Prof Bukenya was not wrong, I believe
Dec 14, 2004
SIR— We have lately been reading about Vice-President Gilbert Bukenya entering a shrine and saying prayers there. Going by the volume of the public reactions in the press, it is an issue to many.
SIR— We have lately been reading about Vice-President Gilbert Bukenya entering a shrine and saying prayers there. Going by the volume of the public reactions in the press, it is an issue to many.
However, even if the reaction is all well and good, in my view, Prof Bukenya’s going praying in a traditional shrine should not be an issue.
I don’t believe that this should really compromise Bukenya’s political standing because it is a sign of the maturity of Ugandan politics now. He was the voluntary ‘political meter’ for the Government in terms of emancipation.
As a Christian, I do not think that we have any right to determine the right way of worship for other people.
It is time we took our egoistic religious beliefs out of the politics of our country and began to respect other beliefs, so long as they do not harm people like Kibwetere’s cult did.
Uganda has come a long way to reach this stage. As the youth, we respect the elders of the Movement who have been able to achieve this for us.
Borrowing a phrase from the Pennsylvania Constitution and Bill of Rights, “All men have a natural and unalienable right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences and understanding:
And that no man ought or of right can be compelled to attend any religious worship or erect or support any place of worship or maintain any ministry, contrary to, or against, his own free will and consent:
Nor can any man, who acknowledges the being of a God, be justly deprived or abridged of any civil right as a citizen, on account of his religious sentiments or peculiar mode of religious worship:
And that no authority can or ought to be vested in, or assumed by any power whatever, that shall in any case interfere with, or in any manner control, the right of conscience in the free exercise of religious worship.â€
This, I believe, should be going down even to the schools which tend to limit the leadership qualities of the young students to their religious affiliations. We have to accept that we have no right to impede the abilities of the future political leaders of this country.
Prof Bukenya wanted to tell the people that we are free to live our individual true life. Why pretend to be what you are not?
The success out of the liberation has been to claim political freedom, improved governance and social progress. So why should we limit ourselves when we have not enjoyed half of that success? The way a growing democracy like Uganda can destroy its freedom is by making sharp divisions between the traditional citizens and those of the colonial legacy.
As we get to the transition period, religion to Ugandans should simply be the spirit in which we go about life.
With that, I will say to Prof Bukenya, encourage the people not to spend time discussing religion but let the real religiosity of man reign.
Andrew Kiiza
University of New Brunswick Canada
However, even if the reaction is all well and good, in my view, Prof Bukenya’s going praying in a traditional shrine should not be an issue.
I don’t believe that this should really compromise Bukenya’s political standing because it is a sign of the maturity of Ugandan politics now. He was the voluntary ‘political meter’ for the Government in terms of emancipation.
As a Christian, I do not think that we have any right to determine the right way of worship for other people.
It is time we took our egoistic religious beliefs out of the politics of our country and began to respect other beliefs, so long as they do not harm people like Kibwetere’s cult did.
Uganda has come a long way to reach this stage. As the youth, we respect the elders of the Movement who have been able to achieve this for us.
Borrowing a phrase from the Pennsylvania Constitution and Bill of Rights, “All men have a natural and unalienable right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences and understanding:
And that no man ought or of right can be compelled to attend any religious worship or erect or support any place of worship or maintain any ministry, contrary to, or against, his own free will and consent:
Nor can any man, who acknowledges the being of a God, be justly deprived or abridged of any civil right as a citizen, on account of his religious sentiments or peculiar mode of religious worship:
And that no authority can or ought to be vested in, or assumed by any power whatever, that shall in any case interfere with, or in any manner control, the right of conscience in the free exercise of religious worship.â€
This, I believe, should be going down even to the schools which tend to limit the leadership qualities of the young students to their religious affiliations. We have to accept that we have no right to impede the abilities of the future political leaders of this country.
Prof Bukenya wanted to tell the people that we are free to live our individual true life. Why pretend to be what you are not?
The success out of the liberation has been to claim political freedom, improved governance and social progress. So why should we limit ourselves when we have not enjoyed half of that success? The way a growing democracy like Uganda can destroy its freedom is by making sharp divisions between the traditional citizens and those of the colonial legacy.
As we get to the transition period, religion to Ugandans should simply be the spirit in which we go about life.
With that, I will say to Prof Bukenya, encourage the people not to spend time discussing religion but let the real religiosity of man reign.
Andrew Kiiza
University of New Brunswick Canada