An insult to the conscience of a nation (Cont’d)

After posting my last piece, I got thinking about some of the most callous things that some of our leaders do and get away with; the kind of things that would get them either impeached, sacked or – if they had some humility – to resign.

The most recent and most disturbing case was of Primary Education State Minister, Peter Lokeris, heartlessly telling parents whose children died in the Budo Junior inferno to go and produce more children since they were still young, rather than bothering the government to complete investigations and bring closure to the saga by producing a report on the real cause of the fire.

When a minister, who is supposed to ensure the safety of the children under his ministry, says something so senseless, one wonders whether we have a government committed to serving people or merely being in power and enjoying the privileges that come with it at the expense of the nation.

With Minister Lokeris yet to show any remorse several weeks since he made that statement, one would have expected some reaction from the President or his Prime Minister, who is the leader of government business in Parliament. However, the fact that they do not seem to see anything wrong with such statements is perhaps an indicator of the collective conscience of the government.

After all President Museveni, who has himself lately mastered the art of rubbing Ugandans the wrong way with some of his statements, sometimes doesn’t even need to say anything to show his selfish, heartless side.

When a president, soon after getting a newly spruced multi-billion shilling State House, then asks for a new multi-billion shilling presidential jet, and, as if that is not enough, even wants to keep the entire Old Entebbe Airport for himself, then the citizens are in trouble – especially because all of these demands from the big man come at a time when people in some parts of the country like Karamoja are dying of famine.

With leaders like these, can the long-suffering Uganda really get a worse enemy?

An insult to the conscience of a nation

How times (or is it people?) change. A decade ago, or thereabouts, Gen. David Tinyefuza was fighting for his very relevance in Ugandan politics. The man had broken ranks with his comrade President Museveni and attempted to resign from the army, only to be told by the Courts that he could not do so.

In a country where people always have a soft spot for the underdog in any battle, Gen Tinyefuza’s lone battle against a system that seemed to be bent on keeping him in the army against his will, won him a lot of sympathy from the public – never mind whether it was he or the system in the wrong.

After a protracted court battle, Gen Tinyefuza eventually lost out to the system and, after undergoing ‘rehabilitation’, mended fences with Museveni and returned to the NRA/M fold.

Whatever that rehabilitation comprised, it certainly changed Gen Tinyefuza; he tucked in his tail and has since been singing a tune that must sound like music to his master's ears - starting with his ‘apology’ to Museveni at a marriage ceremony of one of his children, in which he ridiculously claimed to have been misled.

Today, Gen Tinyefuza is one of the foremost defenders of some of the worst the excesses orchestrated by Museveni’s government. Museveni could as well set Uganda on fire and, while the country burns, Gen Tinyefuza will scamper out of the inferno and proclaim that all is well. Iraq's comical Ali wouldn't do a better job.

But even by his recent standards, this week’s declaration – while commenting on the arrest of three Buganda officials by the government – that under certain circumstances “some laws can even be suspended” was a new low.

Uganda still doesn’t have sufficient systems in place to defend the freedoms of its citizens, largely thanks to the selfish scheming of people like Gen Tinyefuza, but saying “some laws can be suspended” should surely open the eyes of many Ugandans to the fact that they are governed by people who are only interested in keeping themselves in power at all costs; not enabling Ugandans to enjoy their freedom.

Had such a statement been made by somebody in the opposition, it would have been enough to send them to the cooler on treason charges. However, because Gen Tinyefuza is part of the system in power – never mind that he is still a serving soldier who should ordinarily have no business delving into politics – he makes such an inflammatory statement and is not apprehended for it.

But Gen Tinyefuza, more than anyone else should know that times and people can change. Ten years ago, he was on the other side of the fence but today he is making all the reckless statements he wants with the protection of the system. Who knows, tables can once again turn.

If Tinyefuza is really interested in ensuring that the values and institutions that they claimed to have fought to restore in Uganda are indeed inculcated in this country’s political processes, then he should spend his time building them instead of insulting the nation and its people.