28 June 2009
(Page 3 of 3)
Lastly, a word on the politics of 2004. During that year, Buganda was clear and loud in its demands for federo and the return of Kampala to Buganda. 1 take this opportunity to place on record my full support for the two demands. James Namayirira (RIP), Mengo's former divisional chief of Makindye, is one of the few people with whom I discussed challenges facing Buganda today.
The expression of concern I shared with Namayirira also touched a silent feature in the politics of Buganda. As students of the politics of Buganda will admit, influential circles in Buganda have misled the ordinary Muganda into believing that people who love Buganda can only be found in particular schools of opinion. This groundless fantasy has silenced men and women in Buganda who would have made more meaningful contributions than those shouting loudest on everything.
In support of my argument that no single school of opinion has the monopoly of boundless love for Buganda, I give the example of Haji Muhabab Ssemakalu, the former Speaker of the Buganda Lukiiko. It is common knowledge that Ssemakalu was a UPC member or supporter in the sixties. It may also be recalled that in the sixties, he was appointed county chief of Singo. Therefore, it can be argued that as far as UPC is concerned, he is a good and capable man. Similarly, Baganda see him as a good and capable man otherwise, he wouldn't have been appointed speaker. The case of Ssemakalu, among others, proves that men and women with true feelings for Buganda are not a monopoly of one school of political opinion.
Needless to emphasize, Buganda is at crossroads. If this sad state of affairs is to be checked or reversed, the current Katikkiro has no choice but to whip Baganda out of their slumber. The best way for him to do this it to courageously face the naked truth that double-dealers have for a long time fooled Buganda and took them for a ride with disastrous consequences. In that regard, former Katikkiro Nkangi revealed that at the height of the 1966 crisis, he was shocked to discover that high ranking officials in Mengo were double-dealers. Is history repeating itself? If we, are not lucky, some of the things which happened under Katikkiro Kintu and Nkangi would happen under the current Katikkiro. Certainly, double-dealing is a bigger threat to Buganda today than it was in 1966. And more than at any time before, those expected to show Baganda the way forward have become slaves of the politics of the stomach.
While my support for Buganda's stand on the two issues of federo and Kampala remains unshakable, I think it was a mistake to insist on the federo of yesterday. For example: What was there to discuss about the ultimate goal of electoral process? That is a settled matter in all democratic countries. What Buganda needed was to cause today's internationally accepted democratic principles to incorporate the focal aspects of its traditional political culture.
As for Kampala, Buganda should not accept half measures on its ownership. However, we should make every effort to sell our case to Ugandans in a most polished manner. I believe, at the end of the day, Parliament will see the need to come up with a formula for Kampala acceptable to all Ugandans. The formula in the 1962 constitution whereby the central government paid one shilling to Buganda every year as lease fee for Kampala was a very good arrangement.
Continues next Sunday
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