YOUR LETTERS: Ssemujju can do better with honesty
- Written by OUR READERS
I refer to the opinion by Ssemujju Ibrahim Nganda titled ‘Banana Wilt, CBS worry Kyazanga’ (The Observer, December 3-6, 2009).
I share Ssemujju’s views on the Banana Wilt disease but disagree with the insinuation that the ongoing traffic enforcement that is affecting the boda boda cyclists is an attempt to punish them on suspicion of their participation in the September riots.
I find this analysis by an aspiring politician both disturbing and dishonest. I was in Kyazanga only four days after Ssemujju’s visit, only that I had gone to bury my 23-year-old university friend whose youthful life was cruelly cut short in a boda boda accident in Kampala when she smashed her head on a speeding car.
Probably if she had a helmet on, she would now be alive and expecting to graduate next year. Now, instead of Ssemujju joining Kyazanga people to salute the Police’s efforts in trying to sort out the boda boda recklessness that took away the precious life of their beloved daughter, he’s busy
trying to put a political spin to it!
Besides, I had expected people like Ssemujju to bring a breath of fresh air into our politics, holding the principle of giving the devil his due. Contrary to Ssemujju’s bleak picture, one can’t fail to notice the large scale pineapple, passion fruit and tree planting projects that are scattered throughout the villages in Kyazanga. Ssemujju can do better by being honest, however unpalatable [the truth] may be.
Agaba Ronald Bills,
Kampala.
Bravo Buturo for snubbing gay cash
I say “bravo” to Dr. James Nsaba Buturo, the Minister of Ethics and Integrity, for telling off the evil donors who want to shove homosexuality down Uganda’s throat! If only the donors had the same moral courage to clearly see right from wrong, then they would stop handing over their taxpayers’ money as donations to a government that is riddled with corruption and rigs elections! Show them the way Nsaba Buturo!
Paget Kintu,
kin2pag@yahoo.co.uk
Bunyoro leaders are not serious
Reports in the media that the Kingdom of Bunyoro was shocked by the recently passed Land Bill, especially as confessed by their Prime Minister, confirmed to me that the top leadership of the Rukurato are just a bunch of confused culturalists-cum-politicians.
The likes of Henry Ford Mirima, Eng. Yabeezi Kiiza, and the many Bagumas of this world are so engrossed in their hate campaign against the Kingdom of Buganda to notice the venomous snake hidden in the Land Bill, which threatens to wipe away both Bunyoro and its perceived adversary in Buganda.
Bunyoro’s biggest enemies are the Banyoro elite who do not seem to be able to read between the lines. No wonder Bunyoro’s native peasantry is now dominated by the so-called ‘Bafuruki’.
Bunyoro’s Rukurato has hardly questioned the oil revenue sharing deals that have been shrouded in secrecy and struck by the usual suspects in government.
God have mercy on Bunyoro!
Rita Mbabazi,
Masindi.
Is this beginning of fundamental change?
When the President of Uganda flew economy class recently, people talked quite a lot. Those ridiculing the move as a publicity stunt have already had their say. On the other side of the fence, the praise-singers will have said, “‘you see, our President has saved taxpayers money”.
It is not our place to second-guess the motives of H.E. Yoweri Museveni for his attempt at being frugal. What can be said is that the attempt to display frugality and cost cutting lays open the charge that it is doable. The ball is now firmly in the President’s court; does he have the courage to walk this talk to its logical conclusion?
Will he recall the fundamentals of what was once the peasants’ movement? Has the fundamental change now finally begun to take shape? According to Museveni in his book What is Africa’s problem? “Africa’s problem is a complex and multifaceted combination of sectarianism, ideological and technological backwardness, corruption, fragmentation of African markets, foreign interference, state weakness and dictatorship.”
Oh, if only authors could read their own books a bit more!
Watmon Mike Kinyera,
mike@dialogueconsults.com
Poor Uganda Police is too poor
It was disgusting to see Police officers recently being paraded as crooks. It’s a shame to see an enforcer of the law violating it. However, the problem goes further than meets the eye. Uganda Police officers are generally recruited from the poor stock (no offence intended).
While in sane countries joining the Police is like joining priesthood, in Uganda many bad boys/girls easily find themselves in the security organs. They then get poor training, perhaps because they are not easily trainable. Moreover, they are poorly equipped, poorly housed, poorly facilitated, and poorly paid. With all these “poor” factors, who would expect an ‘A’ service delivery?
In the past weeks, Police officers have appeared several times in the press accused of bribery and misuse of authority. In fact, Police boss Kale Kayihura said that currently 3,000 Police officers are in prison!
With a meagre pay, how do you expect them to care for their families and educate their children? Do children of Police officers pay less at school and do their parents buy food and clothes at reduced prices? Parading officers is only cosmetic.
As long as MPs only reward themselves with pay raises; as long as we have an ever increasing army of RDCs and MPs, and a cabinet that keeps growing big and fat, and as long as corruption has seeped deeply from high offices right to the village LC, do not expect the poor Uganda Police to do any better.
Henry F. Mulindwa,
USA.
letters@observer.ug