After 20 years, can’t we sing a better song?
Jan 28, 2006
SIR — Heavy tanks and military artillery were displayed on Thursday during the celebrations to mark 20 years of the NRM. The message this was supposed to convey was that Uganda is militarily invincible.
SIR — Heavy tanks and military artillery were displayed on Thursday during the celebrations to mark 20 years of the NRM. The message this was supposed to convey was that Uganda is militarily invincible.
I don’t know whether that is true or not because I am not a soldier butI don’t need to be one because there is history to go by.
Idi Amin had more awesome weapons and more deadly soldiers but bakamutwara ayekoireire emikono (he was driven out with his hands on his head). Uganda’s militaristic history in her politics is not something we should be proud of.
The military might displayed on Thursday during this transitional period, far from comforting the citizens, might have the opposite effect bearing in mind the accusations doing the rounds about the lifting of the presidential term limits. Weapons are just weapons and cannot operate themselves.
Besides, they are very costly and I believe necessary only because people are ruled by their egos, are dishonest and unwilling to listen to each other. If Joseph Kony has been defeated, why are people in northern Uganda still living in sub-human internally displaced people’s camps?
Some people might interpret the display of the weapons as intimidation by the government. That is very unfortunate because those weapons are bought with poor taxpayer’s money. Surely, 20 years down the road we should be singing a better song!
James P. Kwesiga
Ntungamo
I don’t know whether that is true or not because I am not a soldier butI don’t need to be one because there is history to go by.
Idi Amin had more awesome weapons and more deadly soldiers but bakamutwara ayekoireire emikono (he was driven out with his hands on his head). Uganda’s militaristic history in her politics is not something we should be proud of.
The military might displayed on Thursday during this transitional period, far from comforting the citizens, might have the opposite effect bearing in mind the accusations doing the rounds about the lifting of the presidential term limits. Weapons are just weapons and cannot operate themselves.
Besides, they are very costly and I believe necessary only because people are ruled by their egos, are dishonest and unwilling to listen to each other. If Joseph Kony has been defeated, why are people in northern Uganda still living in sub-human internally displaced people’s camps?
Some people might interpret the display of the weapons as intimidation by the government. That is very unfortunate because those weapons are bought with poor taxpayer’s money. Surely, 20 years down the road we should be singing a better song!
James P. Kwesiga
Ntungamo