By M. Suleman

27^th Feb 2012:

File photo: Could we see more of this?

Former Ministers Bbumba and Kiddu Makubuya must have felt a great sense of relief when they eventually took the decision to resign over their alleged roles in the payment of 142 billion Shillings to controversial city businessman Hassan Bassajjabalaba.

Not only had Members of Parliament called for their prosecution, some had even shockingly demanded that the duo be hanged!  I think Ugandans need to be sufficiently concerned when their representatives get to a point where they demand the highest penalty for public officials accused of causing serious financial loss to the people of Uganda.

It’s easy to dismiss the crimes allegedly committed by the two Ministers as mere economic crimes.  However, when you look at it carefully, you quickly realise that the whole Bassajja saga involves huge amounts of money which could have been used to buy tons of medicine for our hospitals and thus save thousands lives.

The MPs who forced the Ministers to resign could have rightly asked themselves this simple question:  If so many innocent Ugandans have lost their lives because of poor medical services across the country, then why should people who may have been vicariously complicit in their death be allowed to live?  That is a very legitimate question.

Unfortunately, the nation will find it almost impossible to adopt such punitive action against the suspects because Museveni’s NRM government has now proved beyond any reasonable doubt that it would be politically dangerous for it to take tough action against its thousands of disgustingly corrupt cadres.

Ugandans have not forgotten the regime’s grabbing of government houses, the grabbing of civil servants houses like the Bugolobi flats, and many others.  Uganda Commercial Bank [UCB], Coffee Marketing board, and all the former Uganda Hotels went down kicking and screaming into the NRM’s legendary corruption sewer.

Put differently, nearly every piece of real estate or business that had the names ‘Uganda’ on it has been forcefully grabbed from Ugandans by Museveni’s thieving officials.  NRM cadres in URA, in the security services, in the Public Service etc have by virtue of their ‘sacrifices’ in the 1981-86 guerrilla war been allowed to freely siphon public funds to enrich themselves, families, and friends.

Public frustration and anger is building and about to peak as more and more NRM corruption is unearthed by the 9^th parliament.  Public frustration and anger is also growing over the senseless massacres currently being carried out by security forces.

Since September 2009 when 30 Baganda youth were gunned down in cold blood, it seems indiscriminate killing has now been adopted as an official government policy.  Ugandans were shocked when, instead of sending condolences to bereaved families, Museveni spent most of his time trying justifying the actions of his trigger happy security operatives.

In fact, he went even further and warned that more will be killed if similar protests are carried out.  Gen. Kayihura also issued the same chilling warning to Ugandans.  And they have kept their promises.  Since September 2009, our brothers and sisters have been massacred in cold blood every time they try to protest.  In all cases, the government has shown no remorse but eagerness to kill more.

Even before 2009, Museveni’s NRA/NRM government had massacred thousands of Ugandan citizens.  All those incidents are well documented and there is no need for me to go through them again.  But arrogance that accompanies NRM murders these days is totally unprecedented.

It’s all the more painful because the security men who kill our people in broad day light today are well known.  Those who issue the orders to kill are well known.  Those who cheer the killers are well known. The killers’ children, relatives, and friends are all well known.  We know their tribes and where exactly they come from.  Above all, we know their protector in chief – a nasty piece of work called Yoweri Kaguta Museveni!

The big question therefore is:  What punishment will the long suffering people of Uganda demand for these perpetrators of crimes against humanity when, not if, Museveni is finally forced off the seat of power by people power on the mighty hand of Allah the most Almighty.  We all know what happened in Rwanda when President Habyarimana fell.

Whatever scenario, one fact is clear:  With the current level of anger among millions of Ugandans, there is serious bloodshed looming in the air!  President Yoweri Museveni has however maintained that the national army the UPDF now has capacity to decisively deal with any threats to national stability.  END.  Please login to www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories and anytime mid-week for our news updates.