TEARS OF THE FORGOTTEN WAR HERO'S AND THE BEST GRANDFATHER BY TIBRICHU HABIB AMIN, MP ASPIRANT ARINGA COUNTY - YUMBE DISTRICT.
I wish to take this opportunity to thank H.E. the President of Uganda, YKM for the following:
1. His visionary leadership and for being a peace maker.
2. Leading a successful and historical revolutionary war that brought a sustainable peace, unity and security.
3. Preferring political dialogue than military solution to guarantee peace, security and unity for all citizens regardless of color, tribe, religion and economic status.
Many of us are a by product of armed conflicts and today, I want our community members to remember our forgotten hero's in Uganda, Yumbe district in particular and West Nile at large. Who are these hero's? the Officers, service men and women who gave in their lives to bring peace and security (i.e. revolutionary veterans and their families). The second category are our youth, women, and elderly including persons with physical and mental disability who suffered as result of the arm conflicts in our district and in the region.
As a result of these armed rebellions, many of us ran to exile in Sudan (South Sudan) and Zaire (DRC). The forgotten hero's are mainly individuals who died in exile, those who died during different armed conflicts and others who died after the revolutionary. In addition, they also include veterans families and relatives. These courageous persons or citizens left behind other hero's such as orphans, windows, and helpless relatives. In 1986, H.E. the President, extended hand of peace to Ugandan living in exile and many of us happily returned home. Thank you our best grandfather.
Important to note is that the collaborative relationship between NRA and then the defunct UNRF, which paved way for the first peace deal in West Nile region but shortly this peace was disrupted by another group (Defunct UNRF II), which resulted to yet another peace agreement. All the initiatives to consolidate peace was reached and some of the commitments were met and others remain at large. However, our hero's compromised of former veterans, orphans, widows, persons with disability and elderly have continued to suffer.
We are so grateful to NRM/NRA government for granting us Yumbe district as peace dividend and many other development programs. However, there was a missing gap i.e. the deliberate efforts to address the plight of forgotten hero's, which remained unresolved. These kind of conditions have now created additional challenges as outlined below:
1. Large number of young generations who are unemployed. These group of unemployed persons can be found in each of the villages in Yumbe district. These young people are a direct by product of armed conflicts.
2. Widows, young mothers and helpless elders trying to survive from their small gardens, market places and by the road sides. These are also a by product of rebellions.
3. Youth often found in Peri urban towns mostly referred to as drunkards, mairungi eaters and street boys are children of the veterans or grand children of our hero's.
4. Many of the school drop outs, landless women, youth, and helpless young mothers are a direct by product of armed conflicts.
Government at all levels has done part of it's job but a lot of outstanding obligations in support of our hero's have remained as unfinish commitments. We must strive and ensure that these armed conflict affected persons live a better life in years to come. Africans say "Tears of the orphans can make our God to feel unhappy".
I must say, we are partially blamed for this unpleasant situation. Take note of the following:
1. Many of us have forgotten who are our real hero's are.....the veterans who ushered peace for all.
2. Some of our community members have failed to support these conflict linked orphans, widows and persons with disability.
3. Our local leadership have forgotten about our peace dividend district, Yumbe and it's beneficiaries (i.e in trying to address comprehensively the effects and demands of resolutions of the peace deal).
4. Our youthful graduates, diploma and certificate holders have not been given a special attention as regards gainful employment, investment opportunities and many other benefits.
5. We often discriminate our own people and call them names such as "foreigners", "alien", and sometimes refer to them as "people from other places..."
6. Some of us tend to grab parcels of land that belongs to these innocent hero's and we end up making them landless citizens.
7. We have failed to recognize the good work accomplished by our reputable leaders, instead we demine, and dehuminse them, yet we have failed to accomplish even 2% of their achievements. What a shame!.
8. We have continued to fight every development opportunities that can transform lives and yet expect to live a better life.
9. Our leaders have discriminated and denied services and goods to some of the hero's and their families..,....why....why?
10. We have failed to understand our own weaknesses and strength but instead blame others for our own failure.
11. Some of our elite or educated citizens have misled our community members because they have failed to use their knowledge and skills to better improve livelihood of our people.
12. We ignore the youth during term of office and remember them during political campaigns .....what a shame!
13. We prefer liars to those who tell you the truth none other than the truth.
14. We back stab each other in any gainful situation and feel so sweet and unregrettably happy for our negative actions.
15. Finally, we have learnt nothing and forgot nothing but we wish to be treated special and well.
Members! Let us wake up now or never.
Let us agree to change now or never.
Let us work for ourselves using our minds and hands to better our live now or never.
Let us start choosing development minded, skilled and competent leaders now or never.
Let us cherish and protect what we have as valuable to our communities now or never.
I want take this opportunity to thank H. E the President of Uganda for his visionary leadership and for extending heart of peace to Ugandans, (West Nilers) who suffered for seven years in exile in Sudan and Zaire in 1986. I want to extend my sincere heartfelt regards to our hero's (those are still alive and their entire family members including the dead, conflict affected youth, women and elderly. May God grant you all a better life on earth and in heaven.
FOR GOD AND MY COUNTRY
HON. TIBRICHU HABIB AMIN
ASPIRANT NRM MP
ARINGA COUNTY
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