Hon Amanya Mushega's Presentation on Constitutionalism, Politics and State Governance in EAC - which way forward for the Integration Process?

The African as a race, in my observation, in which most of us are, is the most enslaved, the most disregarded, exploited and oppressed human being both at home and abroad, by foreigners in our own countries  and, to make matters worse, by the own governments at home.

The Africans when you go to Europe they look at you as a human rights activist; the government treats you worse than they treat foreigners; that’s the road of the African people. Our dignity is at stake, worse still; our emotions seem to be largely displaced. When we were told that Hitler killed many whites which was not good in itself we cry but when we are told that more than 150million Africans perished during the slave trade under the most despicable and horrible conditions, we shed no tears. When an Indian is killed in a riot, the Minister is sent with Mabugo “condolence” but no attention is paid to blacks killed or affected by same riot in fact we blame those that are affected and killed why they were there in the first place.

We talked of Hundreds killed by Amin, thousands killed in Luwero Triangle and millions killed in the war in Northern Uganda with no deep feeling at all even some of us talk of going back to the bush or start another war with passion as if it’s like going to watch a World Cup. Just sum it up all calamities in the world are feasted on Africans wherever he or she happens to be: poverty, disease, hunger, illiteracy, and crime. It is been said and even sent out by our own media that climate change caused by the west will affect the Sub-Saharan African more.

The biggest problem in Africa and Uganda in particular, we want to do things that we shall enjoy and be praised for but most things which change the world take effect when those that begun them are out of office or dead. If you want to know go find out where the Wright Brothers are who invented the plane before you talk about those who invented electricity which we are enjoying now, even Steve Jobs one of the great scientist is dead, so we need to think of doing things for generations to come.

Some countries in the Europe did not want Rwanda and Burundi to join the East African Community because they are supposed to be Franco- phone and for Uganda we are Anglo-phone but when your local leaders go to Mbale or Bushenyi, they don’t speak in local language! They have to speak English so that the Anglo-phone people can be translated for. But one of the biggest contributions the late Mwalimu Nyerere did was to promote nationalism and the use of Swahili as a local language, so that a leader can move from Iringa near the border with Zambia all the way to Moshi a border with Kenya and Bukoba with Uganda and Rwanda speaking the same language without an intermediary but you can imagine how many hours we spend when we go to Mbale “Owo Lugosi wanyala nabbi” and some people think you have abused them.

To join the EAC and stay there you as a Ugandan you must have a country, you cannot go to EAC on individual merit. So what will our country offer in the Community? And let us not begin saying other people took a hundred years to reach where they are. We are leaving in the world of today not a world of tomorrow or not a world of yesterday. And the earlier we wake up out of that slumber, the better. As Nyerere said when others are walking, we should be running and when you go to Community there is no place for NRM, UPC, DP or Independent but there is a place for Ugandans.

And when the community collapsed even the Ugandans who liked it and wanted it all went empty handed. So the earlier we begin to where we can move as Ugandans and not as a clan, the better so that when you are playing Revenue or KCCA you don’t break the leg of the opponent because tomorrow you will be facing the Mpala of Angola and you realize the defender whose leg you broke is the one you need to win a gold medal.

In some countries in East Africa, when they are looking for leaders, they try to look for the best person from that country irrespective of their tribe and affiliation in some countries they are looking for a person of their liking even if that person is not of the best quality and speaking from experience, the consequences are there for the blind to see. If you want to subvert a nation, Prof. Karugire says “you subvert its women” when you create a culture where our mothers especially and our young people in particular instead of working hard to become self-respecting citizens and turned into expecting mothers and children from man and heaven, God forbid you have very little to take to the community.

Let me say this finally; when I was in the community I had a friend of mine who was a Kenyan Minister, I used to go meet President Moi and Kibaki and this friend of mine who served in both cabinets said “my brother Mushega hmmm….things have changed; before, there used to be a lot of brief cases here but now they are no more. I said what were they for? Uuumm ….saidia wana inchi. Then another Ambassador told me when he was New York whenever the President used to go there after singing for him, they would get Mufuko and give them because he said he had taken a bit to the Ambassador and the rest would take the balance. He said when Kibaki went there, they sung for him after the discussion he said: asante Sana study hard and come build Kenya; with no shilling.

Any mother or any parent who wants his children to grow properly, they reach a level when they put a spoon in their mouth, when they contribute to their existence, when they sweat to produce and they become proud citizens so that when they meet their fellow youth and women they have something to contribute.

I pray that in Uganda we concentrate on building good governance, democratic practices and not a dependent populace but a hard working population; so that when we meet our colleagues in the community, we have something to offer apart from the Constitution that we even don’t even respect

Thank you