Would Ugandans sell their
birthright?
By Kiflu Hussain *
Feb. 18, 2011
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There has been reports that since the falling-out between the Buganda kingdom and the Central government led by Museveni, he put everything at his disposal to woo the people of Northern Uganda to offset the support he might be losing in Buganda in the ongoing election. Unfortunately, amongst the first voters BBC Network Africa interviewed in the North, one voter said "I want a regime change, that’s why I am this early at the polling station.” That doesn't augur well for Museveni, does it? To make matters worse, BBC spoke with some more people in Mbarara a town closest to Museveni's birthplace. One lady voter said "I am fed up with the level of corruption, so I am here to change that.” Another gentleman from the same polling station expressed his dissatisfaction with the existing system's inability to provide service in sectors such as health and education. Among the Kampala voters, a lady claimed to BBC how money as little as 5,000shillings/2 USD/is flying around to buy the minds of destitute voters by the incumbent.
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I wonder at this juncture as to whether Ugandans would stoop that low and let their intelligence be insulted by compromising their dignity for a mere pittance. Besides, the 5000 shillings may buy them sugar but no water with which they can make tea since it's not available for the majority of residents in Kampala, nor soap is any good without water. Since Ugandans are religious and fond of praying even in a public place despite the pretence of a secular state, I throw this biblical question at them; and that is, would they sell their birthright like Esau and live to regret it afterwards?
Last but not least. The incumbent President Museveni said that anyone who wants to stage an Egyptian like protest would be dealt with harshly since that would be “extra-constitutional.” As one astute commentator said recently on www.countercurrents.org, the Egyptian protest was a model for any civil disobedience that would have made Mahatma Gandhi proud, had he been alive. Incidentally, let it be noted that among all those who lost their lives in the Egyptian revolution, none had died from the camp of Mubarak's thugs. All those who died were from the protesters demanding their legitimate right from a regime that rigged election few months before the revolution to claim over 90 percent victory.
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* The author is an Ethiopian Refugee in Uganda. He can be reached at:
E-mail: kiflukam@yahoo.com
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