Midweek Opinion <em>with John Kakande</em>
Aug 19, 2003
I DO not wish to open old wounds, but I have an obligation to respond to attempts by a section of people to rewrite Uganda’s history and portray former dictator Idi Amin who died in Saudi Arabia last Friday, as a national hero deserving recognition.
Stop Glorifying Amin!
I do not wish to open old wounds, but I have an obligation to respond to attempts by a section of people to rewrite Uganda’s history and portray former dictator Idi Amin who died in Saudi Arabia last Friday, as a national hero deserving recognition.
It is intriguing that, during Duwa prayers for the late Amin, the Attorney General Francis Ayume, his predecessor Abu Mayanja and MPs Latif Ssebaggala (Kawempe North) as well as a number of politicians and religious leaders not only praised the ex-dictator, but also tried to exonerate him from any wrongdoing.
It is unfortunate that Ssebaggala could think of proposing a motion in Parliament in honour of Amin, a man who was described as Kijambiya(butcher) due to the massive state-inspired, extra-judicial killings that characterised his reign.
I know that Ayume and Abu Mayanja served in senior positions in the Amin regime. Ayume is also MP for Koboko, the birthplace of Amin. Both are therefore in an awkward situation. But Ayume, the Government’s principal legal advisor (Attorney General), should have refrained from making any comments that may appear to romanticise the Amin regime. If Ayume cannot concede that Amin was a ruthless tyrant, where is the guarantee that he would not close his eyes when the government trampled on rights of the citizens today?
Could this be the reason why flawed Bills have been passed in Parliament, only to be declared null and void by the Constitutional Court?
We should not condone tyranny and injustice no matter who the perpetrator happens to be. We, including religious leaders, have an obligation to condemn tyranny even when the tyrant is one of our own.
Amin may have been a devout Muslim, but he was a tyrant who trampled even on freedom of worship. The remarks attributed to the Church of Uganda Archbishop, Mpalanyi Nkoyoyo, that Amin respected other religious leaders are morally repugnant. Is His Grace implying that those who regard Archbishop Janan Luwum a martyr are wrong? Or am I mistaken to think that a Christian martyr is someone who was persecuted and killed for his religious beliefs?
Some people certainly benefited from the Amin regime. Those who took over the assets and enterprises of departed Asians and the regime’s functionaries.
There are some Asians who so their expulsion, as a blessing in disguise. But this doesn’t negate the fact that Amin was a ruthless tyrant. It is wrong for any political leader to abandon principles for the sake of appeasing a certain constituency.
It is the unprincipled politics that led to the rise of Amin and plunged the country to suffering.
Ends
I do not wish to open old wounds, but I have an obligation to respond to attempts by a section of people to rewrite Uganda’s history and portray former dictator Idi Amin who died in Saudi Arabia last Friday, as a national hero deserving recognition.
It is intriguing that, during Duwa prayers for the late Amin, the Attorney General Francis Ayume, his predecessor Abu Mayanja and MPs Latif Ssebaggala (Kawempe North) as well as a number of politicians and religious leaders not only praised the ex-dictator, but also tried to exonerate him from any wrongdoing.
It is unfortunate that Ssebaggala could think of proposing a motion in Parliament in honour of Amin, a man who was described as Kijambiya(butcher) due to the massive state-inspired, extra-judicial killings that characterised his reign.
I know that Ayume and Abu Mayanja served in senior positions in the Amin regime. Ayume is also MP for Koboko, the birthplace of Amin. Both are therefore in an awkward situation. But Ayume, the Government’s principal legal advisor (Attorney General), should have refrained from making any comments that may appear to romanticise the Amin regime. If Ayume cannot concede that Amin was a ruthless tyrant, where is the guarantee that he would not close his eyes when the government trampled on rights of the citizens today?
Could this be the reason why flawed Bills have been passed in Parliament, only to be declared null and void by the Constitutional Court?
We should not condone tyranny and injustice no matter who the perpetrator happens to be. We, including religious leaders, have an obligation to condemn tyranny even when the tyrant is one of our own.
Amin may have been a devout Muslim, but he was a tyrant who trampled even on freedom of worship. The remarks attributed to the Church of Uganda Archbishop, Mpalanyi Nkoyoyo, that Amin respected other religious leaders are morally repugnant. Is His Grace implying that those who regard Archbishop Janan Luwum a martyr are wrong? Or am I mistaken to think that a Christian martyr is someone who was persecuted and killed for his religious beliefs?
Some people certainly benefited from the Amin regime. Those who took over the assets and enterprises of departed Asians and the regime’s functionaries.
There are some Asians who so their expulsion, as a blessing in disguise. But this doesn’t negate the fact that Amin was a ruthless tyrant. It is wrong for any political leader to abandon principles for the sake of appeasing a certain constituency.
It is the unprincipled politics that led to the rise of Amin and plunged the country to suffering.
Ends