The great curse of the 1986 ‘revolution’ exposed
By M. Suleman
20th Dec 2010
Ugandans are humble people. Full of respect and humility too! From the educational institutions we went through, we always respected those who excelled. And in many cases, these were the people elected to be prefects or student leaders; regardless of the region or religion they are associated with.
Such leaders often joined the public service, while others, in later years, joined politics to form a cream of leaders which the country revered until 1986 when we all know what happened. Before 1986, the civil service exhibited those admirable qualities and values that reflect our culture as a nation.
But from 1986 onwards, Uganda got a new breed of leaders; very proud of their bush war achievements, and very proud of having the best ideas on how to manage a country. But above all, this new breed has gone out of its way to assert that their families are endowed with special abilities which other Ugandans don’t possess.
In fact, these families are so special that a Makerere trained Doctor can never be trusted with the task of treating them when they fall sick or when they need to give birth to some “presidential grandchildren”.
Even Idi Amin never contemplated such things for his wives, daughters, sons, or friends. Since independence, and before 1986, Ugandans and non Ugandans alike had full and equal access to the public service. It was never as exclusive as Museveni’s public service is today.
Ugandans were a sincere people; especially when they were entrusted with positions of responsibility. It’s this sincerity that had always made many of our professionals excel in the positions they were offered across the globe.
Whenever a Ugandan was given an opportunity to serve, he/she would make an impact and would make the country proud as a result. Integrity, dedication, and perfection were our unique and enduring national trademarks.
Today we have a different Uganda. A Uganda where it is normal to lie; to steal in broad daylight and be proud of it! In fact, our new 1986 culture of stealing in broad daylight has even spilled beyond Uganda’s boarders.
For that 1986 culture of theft, we as a people are yet to pay $10billion to the DRC as ordered by the International Court of Justice in Hague; all because our wonderful 1986 “liberators” went and robbed DRC in broad daylight!
From the President himself, down to the rank and file; the situation is not any different. Under Museveni’s personal stewardship, and leadership in fact, Uganda has become a country of dishonest unaccountable thieves.
Let’s start with Museveni himself. In 1986, he promised Ugandans “fundamental change” from autocracy to democracy. But twenty five years down the road, the recent WikiLeaks saga has revealed to us beyond doubt that the US government thinks Museveni is an autocratic president. That clearly means that the “fundamental change” promise of 1986 was merely a cruel joke and insult to Ugandans.
’Bonna bagagawale’ is another naked example of deceit. How does the President intend to make people for whom he wants to build pit latrines rich overnight? How can he make people who are dying of jiggers rich? The truth is that since 1986, the number of rich Ugandans has steadily decreased as the 1986 millionaires become richer and richer.
What makes it even more painful is that the 1986 thieves are not yet, and may never get satisfied. They are stealing more and more public funds that would have helped the very poor people Museveni wants to make rich. What an insult! The truth is that ’Bonna bagagawale’ should be renamed ‘Bonna baavuwale’; or let all be poor.
While the regime is throwing around cooked statistics of Uganda’s ‘great progress’ since 1986, the naked truth is Ugandans have only survived because of donor funds. Many parents can’t afford to pay both primary and secondary school fees; let alone pay for their children to have a decent meal while at school. The great curse of the 1986 revolution has been exposed by the ‘revolutionaries’ themselves.
The leaders who are supposed to be the fountain of integrity have themselves degenerated into ordinary down town cheats or ‘bayaye’ as the Baganda would say. So how can Ugandans be proud of being Ugandans with such a state of affairs?
Before 1986, true Ugandan patriots not only loved themselves but they loved Uganda [The Pearl of Africa] too. Today we are ashamed of identifying ourselves as Ugandans before foreigners. That cannot be right and must be stopped immediately with this election.
Before 1986, the preservation and protection of our country was a collective responsibility spearheaded by a nationalistic government. Since 1986, Uganda ceased to belong to us all and the government ceased to be the people’s Trustee. Museveni and his government bestowed the ownership of the country to themselves. Everything Ugandan is being chopped to pieces and sold off.
At this rate, Uganda as we knew it will soon cease to exist and we must not allow that to happen. I believe when Olara Otunnu says we need to “claim back our country”, this exactly what he means. That makes removing Museveni from power through hook or crook a matter of life and death for all Ugandans.
“The will of a man is stronger than a bomb”, China’s legendary Chairman Mao once said. So let’s do it in this election. END. Please log into www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories and anytime mid-week for our news updates.
