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Topic for discussion
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Posts (Latest First)
| Abu Mayanja's words authored by Martine Jemos on 12. April 2005 at 13:39 |
If the current sycophants and cronies of the executive let this happen then it is them that we shall hold responsible.
Many of them know the truth but are afraid to stand up for the right cause because they are cheap.
They buy their way to parliament with little things like waragi,salt,soap,parafin etc.
Many do not have meaningful occupations and see their entry to parliament as a job.
Therefore after they were given 5 million shillings to pass what the executive wants,they will not use their brains to judge what is good for our country.
Remember during his 2001 presidential campaign where M7 said that people should vote for anyone even if he sleeps in parliament but as long as he wakes up and votes for the movement(M7).
Now you have a very disgraced parliament that will go down in our history as the most rotten and corrupt ever.
How I wish that we begin compiling the names of these people who sold their souls because one man wanted a life presidency.
This list is very important because it will help future leaders to avoid the same trap whenever they will see these persons who at that point of time will be political lepers.
Remember Besweri Mulondo's position in the Constituent Assembly?
I wonder whether he is comfortable today?
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| White Paper withdrawn authored by Francis Ssekandi on 12. April 2005 at 05:17 |
Mayanja's Article of 12 April 2005 needs consideration.
The idea of a referendum as a substitute for well considered debate in Parliament of proposed legislation and policies is not democratic. A referendum is normally reserved for major changes, like adopting a constitution but not legislation on a issues like restoring Political Parties which is already guaranteed under the Constitution's requirement for Freedom of Speech.
Francis |
| Gov't White Paper vs Ssempebwa Committe Report authored by Martine Jemos on 11. April 2005 at 13:22 |
This is one of the biggest fraud in Uganda's political history.
It is about one man who influenced a cabinet with many "educated and learned persons" to get a life presidency.
Whoever is writing our history should not miss out the names of the cabinet that endorsed the man's wish.
The list of the compromised members of parliamentarians should also be included for historical purposes.
What a shameful and corrupted era! |
| THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE authored by Mugisa Jared on 3. February 2005 at 11:17 |
Abraham Lincolin said that a house devided against itself can not stand. Language disperiies and discrepancies resulting from ethno-cultural diversity in this country contribute a lot to the problem of the land subjecting the sons of the soil not to withstand winds of all sorts. I would support Kiswahili since no one in this land has a claim to it. It will be for none but for all.
Leave alone the cost for those very concerned. Rome was not built in a day' they say.But also: 'work begun is half done'. It is better to start than to wait.If there are things to wait about, it should not be the unity of Ugandans. Lets begin to forge it here and now.
Jared. |
| Common Man's Chatter authored by Ayai Smith on 31. January 2005 at 18:01 |
http://www.cmc-uganda.net/
Common Man's Chatter is ready for your take on political events unfolding in Uganda. CMC-Uganda is for all and everyone. Serious writers may submit articles to cmc-webmaster@r... Be heard, spread
the word and let citizens understand future stakes under Movementists/Musevenites
Webmaster |
| And What, Pray, Would It Cost? authored by Sebas on 17. December 2004 at 15:47 |
"Lessons should be provided so that if say a Muganda moves to Gulu he can take lessons in Acholi and vis versa.All the school books should be translated in the respective languages or students can have text books in English but be taught in their own languages."
There is the not small matter of cost, Patrick. Right now, we can't provide a decent education for the masses so it seems a little ambitious to try and tack on learning all these language to an already underfunded curriculum. How do you propose to square that circle? |
| Main language authored by Patrick Nokrach on 17. December 2004 at 13:00 |
Its all well to have a national languge but chooisng one language from the other seems unfair since all the trbes want their respective languages to be a national language.
We could still maintain English as a national language since its international.Actually it has its advantages but besides that have the other languages in their respectiive areas.Lessons should be provided so that if say a Muganda moves to Gulu he can take lessons in Acholi and vis versa.All the school books should be translated in the respective languages or students can have text books in English but be taught in their own languages.
Doing this would make Ugandans more adapterble abroad and more educated at home.
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| authored by Patrick Nokrach on 17. December 2004 at 13:00 |
Its all well to have a national languge but chooisng one language from the other seems unfair since all the trbes want their respective languages to be a national language.
We could still maintain English as a national language since its international.Actually it has its advantages but besides that have the other languages in their respectiive areas.Lessons should be provided so that if say a Muganda moves to Gulu he can take lessons in Acholi and vis versa.All the school books should be translated in the respective languages or students can have text books in English but be taught in their own languages.
Doing this would make Ugandans more adapterble abroad and more educated at home.
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| Re: My view of course is SWAHILI. authored by Sebas on 16. December 2004 at 11:19 |
I disagree. Mutawe is right when he says that Swahilli has been badly discredited in Uganda especially among the literatti. There is no likelihood that it will catch on any time soon. Besides, Uganda's chief problem is the lack of teaching facilities which beggars the question: where on earth will the money to teach Swahilli come from?
English falls on the same cost hurdle; there is simply not enough money to teach everyone English.
