The Monitor (Kampala)
OPINION
By Raymond Otika
Kampala
The year 2007 seems to be ending in style as President Yoweri Museveni wages war on "lies." A lie is defined as an untrue statement purposely made to deceive, or to be dishonest with the truth.
In most cultures telling lies has to do with deficiency in personal morality, best articulated in the words of Thomas Jefferson: "He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second time and the third time till at length it becomes a habit. He tells lies without attending to it, the truth without the world believing him."
It was therefore interesting to read Museveni's letter to the Kabaka of Buganda (Daily Monitor, December 22), measured against what he has been telling Ugandans since he assumed state power on January 26, 1986.
The president is annoyed by what he perceives as lies and more lies about his government vis-a-vis land grabbing in Buganda. He thinks the opposition is in cahoot with CBS FM radio and Buganda Kingdom officials at Mengo to pervert the public over the land question; he wants the Kabaka Muwenda Mutebi to step in and prevail over his errant subjects.
The president also took the war on lies to Amuru District (Sunday Monitor December 23) where he lambasted Acholi MPs for telling lies in their constituencies that government intended to grab land in Amuru and give it to Madhvani Group for growing sugarcane.
Going to the problem of lies the president is culpable; he has no moral authority to condemn anybody for telling lies. He has lied to Ugandans a thousand times. For example in 1986 the president told Ugandans and the rest of the world that "the problem of Africa is leaders who stay too long in power."
In his 2001 presidential election manifesto Museveni said that it would be his last term to stand for president. But he became a liar when he stood again for the same post in 2006.
The more Museveni finds himself doing the very vice for which he condemned other African leaders, the more he becomes a liar and loses moral credibility to castigate fellow liars.
As if that is not enough our "dear" president also castigated African leaders who flew private jets to attend United Nations summits while their citizens moved barefoot, not to mention bare buttocks (emphasis mine) for being "pathetic spectacles."
Unfortunately our president also got caught in the African leaders' bourgeois decadence web: he now wants to fly G5 Gulf Stream private presidential jet. Mr president telling lies is not good for everybody. A lie is a double-edge sword; it hurts even its master.
In 2008, let us tell the truth. It is what will honestly bring peace and prosperity to all Ugandans, not lies, deception and corruption.
Happy New Year Mr President and all Ugandans.
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