Museveni’s Bunyoro stand must not be condemned
Aug 04, 2009
<b>By John Banalya</b><br><br>President Museveni’s stand on Bunyoro land should not be condemned by opposition parliamentarians, but rather considered as a well intentioned statement that fell short of solving the troubled land question in Uganda.
By John Banalya
President Museveni’s stand on Bunyoro land should not be condemned by opposition parliamentarians, but rather considered as a well intentioned statement that fell short of solving the troubled land question in Uganda.
Obote failed to solve it through the 1960 referendum. Amin’s land decrees violated more rights than they protected. Museveni is not succeeding after 23 years in power. Kiiza Besigye or Sebaana Kizito if voted in power tomorrow may not solve it unless the social, economic and political fundamentals are addressed. Politicising land is no brainer.
I come from Jinja where each year thousands of migrant workers from West Nile and other areas are brought in by Madhvani to work in his sugar factory.
Later the successful ones buy land, establish families, intermarry with the Basoga and stand for political office without disharmony. Voluntarily they learn Lusoga which they use to campaign. Usually they succeed as exemplified by three-term LC3 chairman for Kakira, John Kamau whom MP Migereko begs for support.
I remember in 1994, these migrant workers enabled Victoria Sekitoleko to win the Butembe constituency because she argued their case, emphasising that denying any person a right to register and vote in Jinja because he is not a Musoga was contrary to the spirit of nationalism.
Harry Kasigwa, a non-Musoga whose parents came from western Uganda to work in Jinja and later settled in the area has been voted as MP for Jinja for two terms by the Basoga because of his character and content of political thought.
Museveni’s suggestion that leadership should be restricted only to the Banyoro in Bunyoro is contrary to the spirit of nationalism and Pan-Africanism to which he subscribes. Progressive societies like America have vehemently opposed such leanings that smack of discrimination.
That is why Hispanics are in leadership in California without much bother by the Caucasian whites as those Hispanics who are elected to power consider it an honour to lead in a country where their parents were migrants and end up doing a good job as showed by the re-election of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa who controls a $9.1b budget.
Nationalism refers to patriotic sentiments of people of a common historical background to assert their right to determine their social, political and economic destiny.
The Bakiga, Banyoro,Banyankole, Baganda and other Ugandans have been affected by the same politico-socio and economic experiences in the last 40 years. What unites them is more than what divides them. Colonialism should be blamed less in this vein.
Museveni’s suggestion that the area should be developed is a salient one in that should Bunyoro have well developed factories like those at Kakira in Jinja, then land would seize to be the main source of occupation and people will have a livelihood through factories.
The people are likely to unite around demand for a higher minimum wage than which tribe the local leader belongs to. Setting up of good facilities like schools, hospitals and hotels that come with localisation of industries would also provide jobs for those not interested in being on the assembly line in a factory and hence lead to a prosperous region.
One cannot even rule out granting Banyoro some autonomy to manage their resources. As oil is found in the region, the region should be granted some powers to manage their resources to avoid exploitation as has been the case among the Oguni people in Nigeria.
With the oil factories providing jobs, the tension between the Bakiga and Banyoro are likely to diminish. But the question remains: With semi-autonomous power being granted to Bunyoro, shouldn’t Buganda be offered the same? What of Busoga with their dams generating power. What about the gold in Karamoja? Shouldn’t the Karimojong have some autonomy? With the Acholi’s feeling marginalised, shouldn’t they be offered more power to govern themselves and lessen the blame? Is it contradictory to be a nationalist and a federalist? The answer is no.
An autonomous area is a region of a country that has a degree of power or freedom from an external authority. Typically, it is either geographically distinct from the country or is populated by a national minority. Countries that include autonomous areas are often federations and trust me they deliver better services and are responsive to the people.
Many have argued that Uganda is too small to be a federal state. That is wrong. I live in the New Hampshire state of the US with a population of hardly a million but with a budget of $10b dollars which is three times that of Uganda. Massachusets with institutions like Havard University and Masschussets, Institute of Technology has seven million people but runs a budget of over $280b. Maine, at the border with Canada, has a population of 1.3 million and Vermont has a population of 621,000 people. But in semi-autonomous status they address their differences and in the name of America they come together as nationalists. Uganda should follow suit.
