I hope this third letter finds the Mpologoma of Buganda and his people in good health. In Acholi life is still around the shamba albeit, most of the hard work has now been done. The rain has been good to us!
Like a giant E'mpuuta from Buganda's largest nyanja or Lake Victoria to others and me, no referendum comes bigger than the Scottish referendum for independence. Like fishermen, political reformists round the world all have their eyes and ears focused to the north of England, to catch every detail of this political aurora. As Buganda goes round the gyratory, unable to decide what route to take, the Scottish people will go to the polls in a little over three months to decide through referendum, whether to go independence or remain in the union. The referendum comes after three hundred years of rule from Westminster. The decision to quit is being thrown to all people living in Scotland. This means the future of Scotland will be decided by the four million natives as well immigrants to the region.
Like Scotland, Buganda has been agitating for some form of self rule for the last fifty years and counting. But the campaign has been lackluster and non focused. Unlike Scotland, whose focus has been on independence from the word go. Buganda is undecided whether they want federalism, while remaining part of the Uganda or independence as a sovereign state and outside Ugandan's dirty claw. It is equally unsure of the means how to attain any of the two choices. However, to most political pundits, there has never been a better time in the history of Uganda, for Buganda to assert itself politically and economically. Like the current season in Acholi, the soil is fertile and waiting for Buganda to plant the seed of its future and that of Uganda. Luckily for Scotland, they have Salmond, the leader of the eponemous Scottish National Party, who has tirelessly drummed for Scottish independence through referendum. In Buganda, the closest we have to Salmond is Betty Kamya, who is not dizzying round the gyratory but has taken a route and decided on the means to get to its end.
In a complex society, the smallest cog causes such a grind but in a less complex society such as ours, the biggest cog is normally the culprit. Buganda should not allow itself to be the biggest cog and less able. Buganda cannot afford any other means rather than a referendum, towards nothing more than a federal status. It should not waste time dizzying on the roundabout but, should decidedly, take the federal route and a referendum as a means to achieving it. This is because unlike Scotland, Buganda was not annexed by a foreign country but joined as part of a union to form a state.
I should therefore suggest that the office of Katikiro and other parties interested in federal Uganda, should keep an eye very closely to the Scottish referendum. It's a free case study on how to bring about a revolution without a single shot fired. The use of arms is a relic from the past and the shame of doing so will be buried with Museveni as the last culprit. Buganda should not even nurse the idea of taking to arms. It will only polarise and coalesce the rest of the nation against it. This is why its paramount that the Katikiro should send parties to Scotland for some lesson in politics of change.
The cool whether in Acholi has brought with it cold or flu as its commonly known. So i will have to terminate my short missive here until i weather the storm.
Tolerance is a stage in civilisation!
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