Ssemakula <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Your Patriotic Holiness,
I don't know about you folks, but if I were going to take the time to write
the Speaker of Parliament and MPs, at a minimum, I'd first make sure that I
have got my facts straight.
For example, given what is reported as being said by the MPs, what do you
mean by: " ... There is a difference between responsible thinking and
irresponsible thinking - between thinking that calls to protect peoples lives
and thinking that calls for their murder ..."?
Here is part of what I read in the same article, and I do not see any one
calling for the murder of anyone:
"Any person in the name of an investor who steps on Acholi land will be
speared instantly. We have reached a decision on this matter. We're not
threatening anybody but this is what we are going to do," Otto said. Asked
whether he was not inciting violence among the Acholi population, Otto said he
was responsible for the outcome of his remarks.
"Yes I am inciting violence because I want our people to protect their land.
Those Indians who are going around with cotton should come back to Kampala on
hearing this warning," he said.
"I am ready to face any court in this country to defend my word. We shall spear
whoever grabs our land and this is the package we have for the so-called
investors," The threat comes barely three days after the Acholi Parliamentary
Group threatened war should the government allocate their land to investors.
That aside: if we agree that that these MPs are the peoples' representatives
-- and therefore speak for their electorate, if they say they do not want
investors, who are you to say otherwise, and on what authority -- other than
your arrogance and self-righteousness -- do you impose your will on a free
people in a democratic society, even if you were part of the said electorate?
If we consider the people of Acholi to be mature enough to cast their votes
to choose their own representatives, then we must we consider them to be mature
enough to make decisions about their own way of life, their own development,
the sequencing of that development, and so on. And, the rest of us should
respect their decisions, as they would in turn respect our own decisions about
our own way of life. We cannot live their lives for them, nor they ours. They
know their lives and aspirations best, as we do ours.
Ebyaffe byaffe, n'ebyabwe byabwe, (i.e. what is ours belongs to us, and what
is theirs belongs to them).
That is not rocket science, but mere common sense.
Finally, the Acholi are entirely within their rights to defend their
property; and we should all not only applaud them, but follow their example. It
certainly beats grandstanding!
Musamize.
Ps:
Next time you get the burning urge to address the Speaker of Parliament, or
write a formal document, please do yourself a favor, take advantage of the
facilities of even a rudimentary a spell-checker - at a minimum.
----- Original Message ----
From: Ed Kironde <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Cc: Hon-Anifa kawooya <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL
PROTECTED]; Adolf Mwesige <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; Anne Abeja Muhwezi <[EMAIL
PROTECTED]>; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Dorothy Hyuha <[EMAIL
PROTECTED]>; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; unaanet <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; ugandacom <[EMAIL
PROTECTED]>
Sent: Friday, November 17, 2006 2:28:04 AM
Subject: [UNAANET] Re Hon Odongo Otto, MP & Hon Hussein Godi, MP
Hon. Edward Sekandi
Speaker of the Parliament
Parliament Avenue
P.O. Box 7178
Kampala, Uganda
Tel: 256-41-341038/346806
Fax: 256-41-231296/347826
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
November 17, 2006
RE: MEMBERS of Parliament Odonga Otto (Aruu) and Hussein Godi (Arua
Municipality)
Chapter 4:22-1
22. Protection of right to life.
(1) No person shall be deprived of life intentionally except in execution of
a sentence passed in a fair trial by a court of competent jurisdiction in
respect of a criminal offence under the laws of Uganda and the conviction and
sentence have been confirmed by the highest appellate court.
Chapter 4:29 -(2) Every Ugandan shall have the right
(a) to move freely throughout Uganda and to reside and settle in any part of
Uganda
Right to Recall
Chapter 6: 84-2b) misconduct or misbehavior likely to bring hatred, ridicule,
contempt or disrepute to the office
In the light of the above from our constitution, I think it is inappropriate
for any legislature to call for a tribal FATWA and it is a clear indication of
the violation of the Leadership Code of Conduct and the MPs should show cause
why they should not vacate that office so that the concentrate on spearing
investors in their constituency.
There is a difference between responsible thinking and irresponsible thinking
- between thinking that calls to protect peoples lives and thinking that calls
for their murder there is also a difference, between madness and reason, and
between extremism and moderation. The 2 honorable Members of Parliament
errored in their judgments calling for violence. They also endanger the lives
of those from their constituencies who have acquired land in areas other than
their home constituencies.
Mr. Speaker, where do the Members of Parliament get such authority to direct
those they represent in the house to spear investors?
Regional development should take precedence over irresponsible utterances
fueled by tribal sentiments.
On the minimum, the MPs should be disciplined for violating the leadership
code conduct and their electorate should be encouraged to recall them from the
house.
Edriss S Kironde
Concerned citizen
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Newspaper Report: Bellow
News | November 17, 2006
Acholi MPs threaten investors over land
AGNESS NANDUTU/YASIN MUGERWA
PARLIAMENT
MEMBERS of Parliament Odonga Otto (Aruu) and Hussein Godi (Arua Municipality)
yesterday threatened to mobilise the local people to spear any investor who
dares step on Acholi land.
Addressing a press conference at Parliament, the MPs said should the government
allocate any piece of Acholi land to investors they are ready to mobile the
local people to use spears in defence of their land.
"Any person in the name of an investor who steps on Acholi land will be speared
instantly. We have reached a decision on this matter. We're not threatening
anybody but this is what we are going to do," Otto said. Asked whether he was
not inciting violence among the Acholi population, Otto said he was responsible
for the outcome of his remarks.
"Yes I am inciting violence because I want our people to protect their land.
Those Indians who are going around with cotton should come back to Kampala on
hearing this warning," he said.
"I am ready to face any court in this country to defend my word. We shall spear
whoever grabs our land and this is the package we have for the so-called
investors,"
The threat comes barely three days after the Acholi Parliamentary Group
threatened war should the government allocate their land to investors.
But Lands Minister Daniel Omara Atubo responded by saying the government will
not allocate Acholi land to investors without the consent of the owners. He
said the government has its own land in Acholi and has the right to determine
how best to use it.
But Aswa MP Reagan Okumu said on phone that the government has no land in
Acholi. "He is trying to please his boss. Let him produce the land titles of
that government land and tell us where specifically the land is," he said.
Atubo challenged the MPs to produce any documented attempt by the government to
grab land in Acholi.
Otto said the government's decision to involve the RDCs and army officers in
the resettlement of internally displaced people, in an attempt to 'grab' their
land. He warned that the people of Aruu County are ready to face any person who
dares to grab their land.
Reacting to Otto's comments, Godi has also vowed to mobilise the people in Arua
to spear whoever attempts to come near that land. "Our land is a no- go- area.
Those intending to grab Acholi land must be joking," Godi said.
4
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