By Shivan Tuhirirwe,
KAMPALA
President Museveni government has been asked to stop creating divergent historical memories of wars that cost lives of million Ugandans and caused property loss.
The demands come at a time when the national army (Updf) is celebrating the 43rd TAREHE SITA, a day when the five year guerilla war was launched by the National Resistance Army (NRA) rebels, currently NRM under president Museveni which brought him (Museveni) to power. The Celebrations are going on in Bugweri, Busoga sub-region.
However, opposition politicians contends that these celebrations are meaningless to modern society as they restore memories likely to reinforce history disputes.
Ismail Kiirya, the acting spokesperson for Democratic Party (DP) said at a press conference on Tuesday that Ugandans have not in any way benefited from wars caused by the NRA rebels questioning the relevancy of these historical celebrations to national development.
“We want to remind all those in the TAREHE SITA cerebrations that Ugandans don’t have any meaning of that war. So as you’re celebrating be mindful that we have Ugandans lost lives, properties etc and upto now they’re not seeing any relevance of that war,”he said.
Pointing out unanswered cases of human rights abuses such as kidnaps, Tourtue, land grabbing majorly by serving army officers and top government officials, Kiirya said the guerilla war celebrations benefits a few individuals at the expense of million Ugandans who are perishing in grinding poverty, human rights violations.
He challenge Museveni’s government to emulate the Ghanaian strategy of making people forget wars which brought some leaders in power by establishing strong, independent and democratic institutions in the country.
“Ghana has a related history like Uganda where President Jerry Rollings fought and got power which he called 1st Republic. This Republic was characterized with traumer, blood shed where he even used to feed humans on crocodiles at one time when he got annoyed. Unlike president Museven, President Jerry erased all the activities in the first Republic because he never wanted his citizens to remember the turmoil they went through,” Kiirya explained.
According to the young Democrat, President Museven is a face of violence, and turmoil despite boasting of being a freedom fighter “Ssabalwanyi.”
