Revoking Speaker’s visa over anti-gay law is wrong
What you need to know:
- Why didn’t they punish all the MPs who passed the law or other Ugandans who supported it?
Shortly after the Speaker of Parliament Anita Among announced that the President had signed the Anti-homosexuality Bill, the US government announced a cancellation of her visa to the United States!
This is perhaps the worst form of arrogance and exercise of raw power for a modern country like the US.
Of course, on one hand it exposes the US and the West hypocrisy as self-styled champions of democracy and tolerance yet on the other hand it puts to test our independence as an African state and whether we have the backbone to stand our word and maintain our stand!
This law was passed by a Parliament with close to 400 MPs voting in its favour, it was supported by Ugandans across political, religious, cultural and economic divide and finally assented to by the President.
Why the US would single out the Speaker and Hon Asuman Basalirwa speaks to the imperialistic politics of blackmail and intimidation that is being perpetuated by the so-called fathers of democracy.
Why didn’t they punish all the MPs who passed the law or other Ugandans who supported it?
Indeed, Speaker Among has staked her back, sacrificed herself for the sanctity of our values and the future of this country.
She had two different paths to choose between; either a simple path of succumbing to the pressures including accepting to be compromised or the hard path standing with confidence and courage in the face of threats.
She chose a hard one; to stand tall to be seen and to speak loudly to be heard; there is no doubt that both the future and history will absolve and exonerate her.
It is good that the Ugandan Parliament stood their ground thus did not betray Ugandans.
The US and its allies have for decades directly or indirectly been implicated in cases of human rights violations in Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Palestine among others.
The US has also established and maintained the famous Guantanamo Bay prison where reports of gross human rights abuse have been mentioned. They therefore don’t have the moral authority to police anybody on human rights!
The US and the West should know that Uganda is a sovereign state, they should know that we have our strongly cherished values and interests which we are willing to protect at all costs and they cannot impose homosexuality on us, at least without a fight.
The US surely has a lot on their plate, they should not stoop too low to start determining the travels of Uganda parliament’s Speaker, in any case who is not dying to travel to their country!
The people of Uganda irrespective of their differences are united in prayer and courage with the President, the Speaker and the Parliament of Uganda in defending our values, and the West should just accept!
George Muhimbise,[email protected],Human Rights student at the Law Development Centre
