TR: {UAH} OUR KINGS NEED INTERNSHIP

We always wonder how poor Africans who want independence from the west-doing want in turn copy/ do like west. West has enough money and means to sustain their old royal families in luxury wealth, as they can sustain their poor and refugees. Africa has not, but yet is struggling to do like west in sustaining parallel king leadership!

How poor people will fund such a wealth when they have a lot of problems in funding their normal administration? Please if you like these born-to-rule, affect them as district or community commissioners or something alike, so they can benefit from known government structures, but not like extra appendices to the real administration.

Dear Africans and Ugandans in particular, you would much gain in forgetting this nonsense of cultural assets to be held by kings out of the public administration.

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De : 'atuhairwe robert' via Ugandans at Heart (UAH) Community <ugandans-at-heart@googlegroups.com>
Envoyé : lundi 5 décembre 2016 15:11
À : Google Inc.
Objet : {UAH} OUR KINGS NEED INTERNSHIP

 

History does not really repeat itself; it is repeated by us and our greatest problem is that we repeat what is most harmful to ourselves and hardly consider the beautiful ones.

BACK TO 2014

In 2014, following the July attacks in the Rwenzori Region, I wrote the following article, which we reproduce without alteration.

Unless the loyal subjects of those born to rule, politely but firmly insist on having a say in what their kings CANNOT DO on behalf of their cherished institutions, many of our kings will take us on a pell-mell dash back to 1966!
Not many Ugandans want a repeat of the events that led to the summary abolition of our monarchies in 1967. However, a silent few are beginning to wonder whether recent developments do not justify a swift and decisive return to 1967…
This silent and at present suppressed attitude should certainly worry those of our kings whose only relevance to their subjects is demonstrated by The Collector of Tithes.

MWANGA & MUMBERE

Buganda's celebrated Kabaka Mwanga ascended the throne on 18 October 1884, at the tender age of 16. Oddly, or coincidentally, Charles Wesley Mumbere Irema Ngoma, who succeeded his father Isidore Mukirane at a tender age, was officially recognised as Omusinga wa Rwenzururu on 19 October 2009. The gap is just one day in 125 years.
On 6 July 1897, Kabaka Mwanga Basammul'ekkere ditched all the agreements he had signed with the advancing colonial authorities and attacked the Protectorate Government. Two weeks later on 20 July 1897, he was defeated and fled to Bukoba in Tanzania.

Oddly, or coincidentally, forces claiming allegiance to Omusinga Wesley Mumbere attacked Uganda government positions on 5 July 2014. Again the gap between Mwanga's confirmed and Mumbere's suspected actions was just one day in 117 years!

Since the Constitution of Uganda allows communities to create traditional rulers, and knowing therefore that there are many in the pipeline, I propose that all aspiring kings first do internship under Sabasajja Ronald Muwenda Mutebi, whose experience in these matters surpasses that of all of them combined.

DIVINE IMMUNITY?

I am still refusing to believe that Omusinga Mumbere boasted about being a highly-trained commando at the rank of lieutenant general. I want to delete pictures from my mind of an otherwise respected monarch donning battle fatigues for the attention of the cameras. And I refuse to believe that 'Obusinga bwa Rwenzururu' do not have a Royal Spokesman, whose utterances can be conveniently endorsed or denied by the Omusinga.

Although we are not expected to challenge the 'Right of Rule by Birth' enjoyed by our monarchs, we their ordinary subjects must retain a say in how these demi-gods exercise this authority.

Whereas these demi-gods bask in a DIVINE IMMUNITY of sorts, some of them accord themselves a kind of DIVINE IMPUNITY that can only spell disaster.
There is urgent need to protect our cherished traditional institutions from the caprices of those who may be anointed to lead them at one time or another. Do we have a say in what our kings and priests say and do on our behalf or it is our duty to tradition to feign ignorance?

CHARLES & MWANGA

Because of their stature, kings cannot be cowards. This is why they frequently perish in a cloud of their own glory rather than surrender when wisdom dictates so. To avert such tragedy, loyal subjects must firmly play their humble part.
For this discussion, two kings stand out as classic examples. One is Daniel Mwanga of Buganda, the other Charles I of England. The fate of these two kings demonstrates the fact that although the king is the supreme manifestation of the kingdom, the kingdom is infinitely superior to any king.

Wheras Charles I was tried before a revolutionary court and finally beheaded, Mwanga died in exile. Both kings were much-loved by their subjects and their demise was never celebrated as a major victory for the people, but an unfortunate, unavoidable eventuality.
 
MWANGA'S FATE

Mwanga forgot that the British had never avenged the execution of Bishop James Hannington in October 1875 and later he persecuted his chiefs who had become Christians. In 1888, two years after the martyrdoms, Mwanga's loyal subjects joined forces and deposed him. The Baganda did not abolish the Kabakaship; they replaced Mwanga with two of his brothers whom they ousted in succession before restoring Mwanga in 1889.
After his fresh declaration of war in 1897, Mwanga was deposed forever, on 9 August 1897. He was captured in 1899 and exiled to Seychelles till his death in 1903. His infant son Daudi Chwa was enthroned and the baby ruled Buganda through three powerful regents. Buganda kingdom survived but Mwanga only achieved a dignified burial in 1910…

GODLY IMPUNITY?

Charles I of England also declared war on the English Parliament and for the first time in history, parliament put the king in the dock for treason!

The charge stated that King Charles, "had traitorously and maliciously levied war against Parliament and the people", and that his "wicked designs, wars, and evil practices have been, and are carried on for the advancement of himself and his family, against the public interest, common right, liberty, justice, and peace of the people of this nation." They found him "guilty of causing the death of about 300,000 people, or 6% of the population."
In response, Charles stated that no court had jurisdiction over a king and that his own authority to rule had been given to him by God and by the traditional laws of England.

"No earthly power can justly question me. Obedience to Kings is clearly warranted, and strictly commanded in both the Old and New Testament. All lawyers know that the King can do no wrong…"
The court however challenged the doctrine of sovereign immunity, saying "the King of England was not a person, but an office whose every occupant was entrusted with a limited power to govern 'by and according to the laws of the land and not otherwise'."
On 30 January 1649, Charles otherwise loving subjects beheaded him and replaced him with his son.

INTERNSHIP NOW!

Prof. Kajabago Ka Rusoke has proposed that all kings should undergo training at National Leadership Institute (NALI) Kyankwanzi, but their subjects may not tolerate this noble proposal.

I propose that all aspiring kings secretly undergo internship with Kabaka Ronald Mutebi, who will teach them what monarchs MUST NOT DO in order to stay alive and relevant to their own people. Etiquette seems to be badly lacking among aspiring kings and the earlier they secretly corrected this malady, the better for all of us.
If this is not done, the ordinary subjects will call their kings to order, simply to protect their cherished kingdoms from the deadly caprices of a reigning monarch. And we shall have learnt nothing from our rich, even if bloody, history.

By Tony Geoffrey Owana

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