YOUR MAIL: Gen Otafiire should resign

Letters

Sunday, 29 August 2010 19:47

Written by OUR READERS

5 Comments

The trend at which this country is allowing misuse of public funds with impunity is worrying. I think it is a direct result of the NRM overstaying in power.

Take the case of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) which is both mind boggling and annoying to us the taxpayers. Someone earning Shs 1,500,000 in retainer because he or she is a board member!

This is about five times the average earning of salaried workers in this country before the unjust PAYE taxes have been deducted!

For a minister like Kahinda Otafiire to come out and justify this by saying that people of that calibre cannot be paid Shs 300,000 like house girls is demeaning to many Ugandan graduates who earn the same amount or less, thanks to NRM’s poor economic policies.

Otafiire would do this country a great service if he resigned. And if I may ask, what kind of qualifications does someone need to get three promotions in three weeks, like what happened in the case of Mark Kamanzi?

Unless Ugandans use their vote wisely in 2011, they will continue paying heavy taxes, being unemployed and failing to pay their children’s school fees.

Tema Kafeero,
Nansana, Wakiso.

Homosexuality has no place in Anglican Church

I would like to applaud the Prime Minister, Prof. Apolo Nsibambi, who at the opening ceremony of the All Africa Bishops Conference in Entebbe (August 23 - 29) commended African bishops for their strong stand against homosexuality in the Anglican Church.

The Prime Minister said: “We should not persecute them (homosexuals) but I think it is wrong and we cannot recognise them because it is wrong ordaining a gay bishop.”

Indeed, according to Scripture, there is a criterion one must meet before being ordained a bishop. 1 Timothy 3:2 says: “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach.”

The key-phrase in this verse is the husband of one wife, which immediately disqualifies a single, polygamous or gay candidate.

The purpose of this letter is not to point a finger at homosexuals but to simply reiterate that homosexuality has no place in the church. In addition, the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Henry Luke Orombi, said homosexuality is against Ugandan culture.

Furthermore, let us not forget the Old Testament story of Sodom where many men in that city were homosexuals (hence the origin of the word “sodomy”) and they wanted to rape the two angels who were visiting Lot! Genesis 19:4-5 says: “Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom, both young and old, surrounded the house.

They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.”

Lot begged the men to leave his doorstep but since they refused to leave, the angels struck all of them blind and Lot and his family managed to escape God’s destruction of the city in brimstone and fire.

While running away from the city, the angels warned Lot’s family not to look back, but, unfortunately, Lot’s wife did look back and was instantly turned into a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26)!

In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul wrote strongly against homosexuality (see Romans 1:27).

I would like to commend the Anglican Church in Africa, Singapore and South-East Asia for maintaining a strong stand against homosexuality and shining as a light in this world.

Joseph Jabo,
Uganda Media Centre.

Check Police patrol behaviour

I’m dismayed by the manner in which Police patrol vehicles speed on our narrow roads, sometimes with the intention of shoving other law abiding motorists off the road and sometimes causing avoidable accidents.

On August 16, 2010, I was a victim at the Wandegeya traffic lights when a Police patrol vehicle bumped into my car. I was coming from Mulago, keeping left as Uganda’s traffic law demands, when one of the four Police patrol vehicles driving from Kampala, keeping right, hit my car.

At 1pm, Wandegeya junction is characteristically jammed but when the patrol squad approached, we tried our level best to squeeze and give way.

What surprised me was that the driver of the first approaching Police patrol vehicle could clearly see that I had no other space to go but still came rushing with the intention of knocking my car off the road. After hitting my vehicle, he wasn’t bothered yet those who came after him tried to avoid knocking me.

We all know that Police have right of way but they should be careful when asking for this privilege. When I called the Police hotline on number 0791999023, I was told that there was a bomb tip-off; that is why the vehicles were rushing on the wrong side of the road to the scene of a bomb scare.

But when I asked about who should pay for the damage caused to my vehicle, no definite answer came. I wasn’t even asked what my vehicle registration number was, nor was I advised to proceed to Police to record a statement despite my insistence. I believe they took the law in their hands and they also endangered lives.

Abubaker Kintu Basajjabaka,
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IPC’s troubles an early warning sign

The recent nomination of the Inter-Party Cooperation flag bearers for the 2011 presidential elections has no doubt triggered conflict amongst the leaders of member parties, making its credibility questionable.

The misunderstanding within IPC is most likely to hammer the last nail in its coffin. However, my prayer is that the UPC president, Dr. Olara Otunnu does not shift his goal posts by abandoning the coalition.

