Fellow Ugandans and friends
1. There is no doubt that we had a fruitful discussion yesterday. It was substantive, participatory and action-oriented and I learned a lot. I hope we shall maintain this momentum and spirit after the elections.
2. At the end of the debate yesterday someone contacted me and suggested that since my complaint was about Uganda policies, I should address the NRM government and not Museveni. I responded that in Uganda there is no government as such. Museveni is the government and the government is Museveni. Therefore it is appropriate to use Museveni as our point of reference.
3. Let me summarize and amplify a bit what I said yesterday in my native language for those who did not understand since this was my first oral communication with Ugandans and our friends in Uganda and abroad.
4. We must all understand as clearly stated in Article I of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood”.
5. Museveni and NRM should be swept out of power because they have failed to deliver to the majority of Ugandans. Here is a gist of the disappointing outcomes in the last 25 years of misrule: Over 50 percent of Ugandans live in absolute poverty and twenty percent of them have got poorer; over 30 percent of all Ugandans go to bed hungry every night; those who eat too much cassava and maize have developed neurological abnormalities including insanity made worse by stress. If you have noticed there are more mad people than at any time in Uganda’s history; twenty percent of children are born underweight because their mothers are undernourished. Those born underweight develop permanent physical and mental handicaps and die early; forty percent of children under the age of five are malnourished. They too are not developed properly physically and mentally. Infant and maternal mortality rates have also increased in the latter case significantly from over 500 in 1995 to over 900 per 100,000 live births in 2005; over 80 percent of primary school children drop out of school every year largely because they are hungry; over 80 percent of our youth between 15 and 24 years are unemployed and 60 percent of them are university graduates while jobs are going to immigrant workers; Food and agriculture organization (FAO) has warned that if environmental degradation is not reversed urgently, Uganda will turn into a desert. This is not a record that should keep a government in power. Therefore Museveni and NRM must go. The question is how.
6. Let me use an analogy to answer the question. A few months ago I watched a wildlife movie. A lion strayed into an area occupied by monkeys. The lion’s presence annoyed the monkeys. The big one made some noise that attracted all the monkeys. Under the leadership of the big monkey all the monkeys made so much noise that the lion ran away to save its life.
7. In Uganda the equivalent of the big monkey are Baganda. You are the largest group, more literate, strategically located and have played a crucial role in Uganda’s politics helping to form governments and removing them since 1962. You should again help rally all Ugandans to chase away Museveni. Baganda should shoulder this leadership role in large part because they have suffered disproportionately under Museveni regime in public service. Museveni hood winked Baganda by giving them trees while destroying their forest. Baganda have a Vice President, Speaker of Parliament, Prime Minister and key ministers including in Finance and education. While Baganda were celebrating these few individuals who are appointed to serve Museveni and not Baganda interests, Museveni systematically removed Baganda from key ministries like Finance, foreign affairs and central bank where they wielded influence that benefited Baganda as a whole. That is the more reason that Buganda must lead on 18 February to oust Museveni to avoid battles that will follow should Museveni steal re-election.
8. Here are a few examples of what will happen should Museveni be re-elected and NRM gets two-thirds of MPs in parliament. Museveni will work with Kenya that has openly campaigned for him to force East African economic integration and political federation onto others at the expense of Ugandans in terms of losing land, jobs and industries. Museveni will become head of the federation and his son who is being visibly groomed will become Uganda’s head of state. Uganda will become a kingdom under hereditary Bahororo kings. That is why the cultural leaders’ bill was forced through parliament under a Muganda Speaker. The kings of Buganda, Bunyoro, Toro and Busoga will become senior chiefs and other areas will have hereditary chiefs.
9. Those of us who have followed Museveni’s speeches he wants peasants to move into towns so that land is sold or leased to foreigners who will produce foodstuffs to feed their own people. You have all heard about the proposed land deal between Uganda and Egypt. Museveni will likely conclude the deal when he is re-elected. Museveni believes in large scale farmers to replace small holder farmers although scientific studies have concluded that when facilitated through extension and credit services small holder farmers are more productive, more efficient, environmentally and socially friendly than large scale farmers. And that is why the international community including the World Bank is supporting small holder farmers. Museveni has not accepted this truth because he wants to dispossess peasants of their land.
10. With poor education and no land Ugandans conditions will get worse. Museveni will realize his feudal system of lords and serfs or haves and have-nots as was practiced in Feudal Europe and pre-colonial Rwanda. By the way Bahororo are Batutsi from Rwanda. Within the next five years there will probably be more immigrants than indigenous people and Uganda will be another Ivory Coast with foreigners outnumbering indigenous people. Museveni has been discreetly encouraging foreigners to outnumber indigenous people by his constant remarks that Uganda has more arable and unutilized land together withhis liberal immigration policy.
11. Museveni is creating two countries in one: one country of rich, well educated, healthy, well–fed, good jobs and increasingly large land holders led by Bahororo; and another country of poor, illiterate, sick, hungry, jobless and urban dwellers. This is similar to what happened in South Africa during the apartheid regime that ended in 1994 when black South Africans liberated themselves.
12. To avoid this catastrophe we must defeat Museveni on February 18. If he rigs to win we must reject the results and invoke our human rights to get our country back. Hopefully our friends around the world will extend a helping hand.
Thank you for your attention.
February 6, 2011