good man of God. When someone who had been purposely deprived of capital and economic emancipation is given not only the fish, but also the net and the boat to catch more fish and thereby develop himself and his family, isn't it equivalent to God sent manna from heaven? While the entire continent is blaming colonialism for Africa's misfortunes, how can one say that Amin's nationalist policies that uprooted economic colonialism, were wrong? He actually ensured the economic prosperity that Ugandans can enjoy today.The people, and not the government, are the ones who run the economy even today. If they had to learn back then, well so be it. All elders know the abuse, segregation, plunder, exploitation and poverty that was eradicated by Amin in 1972 and that they had suffered under the colonialist system even after the country's independence. As for corruption, everyone knows that there was hardly any corruption during the Amin days. As I have said recently, the best example of how the scourge was contained is the style adopted by Tanzania's President Magufuli today. Surprise inspections, no impunity, proper accountability and no wastage. That is exactly what my father was doing from 1971 to 1979. Unfortunately, all the regimes that came after Amin then destroyed, looted, mismanaged and stole all state assets that the Field Marshal had left in pristine shape when he flew to Libya and then later Saudi Arabia. These regimes that ruled since 1979 were all living abroad during Amin's reign, and therefore came with their unpatriotic behaviours from there. I call this group, the Oboteism group (those who fought to bring back Obote but claimed it was national liberation). They have been running the country from 1979 to today, regardless of who was in charge at any given time. Plus they all suffer the same confused state of mind on this matter: Trying and failing miserably to convince the average Ugandan that Amin was wrong to empower Ugandan citizens economically. I urge Pastor Semambo to search for a video of Kampala road 1960's (whites and Indians only) and compare it to Uganda's black and multi-racial Kampala today. One would be forgiven for thinking that in the 1950's and 60's, Kampala road was in Apartheid Johanesburg, where by deliberate segregation policies, indigenous Ugandans were kept off the central business district. Does anyone remember that colonialism had specifically forbidden blacks to run businesses? And thereby given the entire economic advantage to those they unilaterally chose, and who they shipped from Asia? How can any normal African give excuses for that state of affairs. It is fair to observe that such apologists for economic colonialism, like the pastor and fellow Oboteism politicians since 1979, truly lack any iota of pan-african consciousness. Today, 37 years later, I see Museveni finally getting up and copying the same surprise visits & random checks which proved positive for running an efficient public service that actually delivered quality services under Amin. A system that is also now starting to work so well for Tanzania. The difference is that Mr. Museveni has long been known for promoting corrupt officials instead. The general perception that the Ugandan public has seen over and over again, is people tainted by corruption, scandal after scandal, yet they keep being appointed to senior public offices and ministerial positions. So why would anyone blame a good Samaritan (Amin) for the thiefs habits? I hear some of them grew up regularly stealing during their youth prior to Amin. A recent study published online last month proved that when citizens see their leaders practicing corruption with impunity, the whole society is more likely to become corrupt as well. The proof of the pudding here is that today society has been.tending to consider the big thief as a "sharp" person, while the honest patriotic citizen is being looked at as a "stupid" individual. So dear Pastor Patrick Semambo, as a Godly man you know better than I that telling hard truths might make you loose some friends, but it gets you real ones. Why would you want to give the corrupt an excuse that will only worsen the plague? How does your assertion help the future? Though it could appear as if you are trying to reduce the problem, what you are saying could be helping to perpetuate the corruption cancer. There are other people who have excelled in what I recently called "breeding and maintaining mediocrity with learned excuses and intellectalized justifications"? These include perceived legalities and even law. Yet it is just plain shameless theft. A creature that has also infected the electoral sector. It has made the once promising Ugandan democracy now look like a bold multi-billion dollar scam fueled by greed and selfishness and a skewed idea of entitlement on state and national resources. Kindly let thieves carry their own cross rather than whitewash such serious ills that actually affect countless Ugandans, and with grave consequences that I may not have time to fully enumerate for you in terms of the Ugandan lives being lost as I write this. So please remember to make sure you call a spade a spade.
_______________________________________________ WestNileNet mailing list [email protected] http://orion.kym.net/mailman/listinfo/westnilenet
WestNileNet 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. _______________________________________________
