I was watching a film titled 'Schindlers's List' with my wife last week and she ended up crying. The movie is about the horrors of living in a Nazi or Hitler dictatorship and the way the Jews were humiliated and killed. It portrays a kindness of the human condition that many people, today, are not happy with. After watching the film, my mind just switched straight to the president of one of the DP factions, Norbert Mao, and what the people of northern Uganda have endured for the last 20 years since President Yoweri Museveni took power in 1986. Mao is quoted to have said in the Sunday Monitor of February 21: "We are either full citizens, equal to all others, or non-citizens. The idea of the Nile State is actually a challenge to the Uganda government that we did not choose to be Ugandans...." This was in response to a question he was asked about his call for secession of northern Uganda.

The people of northern Uganda have gone through an ordeal and the rest of the country feels for them but at the same time, we want them to remain Ugandans. The Jews suffered under Hitler more than any race I have known in history after the abolition of slave trade. Probably they had a reason to ask for a 'special home' of their own after the World War II, but the people in the north already have a home in Uganda.

If Mao's DP faction wins the 2011 election, the Uganda, which our forefathers fought to make one, could be in trouble. Mao too might favour his region against others as we have witnessed in President Museveni's reign.

It is equally wrong for some Ugandans to keep comparing Mao to President Obama since the latter has never been a secessionist. Probably, it would be fair if Mao is compared to the current Republican favourite, Sarah Palin. They are both young and supporters of secession projects. Sarah Palin used to be a member of the Alaskan Independence Party (AIP), a fringe political party that advocates the secession of Alaska from the USA. Just months before Palin was announced as McCain's vice-presidential nominee, she delivered a videotaped address to the AIP's annual convention. There was a national convention in 2007 of secessionist groups where Vice president of AIP said that his party would seek to "infiltrate" the Democratic and Republican parties with candidates sympathetic to its secessionist agenda. Similarly, any Ugandan needs to examine Mao's motives in taking over DP in case he is a Palin.

I'm still surprised that leaders never learn anything from history. When Obote came back from exile in Tanzania in the 1980s, he asked the opposition where their army generals were. He also promised to apply the 'law of Moses' to the Baganda and Banyarwanda whom he detested. The northerners were dominant in Uganda's army in Obote I and Obote II regimes. Then Museveni persuaded the Baganda that Uganda needed to get rid of Obote to sort out what had gone wrong during his two reigns. However, I'm surprised today to see that the same mistakes Obote made are being made by Museveni. He has promoted antagonistic politics with Buganda kingdom. He has encouraged formation of various chiefdoms in a country that had not more than four recognised kingdoms at independence in 1962. Uganda is basically more divided today than before. We don't need another president who will make the bad situation worse.

I'm also surprised that Israel is subjecting almost the same 'slave' treatment to Palestinians, almost similar to what they went through under the Nazi dictatorship. Israel has been supporting secessionist movements in Sudan, Iraq, Egypt and Lebanon and any secessionist movements in any Arab country Israel considers an enemy.

I think the opposition in Uganda are more confused than I thought. Most people in rural areas don't know Mao. The opposition already have a brand in Dr Kiiza Besigye. Probably they are excited because they have seen a new kid on the block. But they might squander the opportunity for regime change if they elope with little known alternatives.

Because Mao has been elected DP president by one faction of the party, he might affect the fortunes of the inter party (IPC) joint candidate in the north since some people in the north believe in him. With this, Museveni does not need to win the north to remain the President come 2011. Mao has already done the job for him. If Mao's DP fields candidates in Buganda in 2011, the Buganda opposition vote will be divided between the opposition candidates. It will be the same everywhere if Mao goes ahead to think in terms of 'only DP' unless he joins the broader opposition alliance.

We should all strive to keep the "one country, one people project" in Uganda despite the challenges in the country at the moment. Buganda and north have made it clear that they want federalism. I see no reason why some politicians should twist people's minds towards secession. It would serve Mao best if he comes out and denies secession claims before 2011 as Palin did when she shot to the global stage in 2008.

Abbey Semuwemba is a Ugandan living in the UK