So, Luganda remains the obvious choice. One can learn Luganda walking down Luwum Street, attending soccer matches, and spending time in Uganda’s bustling taxi park – all relatively inexpensive compared to teaching English in school. Buganda holds all the economic activity and seats of government that matter, so it would be logical to encourage all tribes to learn Luganda – in fact most have done so already and so the net cost to adopt Luganda as the national language would be relatively low. |
| Swahili as African Language then as Ugandan National Language authored by Nicholas Mukama Mbogo on 14. December 2004 at 06:54 |
I have been impressed by the different views about the issue of Uganda adapting a national language and which language could suit Uganda as the national language. I do not intend to underrate the views of the other presenters but it is a complete shock to survey what they are writing and on which angle they do present their ideas. Good enough that this is a debate.
I shall surprise the readers even the more. I am not contributing my idea towards National instead I want to open wide the debate and make it move further, to an International and African language
We should instead talk about African Language which of course will begin as national. I hereby introduce this due to the recent development and change in the East African way of looking at the political situation of Eastern African countries in which they are proposing to have one East African President. This has been the best news I have ever heard since I was born, a move to African Unity.
We as Ugandans, we very well know our History. Any one who does not know, could read or ask those who know more about it. But at the end of the story, we have the most rich and yet the most complicated political and historical background.
In the first place, I wish to comment on the views of the previous writers. James Mulebeke from Pallisa disregarded Mr. Ayaa’s suggestion of Luganda as a Ugandan national language proposing that Uganda being composed of several tribes each with its own language, Luganda would seem to have bought other tribes as to speak their language. This is true, because where we are, as Ugandans with different ethnic backgrounds, this would bring tension. James Mulebeke proposes that we encourage international languages like Swahili and English, but just for official purposes, that is to say, not as a national language.
Then we’ve got J.K. Mutaawe who has said that it should be left alone and a national language will evolve by itself with time. At the same time he seems to be focusing on English since it is widely spoken. He disregards Swahili because of his personal History, he is not yet to the realty of being an African, as though in his tribe there aren’t any rapists or any bad people, and yet they speak his language. He seems to be so much soaked into his own tribal cocoon even saying that, if other people know his language, he and his tribes-people, will not have secrets among themselves like backbiting others, this is funny.
Lastly I have revised the ideas of Benon Kayogo who writes from UK. This gentleman reminds Ugandans to shed their colonial skins and learn Luganda, urges the ministry of Education and sports to have all foreign education material converted to Luganda, that it would offer more local job opportunities.
For me all this evolves in me a big concern. The question in my mind is, what is the use of any language? Any one will say, Communication; Communication for communion and Unity.
Fellow Ugandans. Some people speak English not because they like it just because they were forced. One group of people, I mean the British, did not want to learn our languages, yet they wanted to live among us, but had to force us speak their own language (Colonialism). Among many difficult languages to learn, is English because it has no consistent formula, it is learnt by memorisation and repetition. Personally, from the time I came to be a reasonable person, I have been always uncomfortable with English just because of the way they colonisers forced it on the people and the way they continue to inflict it on the world, just for their gains, and so, I would not ever recommend it as a national language for a constructive country like Uganda, but can remain an official language.
My fellow Ugandans, if there’s a Ugandan that has travelled around the world, in different languages and cultures, then am among them. As Africans, we are expected to be from one country, and yet Africa is a continent. You go to European countries, you find yourself the only black and they bring you a black person, thinking that you can communicate with that person, instead, nothing and they insult us. We are Africans yet we are not United. We cannot talk among ourselves even when we wished to do so because of language barrier. While I was in Rome, (Italy) I used to attend meetings of Kenyans. These people outside their country they are really brothers and sisters. A Kisii will speak with a Kikuyu and with a Mkamba etc. None of these people is forced to speak another’s’ language and yet they can communicate, because they have a national language which is Swahili. Swahili not only Kenyan and this answers the doubts of J.K. Mutaawe. They do not need to learn any of the tribal languages, and English. The same to Tanzania, they are united by one Language. These Africans can sing in one language and jubilate in Swahili and they are at home with one another. Why can’t Ugandans have this value, since we claim to be part of East Africa.
Surprisingly, I also went to a Ugandan meeting in Rome. We were expected to meet the president. We ended up almost fighting because we could not agree and choose which songs to sing to the president simply because we had to learn each one’s language and these languages are very difficult. Some of us suggested English Songs but the Italian sponsors were surprised that we could not speak in a Ugandan language though they expected an African language. What a shame to us Ugandans abroad and inside our Mother country, we are always foreigners to each other. English is not African not even Ugandan. English is for the England people.
