Let me now praise a famous man

CORONAVIRUS | POLITICAL RELATIONS

In this and other columns, I will now with no apology praise famous Africans, who live so that the continent might do the same.

They absolutely do not deal in self-praise, nor do they need it and for my part, what's more it will be done of my own Free Will! But when others, who to my mind fancy themselves of the same breed (as the famous), you will not ­find them here, save in terms of bitter lament.

Fortunately, people do sometimes change; although not always for the better! True ambitions have seldom been a bad thing to possess, but the manner employed as you go about it matters. Unsel­fishness must always be to the fore among the truly great.

Let's go! When and where did coronavirus ­first show its ugly presence? The arrow seems directed at China, around last December or thereabouts. Pigs, which is the staple food of the Chinese (I have been to China many times, and been honourably treated and fed on these, although not better than our own Ms. Fang Min and her Ugandan and Chinese staff in Kampala).

The pigs might in some way have led to this pandemic, not that I am in any way blaming Fang or her staff here in Uganda! Talking about China, inevitably leads to Hong Kong, whose population is undergoing great pressure from the Chinese mainland, whose Government is pressurising the Hong Kong island (now fully part of the mainland, although the previous Agreement with China gives Hong Kong another over 20 years to go, with Hong Kong citizens having special rights from the remainder of China.

There have been all sorts of strikes over this, with China changing its Constitution, which in effect promises dire results to all Chinese ignoring any part of the new Constitution, the strongest part of it promising Life Imprisonment for its breakers. Britain overall has promised eventual Citizenship to 3, 000, 0000 Chinese who cannot stomach this! Will it come eventually to less than one child per Chinese-Briton, when ­ finally settled in England? The mind boggles!

To attach a paragraph concerning another (another?) Communistic Nation, Russia. All this time lately, Auntie BBC has been broadcasting news about Russia. It arises from President Vladimir Putin's chances of winning the vote to extend his around 20-odd years of his rulership of Russia, bringing it to 36 in all. I laughed until I sobbed! All these "expert" broadcasts. Some went even further: proffering it as a close-run thing. Are they really ignorant of the power Putin wields back Home? When the result came in, BBC was literally crying that it was an overwhelmingly Putin's victory! Oh really! Can pigs fly? How had the experts so completely misread the Putin swagger from start to end? Probably by living in exaggerated hopes through and through! Poor old Aunt! Russia hasn't had such a good thinker and planner as Putin, since before Stalin; a killer to boot! 

I think we should get to what I had expected to be the starter, according to my heading, but the present (or once) Communist, Nations of Russia and China, (or China and Russia) won in the end this week. And they did it easily, against their two leading Peroxide Blondes! Where does Earth stand? Let us go to ­ figures of some of the other nations and compare!

Uganda in our carefully kept books stands at nil deaths in the coronavirus pandemic, although in this ominously poised game you cannot take a deep breath. But this is such an amazing ­ figure, to ponder through countries especially: America, Brazil, Spain, Italy, China, UK and South Africa on our own Continent. I am tempted to shift through the hasty graves and judge without pausing those who must bear the gravest admonition.

Far be it from me. Even those who rest on Prayer do it with muted despair, but do it, because most other measures have been tried but in vain.

This is why I return to the beginning and say yet again, "Let me now praise a Famous Man", knowing again that I may be putting weights on his feet and futile fury into the hearts of those who have most assisted him in his overbearing duties.

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, for he is the one I am talking about, came to the fore of our undiluted admiration when he and a very few others like him, but of whose un-despairing spirit he and our country fought the Five Year's Bush War until it was won.

It slips off the tongue much harder that it turned out to be. Similarly, so did this one against coronavirus. Museveni wasted not a day to go after it.

And so, did the women and men who have fought so bravely alongside him and the citizens who, short of food and medicine, have fought as bravely as their heroes and heroines.

For some of us, our help has not exceeded the mouth bandages we wear, not to pass on the deadly disease to those within the dangerous distance. It brings us closer in feeling for those who fought in deeds. Next, I will use ­ fighting words against the many of us, who never ­ fight at all, but over-talk greatly. God forfend us.