President Museveni’s stand on Bunyoro land should not be condemned by opposition parliamentarians, but rather considered as a well intentioned statement that fell short of solving the troubled land question in Uganda.
Obote failed to solve it through the 1960 referendum. Amin’s land decrees violated more rights than they protected. Museveni is not succeeding after 23 years in power. Kiiza Besigye or Sebaana Kizito if voted in power tomorrow may not solve it unless the social, economic and political fundamentals are addressed. Politicising land is no brainer.
I come from Jinja where each year thousands of migrant workers from West Nile and other areas are brought in by Madhvani to work in his sugar factory.
Later the successful ones buy land, establish families, intermarry with the Basoga and stand for political office without disharmony. Voluntarily they learn Lusoga which they use to campaign. Usually they succeed as exemplified by three-term LC3 chairman for Kakira, John Kamau whom MP Migereko begs for support.
I remember in 1994, these migrant workers enabled Victoria Sekitoleko to win the Butembe constituency because she argued their case, emphasising that denying any person a right to register and vote in Jinja because he is not a Musoga was contrary to the spirit of nationalism.
Harry Kasigwa, a non-Musoga whose parents came from western Uganda to work in Jinja and later settled in the area has been voted as MP for Jinja for two terms by the Basoga because of his character and content of political thought.
Museveni’s suggestion that leadership should be restricted only to the Banyoro in Bunyoro is contrary to the spirit of nationalism and Pan-Africanism to which he subscribes. Progressive societies like America have vehemently opposed such leanings that smack of discrimination.
That is why Hispanics are in leadership in California without much bother by the Caucasian whites as those Hispanics who are elected to power consider it an honour to lead in a country where their parents were migrants and end up doing a good job as showed by the re-election of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa who controls a $9.1b budget.
Nationalism refers to patriotic sentiments of people of a common historical background to assert their right to determine their social, political and economic destiny.
The Bakiga, Banyoro,Banyankole, Baganda and other Ugandans have been affected by the same politico-socio and economic experiences in the last 40 years. What unites them is more than what divides them. Colonialism should be blamed less in this vein.
Museveni’s suggestion that the area should be developed is a salient one in that should Bunyoro have well developed factories like those at Kakira in Jinja, then land would seize to be the main source of occupation and people will have a livelihood through factories.
The people are likely to unite around demand for a higher minimum wage than which tribe the local leader belongs to. Setting up of good facilities like schools, hospitals and hotels that come with localisation of industries would also provide jobs for those not interested in being on the assembly line in a factory and hence lead to a prosperous region.
One cannot even rule out granting Banyoro some autonomy to manage their resources. As oil is found in the region, the region should be granted some powers to manage their resources to avoid exploitation as has been the case among the Oguni people in Nigeria.
With the oil factories providing jobs, the tension between the Bakiga and Banyoro are likely to diminish. But the question remains: With semi-autonomous power being granted to Bunyoro, shouldn’t Buganda be offered the same? What of Busoga with their dams generating power. What about the gold in Karamoja? Shouldn’t the Karimojong have some autonomy? With the Acholi’s feeling marginalised, shouldn’t they be offered more power to govern themselves and lessen the blame? Is it contradictory to be a nationalist and a federalist? The answer is no.
An autonomous area is a region of a country that has a degree of power or freedom from an external authority. Typically, it is either geographically distinct from the country or is populated by a national minority. Countries that include autonomous areas are often federations and trust me they deliver better services and are responsive to the people.
Many have argued that Uganda is too small to be a federal state. That is wrong. I live in the New Hampshire state of the US with a population of hardly a million but with a budget of $10b dollars which is three times that of Uganda. Massachusets with institutions like Havard University and Masschussets, Institute of Technology has seven million people but runs a budget of over $280b. Maine, at the border with Canada, has a population of 1.3 million and Vermont has a population of 621,000 people. But in semi-autonomous status they address their differences and in the name of America they come together as nationalists. Uganda should follow suit.