At this moment, any reader must have figured out which language am advocating. We have to look for a language that is not colonial and is not from our own tribes and yet the words or pronunciations can be found in each Ugandan and African accentuations. My view of course is SWAHILI. A person like Mutaawe needs to learn Swahili because even he does not know that many studies are carried in Swahili and the word Sorry is in the vocabulary and dictionaries of Swahili. The word Sorry is Samahani. Swahili is not a colonial language though Mutaawe thinks that it of Arabs slave traders. How many abuses did the British inflict on Ugandans, Why did the Mau Mau and the Maji Maji fight, to stop abuses of freedom. Who transported Africans to America. Mutaawe must go back to History lessons. But remember that this does not excuse the Salve traders. Mutaawe might be thinking that English is superior to any African Language. Swahili has the biggest vocabulary from most of the Bantu speaking accentuation from all over Africa especially most of the Western African countries and Southern Countries. Some of the words, yes, have Arabic Roots but English has nothing to do with any African language, not at all. Let us be real and close to ourselves. With this, we shall find that, Swahili can be learnt and spoken by Arabic countries and those close like Sudan, Libya, Eritrea Ethiopia, Somalia, Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania etc as you all know them. Many countries in Africa are trying hard on their own to speak Swahili. These countries include Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi Mozambique and most of the Ugandans including our President who studies in Moshi TZ and Dar es Salaam. Swahili is easy to be an African Language and definitely a Ugandan National. For me, this is very encouraging. I would not wish that we continue to be identified with whites in our Languages yet they only use us for their economic ends, so as to support their ever flourishing economies, by making Africans learn their languages so as to sell their products and if we refuse, they sponsor wars in our continent so that we are always preoccupied by wars and aggression to ourselves and hatred. Italy is developed because they chose to unite their small dialects. It makes me sick that our Passports are written in French and English and those who are responsible for printing then cannot even condition the printers’ company to look into that, that is money given to the developed countries. Uganda, we are only in wars among ourselves, the President is only scared of Ugandans not with foreigners. Thinks he is democratic and does not even respect the Constitution which took a lot of sweat for the Ugandans and instead he is still insisting for the Third term. Tanzania, which is considerably poorer than Uganda, has already matured, she is able to keep her word in the constitution and Kenya is going ahead and for us we are just in wars. Ugandans, let us look for a fulcrum and throw away pride, prejudice hatred among ourselves. Even if we chose Luganda as our national language, that is okay, but we are looking for African Identity, because the whole world knows us as Africans, even black Americans are still referred to as African Americans.
Ladies and Gentlemen, let us think wider. We are Africans. The Europeans divided us. Ugandans cannot even have a political system because of fear of Religious divisions simply because, if we make parties, we see them in terms of Religious sects which is the product of the French and the British. When I came home from abroad I asked a lady selling souvenirs, why the carvings were made ugly and she answered me that if they are beautiful, the Whites would not buy them. This is because when the Europeans and other whites advertise us we are to appear as ugly and yet they run after our beautiful women. Our Unity seems to be determined by the former Colonising countries. In history, even until today, most of the European countries are not friendly because they have fear each other. The French seem to be always enemies to many countries in Europe, and they seem never to be friends to Britain, therefore not to USA. The Germans cannot get along with the Italians etc. And then, it seems to me that, in one way or the other, these countries still have strings attached to our African countries, which they colonised. And so, if a French colonised country is wishing to join to a British colonised country, due to European differences, these two different countries with different colonial background will suffer the influence of the two external pressures and poor African country is lured to hate each other and wars just spring up, and we do not know that the war is just coming from outside. Arms are sold in secret to African governments by their former colonisers and the so-called allies, and we are deceived that our sister African country is a threat yet the colonisers and the so-called allies just make us fight each other. So as to divide us. Then in the end, we are referred to as poor yet they are the ones making us poor. May be ignorance is our first war. What should be kept in mind, is that, at the end the war is not ours but of the Europeans but we kill our brothers and sisters. If developed countries wanted Africans to develop, why for instance, a country like Britain, small as it is, colonised Uganda as a protectorate, and yet even to pass through Britain, just thorough, a Ugandan must first obtain a Visa and yet the British are allowed to come to Uganda and stay there without Visa.
We are forced to rebel against our leaders and later they call them dictators when they are trying to defend us. They give huge amounts of money to our brothers to go and rebel their own leaders. when they see that an African President is not allowing them achieve their interests and the same President when he confronts the African trying to rebel him, the authority is accused because he tries to prevent the outside influence in which sometimes he is forced to kill the rebel or charge him. At the end he is declared a dictator and violator of human rights. I think that, the Abuse of human rights begins from outside. Disunity can be overcome. Let us have one way of communication among ourselves. Let us condition the developed countries to trade with us on our terms. Without Africa, the economy of Europe and America and other developed countries is dead and we shall be like them not any more as beggars and unfortunate but equal as human beings. Have one language, they will learn it. If we will it, it will be so. We shall suffer the beginning but we shall succeed.
Most of Africans still think that we can never be united. Let us will it and our presidents stop receiving personal gifts from developed countries. Let African leaders think African and be there for Africans not for their own stomachs. We shall be united and have one language as Swahili only from Africa and for Africans.
I strongly advise our Presidents that since they are in process of making one East African President, which according to me is a gate to African Unity, then we should not look at the European languages. English should be national only for the British and never for Africans. Let us look at Swahili. Allow Africans to move freely in Africa. America struggled the same way though now, facing another switch into the Spanish language as the second language and they are getting it. Some things must be imposed for the better of the future. If need be, an African language should be imposed.
By: Nicholas Mukama Mbogo
(USA)
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