Ugandan politician rubbishes the Bahati [Nazi] Bill 3

Not all Uganda’s politicians are blinkered, and here is one who makes the case for the Bahati [Nazi] anti-gay bill to be thrown out of Parliament in its entirety. I don’t think you will see a more erudite and considered case for permanently getting rid of this bill from a Ugandan politician:

Money quote: from Morris Ogenga-Latigo:

The truth is that homosexuality is a social phenomenon that hinges on both a person’s genetic constitution and the social environment to which one is exposed, and is as old as humanity. Contrary to the lies peddled by defenders of the bill, homosexually-oriented people have always been part of our African society.

In my Acholi community, they were never outrightly rejected but were instead quietly helped to cope. Even the story of Kabaka Mwanga and his martyrdom of Christians has a homosexuality twist to it. It must also be made clear that homosexuality is completely different from sexual abuse by perverted and mentally deranged men who sexually molest babies, lure and sexually abuse young girls and boys (the Mubiru way), rape fellow men, or even practise bestiality.

Rather than the compassion, love and care in normal same sex relationships, theirs is abomination and heartache that no culture on earth tolerates. Secondly, the bill as it is ? “Anti-homosexuality Bill” ? is no more than a piece of hate legislation.

We now wait with bated breath for Uganda’s other political leaders to respond to this bill. It will be the ultimate dereliction of responsibility for leaders such as Beti Kamya, Mugisha Muntu, Janet Museveni, Beti Nambooze, Semujju Nganda, Ken Lukyamuzi, Olara Otunnu etc. to let this bill pass (or not) without their views on it being put on record. If it is a good bill for the country, let’s hear their counter arguments to Ogenga Latigo. If not, let’s hear their support for him.

The remaining alternative is for them to maintain their silence – not a criminal offense but a sign of moral cowardice surely.

Over to you honorable members of Uganda’s ruling elite.

Related articles

• Time for Uganda’s major players to pronounce themselves on the Bahati Bill (sebaspace.wordpress.com)
• Rebecca Kadaga trapped between a rock and hard place! (sebaspace.wordpress.com)

Beti Kamya loses me 6

Beti Kamya has lost me with her latest article on Uganda’s Parliamentary sovereignty and Bahati’s Nazi Bill.

Money quote:

They [Western donors] chose high handedness, clearly manifesting that democracy is for the rich, not for Africa, and that in Africa, by touching the right buttons, democracy becomes a meaningless word.

I have read her piece a couple of times and remain quite confused.

And the main reason I am confused is that Beti Kamya now seems to think that Uganda is a democracy and Uganda’s Parliament is relevant. But isn’t she on record on numerous occasions saying that Uganda is a dictatorship? Isn’t that actually one of the reasons she formed the Uganda Federal Alliance – to protest against the undemocratic nature of Uganda’s politics?

And don’t we have ample evidence from the Bahati bill she has nailed her Parliamentary colors to that Uganda is indeed a dictatorship, and that Parliament is irrelevant? After all, the only reason why the bill has still not been brought up for debate in Parliament despite widespread support from that house is that Museveni poured cold water on it after being prevailed upon by Western donors. Isn’t that the definition of a dictatorship; the president overriding what Parliament unanimously wants and imposing his singular will on legislative processes? What Parliamentary sovereignty is Ms. Kamya talking about then?

And if she, too, admits that the Parliamentary dignity in Uganda is, to use her own word, “fake”, why would she want to hang on to it?

Is that contradictory or what? Perhaps Beti’s article is tongue in cheek and ought to be read as such.

AfroGay knows that Bati Kamya is not an enemy of gay people.  In fact, I would go so far as to say that Beti is the one Parliamentarian who wouldn’t harbor that kind of sentiment. My concern is that she has in the past argued that Uganda’s Parliament is irrelevant (something I quite agree with) and now seems to think that because the West is pushing Bahati around, Parliament is relevant after all.And, finally, is a Nazi bill of this sort really the kind of legislation that Kamya feels deserves her wholesome attention to reaffirm Parliament’s supremacy? Sink or swim with a bill that so blatantly seeks to abuse the human rights of a cross-section of society so that a point about Uganda’s Parliamentary sovereignty can be made?

Coming from Beti Kamya, that, too,  seems like a contradiction to me.