It wasn't my intention to draw attention away from Kabaka Mutebi's praiseworthy peace efforts. But since you appear so eager to proselytize on behalf of monarchies, let me state my position more clearly.
1. I do not believe that political power should be inherited and I consider our monarchs as living museum pieces and their advocates as errant curators of our culture.
2. But I can live with any system where the powers of politicians and rulers (hereditary or not) are clearly defined and limited in a democratic constitution and/or in practice.
3. Arbitrary and unlimited power is dangerous in any hands. Uganda's own monarchs, until the abolition of kingdoms by the Obote dictatorship in the 60's, indulged in excesses (including the disenfranchisement and murder of those who stood in their way). Simply put, they never got the opportunity that Obote, Amin, and Museveni seized to abuse their hereditary powers. In other words, monarchies in Uganda look good mostly because the post-colonial political class has been an abject failure and for nostalgic reasons that have little to do with any inherent superiority of monarchism over republicanism.
4. Monarchies in Africa, from Morocco in the north to Swaziland in the south, rank high among the despots and squanderers of our people's wealth. There is no reason for me to trust that the story of executive monarchies will be drastically different in Uganda, notwithstanding Kabaka Mutebi's conduct. A Ma'di proverb says it all: "Ny'i uzi'di laru tro rii oya mgbe olure nya zaa ni ago cuwi dru ku," -- Which roughly translates as, "He who is courteous to you won't necessarily make a good husband for your daughter."
vukoni
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