It will be the real measure of what kind of leadership he will offer to the desperate Ugandans. Leaders who change their minds like car indicators are most likely to dump the needs of peasants when they ascend to power.

I am glad, as a supporter of DP, that our president general wisely shunned the coalition. This is the most pertinent time for Ugandans whose votes have always been abused by politicians as ladders to climb into prominent political offices to exhaustively assess them.

If there is no transparency in IPC now, what will happen when they get influential posts in government?

David Wankya,
Kayunga.

Kabakumba wrong on Catholic Church

Church leaders have the same right as any other citizen to air their views about national and local politics.

They are the custodians of our moral values. They are the barometers of public feelings. They are the social antennae of our society. They are the guardians of our morals. So to deny them a right to speak out when things are going wrong would be a terrible mistake.

To compare the Catholic Church to the Electoral Commission is wrong, because one belongs to the realm of Caesar and the other to the realm of God.

The ills and evils of the Electoral Commission infringe on man’s law, and the evils and sins of the Catholic Church infringe on God’s law.

Of course there are many nuns and priests who hide behind the name of God when they are Satan’s agents. But when these are found out, they are normally defrocked or excommunicated.

The fact that some nuns are lesbians and some priests paedophiles is not analogous to the fact that the Electoral Commission is a tool of the incumbent regime. The two are incomparable.

Ms Masiko was right to say that “we should demand reforms in the appointment of members of the Catholic Church,” who break their vows and commit sexual sins against their flock. But she was wrong to insinuate that the church must keep off politics because it also has bad elements in its midst.

Yes, to weed out these bad elements should be the ideal, both in the Church and also in the Electoral Commission. This Electoral Commission has been proven corrupt and partial in favour of the NRM which appointed it, in all the past elections. So, any talk of a fair election in 2011 is a pipe dream while this group is in charge.

Seezi Sewagaba,
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Support Africa Anglican bishops on homosexuality

I was very happy to read about the strong stand the Anglican bishops have taken with regard to homosexuality during the recent All Africa Bishops conference held in Entebbe.

Like Archbishop, Rt. Rev. Henry Luke Orombi said, in African culture homosexuality is considered immoral and if left unchecked could lead to moral decay in the church.

The challenge now goes to all people of God, irrespective of religion, to follow the path our religious leaders have taken if we want to build a strong moral foundation for the next generations.

Desmond Kenyi,
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Makerere, let reason prevail

I have been closely following the face-off between Makerere University staff and the National Insurance Corporation (NIC) over the university’s staff retirement fund for about two years now.

Makerere called a strike to hold the nation hostage. In the wisdom of the lecturers, the sit down strike is a good bargaining chip to compel NIC to pay up all monies kept for retiring teachers. Since when has it become the norm to run business relationships by force?

Why can’t Makerere sit at one table with NIC and exhaust all resolution mechanisms in their contract so as to resolve their differences?

As I know it, reason is the spirit that drives academic excellence. Makerere University should not allow mob action to supplant reason.

Martin Musasizi,
Kitoro, Entebbe.

Forging politicians should face the law

In the recent past, the print and electronic media have been awash with the sad news of leaders implicated in forgery of academic papers.

Much of this ugly side of our political class has been exposed during the ongoing political activity in Uganda.

The most annoying part is that one of the leading political parties has opted to force those implicated to write apology letters.

To me, the above development exposes the growing indifference of our leaders to the wellbeing of this country, which is why leaders seem not to care about how the young generation shall perceive this form of double standards, given that uttering false documents remains criminal and anybody implicated is supposed to be prosecuted.

Therefore, it is my contention that all political parties duly registered in Uganda should henceforth surrender persons implicated in forgery of academic papers to Police for prosecution in accordance with the law.

Short of this, our country is going to the dogs, if we allow people to break the law just because they are of our political persuasion.

Richard Mubiru,
Seeta-Mukono.

Thank you dfcu Bank

I would like to write in appreciation of dfcu Bank for intervening in the Bududa crisis in a relevant and sustainable way.

Last week, officials from dfcu visited Bukigai camp where they held a training session for midwives and traditional birth attendants, as well as donated birth kits to expectant mothers.

Being a midwife myself, I know that these refresher courses are very important because it is not easy to keep up with the trends and the latest safe methods that we could implement in our communities.
Thank you dfcu; I wish other companies could emulate you.

Ritah Nakisitu,
Bududa.

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