By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
KAMPALA
Acting Democratic Party (DP) publicity secretary and the president of Uganda Young Democrats (UYD) Ismail Kiirya has asked president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to desist from using language that feeds hatred against past governments.
His rare comments came after President Museveni sought to cultivate criticism that the former Idi Amin government was illegal and fuelled violence against human rights.
A team of leaders from Northern Uganda led by former Obongi county lawmaker, Hon. Hassan Kaps Fungaroo had written a letter to the National Council for Higher Education seeking for license to establish the Iddi Amin Dada Memorial Institute. But, the president has rejected the proposal labelling the former president as unfit for such a memorial establishment.
“This is a wrong request and it should be rejected… It is not acceptable to license an Institute to promote or study the work of Idi Amin,” Museveni said in a letter to his wife, Janet Kataha Museveni who is also the minister of education.
According to Museveni, Amin’s government was unconstitutional, committed multiple attrocities such as killing of people in Acholi and Lango sub-regions, soldiers in Mbarara and Mukuula prisoners,killing of first Ugandan Prime Minister and former Chief Justice Benedicto Kiwanuka, Basil Bataringaya and his wife, and destroyed the national economy.
In reaction to President Museveni’s letter, DP condemned hatred and Museveni supremacy that normalises blackmail to former leaders.
He was speaking to journalists at their party weekly media briefing at City House Kampala on Tuesday, October 31 when he said that President Museveni’s hatred for Idi Amin is a personal hatred between him and Amin as an individual not as a president.
“If you’re saying that president Amin’s government was unconstitutional, then yours is because you came in the same way. Idi Amin came by guns, you also came by guns. He did some atrocities and you have committed so many atrocities in over 37yrs,” Kiirya said.
He challenged Museveni to stop spreading the gospel of hatred against former leaders because similar accusations may be used against him after leaving power either peacefully or by the use of force.
“There is no need of spreading hatred. At the moment, president Museveni should have a situation of building reconciliation and dialogue with former presidents’ families and Ugandans,” he said.
