What is the matter with Israel?

Dec 27, 2003

AM I losing my grip, or did small green men carry me many light days in their spacecraft before returning me to Mother Earth?

ONE MAN'S WEEK By John Nagenda

AM I losing my grip, or did small green men carry me many light days in their spacecraft before returning me to Mother Earth?

Either way I missed events at the UN regarding Israel and Palestine which still have me scratching my thinning hair. Hands up anyone who has heard of the following words: Micronesia, Nauru, Palau.

No, they are not misspellings of Amnesia, Naguru, Pilao (rice). They are sovereign countries, although I could not place them on the map if my life depended on it.

But add Costa Rica — famous the world over for having no army whatsoever — and the Marshall Islands, no doubt part of the Marshall Plan, and then our own dear Uganda, and a picture begins to emerge, completed by Israel and the United States.

Although I only heard about it this Monday, the eight nations above voted against 155 others in a December 3 United Nations General Assembly resolution, criticising Israel’s measures in Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, and also giving support to Palestinians.

It declared that Israeli actions to impose laws, jurisdiction and administration on the holy city are “illegal and therefore null and void and have no validity whatsoever”. It called for international actions to guarantee freedom of religion and access by all people and nationalities to the holy city (my emphasis).

The text on the peaceful settlement of the Palestine question was voted for by 160, with four against (including Uganda), and six abstentions.

Uganda abstained in two more votes. Thankfully, when it came to a “Vote on Illegal Israeli Actions in Occupied Palestinian Territory” Uganda was back with the majority of 133 in favour - including the UK - to 4 against (Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Israel, US), and 15 abstentions.

When the dust settles, God willing we shall understand Uganda’s deep intent on Palestine and Israel.
* * *
As you slide through Christmas and the dwindling days of the year, the urgency of daily business seems to seep away almost like a slowing of blood itself. It is, in truth, rather languorous and pleasant; the poet Keats’ “drowsy numbness”.

By the first week of the new year the bustle will return, but for now you might as well shut up shop and many do. This year not quite!

On Monday my friend Eriya Kategaya subjected himself to that gadfly (mischievous gadabout) Andrew Mwenda and his radio show. The fur was bound to fly, and did. It was not a new subject, being mostly about the Third Term.

To put it at its most basic Kategaya thought President Museveni not only wanted to run for a third term but was in fact engineering for it, through a change in the Constitution itself.

How did Kategaya know this? But he was completely against such a move, and once more gave his reasons.

Your columnist has pointed out that Museveni has never said he would run again (indeed I have laid some hefty bets that he won’t) but has said that he believes the maximum two-term period is restrictive. This time Kategaya reiterated in words of short syllables that he would openly support a rival to Museveni should the President run in 2006.

More, he himself might stand, if people asked him to! Reader, I flapped about like a chicken on a hot tin roof, for some, probably very many, will surely ask him.

What then? For me the shiver-inducing question is this: will then the President and his top lieutenant joust head to head, with the Movement ground shaking below them? Perish the thought!

For how would the Movement be a winner in such a case? In the absence of God coming this Christmas and pouring healing oils on the many bruises, it is up to us, the Movementists, to do the job.

Otherwise, such is the crucial nature of what must be achieved, Christmas otherwise becomes almost
an irrelevance.
* * *
But there is, as the cliché says, a silver lining to every cloud. The Monitor brought us the Kategaya story on the Tuesday; the same day Vision led with the front page headline, “Parties Set Talks Terms”.

Set terms to whom? Underneath was a rather impressive picture of eight sombre gents. Upon closer inspection they turned out to be, from left to right, Kibirige Mayanja, Paul Ssemogerere, James Rwanyarare, Joseph Balikuddembe, Chapaa Karuhanga, Frederick Jjuuko, Sam Njuba, Nsubuga Nsambu. In other words, the usual suspects. I have the picture before me as I write, six Baganda and two token Banyankore!

How wonderful to receive this picture on the very day of doom and gloom about where the Movement might be headed.

Immediately the clouds lifted, as did my spirits. For none of the “leaders” pictured could by
the wildest stretch of
the imagination be seen as potential president of our country.

No doubt most of them decent, harmless folk, but
presidents! Most interesting thing was that Paul Ssemogerere, the oldest, looked by some mysterious elixir, the youngest.

(How do you do it, Paul?) A Happy New Year to these personalities,
and indeed to all the rest of us whom they will never lead; including the Pikes, with whom I shall end with a story of a Christmas years ago. We were bid to their home on Malcolm X. It was to be turkey. But what a turkey! Mrs tried to cut it, failed.

Pike took over. Sweat poured on the bird from his efforts. Finally Pike, gasping, managed to extract some portions. We clapped and fell to. Part of my front tooth disappeared in the chewing. Ah, memory.

www.onemansweek.com

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});