[WestNileNet] A PATRIOTISM WHAT?
The new patriotism bill is in the drafting stage and from what I understand, it is intended to make patriotism compulsory. Based on what I have read, citizens will have to get involved in; - Protecting public resources (roads, bridges...etc). - Fighting corruption - Defending the country - And guarding against treason. Obviously these are commendable acts from any citizen in any country, and Ugandans will therefore have the legal framework that gets them more involved in management of local and national expenditure for the love of their country. Thereby providing better grounds for citizen responsibility. I agree with anyone who diagnoses the problems of Uganda as being grounded in impunity. People commit crimes but for one reason or another, aren't held accountable for their actions. This has been going on since before independence. For example, the colonial master has up to now gotten away with some of the most heinous crimes against indegenous peoples who didn't accept their authority or who simply wanted self determination on economic fruits. Yet imperialism led Europe to fight and kill millions of people around the world in order to forcefully grab resources and control territories belonging to natives. I hear that Caribbean countries have now gotten together to make claims against slavery. Without it, the West probably wouldn't be as developped as they are. Africans should support the Carribeans cause as it was our manpower, our peoples and our continent that suffered most from this despicable abuse. At this point, our patriotism should also include Pan-Africanism. But getting back to Uganda, the truth is that the legal framework to punish the corrupt and the treasonous is there. So why need a law on patriotism? Patriotism is said to come from the heart and therefore can't be forced. Other people have love for their country but have lost faith in the politics. Most are waiting for the day their country does something good for them. Probably something they can feel in their pockets. But that entails government to be creative and initiate social services that reduce the burden of expenditure from the poor and thereby enables the masses to save and then invest productively elsewhere. But if I decide to spare some time for patriotism, then I expect the government to be supportive of my efforts. Let us be clear that these efforts could actually be aimed at the government itself since that is where public resources are managed and where corruption could be hiding. What the Patriotism Bill also needs is to make patriotic whistle blowers heroes rather than turning them into fugitives. It is common anywhere in the world for the corrupt to attack those who speak. So many people find it easier to simply take a bite at the stolen cake and keep the secret rather than risk their individual peace by reporting theft. Isn't this already happening? Yes, there are many more questions to answer including those who ask what is Hon.Minister Frank Tumwebaze personnally gaining from initiating such a bill? Others question how the bill can be enforced yet many other laws are simply ignored the moment they are past. Who are we defending our country from since regional integration is the order of the day? Naturally, Museveni might be interested in the part that forces Ugandans to fight treason. If remaining president is his utmost goal, then that enables him to continuously enjoy (entebbe ewoma). Some also say that the Honourable Minister, just like Hon. Anite recently, is trying his turn at massaging Museveni the right way for his own political ascendance. Personally I would have liked priority to be focused on the pending anti-corruption bill and maybe the review of electoral laws as well. Reason being that they are crucially required in terms of fostering Good Governance and also, they are time bound. Haven't we wasted too much time on Homosexuals of recent? But those who are genuinely involved in patriotism now have a reason to celebrate. They have a law that will most likely force everyone to be actively on their side. If I report a case of corruption, it could turn out that the person I correctly reported it to becomes unpatriotic if he/she doesn't do anything about it. Unpatriotic is now something more to add to the charge sheet with its own set of fines, jail time and other inconveniences. The law could include retrieving state honours, thereby ensuring that we aren't for example awarding Nalubaale medals to anyone found to be unpatriotic. Basically let's hope that the punishments are comprehensive in scope and deterring enough. We also realize that there is this new trend of seeing those who bring up such bills become victims of the very laws. But on a serious note, is this a good legal development or what? Hussein J. Lumumba Amin Kampala, Uganda ___ WestNileNet mailing list WestNileNet@kym.net
Re: [WestNileNet] A PATRIOTISM WHAT?
Gentlemen, No matter how much they want to dress this so called patriotism bill, we all know there is one and only on purpose for this soon to be law: to stifle any opposition and criminalize any criticism of the emperor. With the emperor's age rapidly inching closer to 75 years, a limit set in the consitution beyond which no Ugandan can run for presidency, the law will ensure no one will criticize the emperor for his advanced age and never ending lapses in judgement and decision making. The bill/law is positioning the emperor for the next 30 years of presidency! Only DIVINE intervention will bring all this nonsence to a halt! On Wed, Mar 12, 2014 at 5:21 PM, Hussein Amin husseinjur...@gmail.comwrote: The new patriotism bill is in the drafting stage and from what I understand, it is intended to make patriotism compulsory. Based on what I have read, citizens will have to get involved in; - Protecting public resources (roads, bridges...etc). - Fighting corruption - Defending the country - And guarding against treason. Obviously these are commendable acts from any citizen in any country, and Ugandans will therefore have the legal framework that gets them more involved in management of local and national expenditure for the love of their country. Thereby providing better grounds for citizen responsibility. I agree with anyone who diagnoses the problems of Uganda as being grounded in impunity. People commit crimes but for one reason or another, aren't held accountable for their actions. This has been going on since before independence. For example, the colonial master has up to now gotten away with some of the most heinous crimes against indegenous peoples who didn't accept their authority or who simply wanted self determination on economic fruits. Yet imperialism led Europe to fight and kill millions of people around the world in order to forcefully grab resources and control territories belonging to natives. I hear that Caribbean countries have now gotten together to make claims against slavery. Without it, the West probably wouldn't be as developped as they are. Africans should support the Carribeans cause as it was our manpower, our peoples and our continent that suffered most from this despicable abuse. At this point, our patriotism should also include Pan-Africanism. But getting back to Uganda, the truth is that the legal framework to punish the corrupt and the treasonous is there. So why need a law on patriotism? Patriotism is said to come from the heart and therefore can't be forced. Other people have love for their country but have lost faith in the politics. Most are waiting for the day their country does something good for them. Probably something they can feel in their pockets. But that entails government to be creative and initiate social services that reduce the burden of expenditure from the poor and thereby enables the masses to save and then invest productively elsewhere. But if I decide to spare some time for patriotism, then I expect the government to be supportive of my efforts. Let us be clear that these efforts could actually be aimed at the government itself since that is where public resources are managed and where corruption could be hiding. What the Patriotism Bill also needs is to make patriotic whistle blowers heroes rather than turning them into fugitives. It is common anywhere in the world for the corrupt to attack those who speak. So many people find it easier to simply take a bite at the stolen cake and keep the secret rather than risk their individual peace by reporting theft. Isn't this already happening? Yes, there are many more questions to answer including those who ask what is Hon.Minister Frank Tumwebaze personnally gaining from initiating such a bill? Others question how the bill can be enforced yet many other laws are simply ignored the moment they are past. Who are we defending our country from since regional integration is the order of the day? Naturally, Museveni might be interested in the part that forces Ugandans to fight treason. If remaining president is his utmost goal, then that enables him to continuously enjoy (entebbe ewoma). Some also say that the Honourable Minister, just like Hon. Anite recently, is trying his turn at massaging Museveni the right way for his own political ascendance. Personally I would have liked priority to be focused on the pending anti-corruption bill and maybe the review of electoral laws as well. Reason being that they are crucially required in terms of fostering Good Governance and also, they are time bound. Haven't we wasted too much time on Homosexuals of recent? But those who are genuinely involved in patriotism now have a reason to celebrate. They have a law that will most likely force everyone to be actively on their side. If I report a case of corruption, it could turn out that the person I correctly
