My brother
Bwesigye BM will never keep quiet in the wake of injustice against any individual human being or against any community. Me,
Sabatho Nyamsenda,
Kyomuhendo A. Ateenyi,
Jimmy Odoki Acellam and
Moses Odokonyero would want to be like you when we grow up. Of course not in terms of the amount of years we shall have spent on earth. You were born during Museveni's reign, I was young but understanding when Museveni overthrew Tito Okello and Bazilio Okello's government that had overthrown Obote's regime.
On that fateful day of 26 or 25 January, my uncle Gervase Muhumuza Karuhinda was coming from Bitereko trading centre at around supper time. He was very ecstatic that Museveni had overthrown the Lutwa short reign. I still recall vividly the words of my grandmother. She said, "Otija kuguruka okerera oshemerirwe ngu Museveni yaza ahangoma, Omuhima yaza ahabutegyeki tarirugaho" meaning "Don't wildly celebrate and be cheerful that Museveni has ascended onto the throne, once a muhima captures power he will never leave". My grandmother Susanna Kirakwende muhara w'abagabira again added, "DP ku eriba etagire omu butegyeki, Uganda teritunga busingye" meaning "If DP never ascends to state power, Uganda will never be at peace". My grandmother was speaking out of experience. She had voted Benedict Kiwanuka and the likes of Mzee Boniface Byanyima. She had tasted the Amin traumatic regime. She had voted Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere and Francis Wazarwahi Bwengye and she had tasted the most traumatic experience under the Omugabe who naturally had to be a Muhima.
When I shared with
Norbert Mao what my grandma said, he told me "Your grandmother was a prohet". Today I told the same thing to Karundi Serumaga, Prof. Ssemakula Kiwanuka and Minister Eng. Hillary Onek, Karundi Serumaga said "Your grandmother was extremely a wise man".
While Mukaka has been vindicated, I believe there are very many Bahima who are good people and wouldn't stick to power like a tick sticks to a cow or goat. I think Museveni's primary sources of socialisation were outrageous for lack of a better word. Museveni must not have been socialised to be just, humane, compassionate, fair, honest, prudent and humble. He must have been deprived of the needed love when he was young - a reason he thinks hate and injustice are normal. Museveni loves power just for the sake of power. Just imagine the trauma and mental torture he is subjecting to students, parents, staff and the business community around Makerere. For sure like the bible says, what Museveni has sown is what he will reap.
My grandmother went to heaven in 1992 when the man was six years in power and almost 25 years after her death, the same muhima is in power and DP is just there there and the country has never seen peace. One serious reason she rightly knew that if DP was not in power the country would never see peace, is because DP was built on the pillars of truth and justice. The UPC people would say, "amazima gakaremesa DP kutegyeka" meaning love for truth frustrated DP from ruling. The mentality that any human should rule over the other is itself an anathema. For us in DP we aspire to lead not to rule. We aspire to serve not to feed off the sweat of the masses.
Norbert Mao has proven that. As DP president, the party doesn't give him a salary not even a stipend. He is without grumbling serving the party. The only thing we have to do is to ensure DP is a party that upholds the Catholic social teaching without discriminating against non-Catholics. And that's what DP is. It has had a Protestant Party President, a Muslim vice president, a longest serving Anglican national chairman, what more evidence that DP is not a Party for the Catholics but it is a party that does not fight Catholics.
True, the founders of DP were Catholics and they rallied Catholics to oppose the injustice against them stemming from the colonialists and Mengo leadership then. But again this was the best thing to do. My brother
Asuman Basalirwa says the basis upon which people are marginalised is the basis upon which they organise. If people are marginalised because they are Catholics, they will organise as Catholics not with the view to marginalise other people but with the view to address the injustice meted onto them because of who they are.
Museveni marginalised the northerners. Some northerners organised against that marginalisation and the outcome is the permanent wounds on their hearts. The Bakonzo in Kasese organised as Bakonzo because Museveni's government marginalised them as a community.
In summary, all people opposed to injustice are welcome to join DP. Ones ascendancy to any office will not depend on whether or not they recite the Holy Rosary or pray Hail Mary. We implore our very own
Winnie Byanyima,
Odonga Otto, Morris Ogenga Latigo, Kassiano Wadri, even Sam Kutesa to come back home.
