Politicians should not be hypocrites
Nyanazi
Okoler Opio Enoch
The philosopher Von Savigny established a historical school of thought that the law applicable in society evolves from societal norms, values and morals.
He says that, there are those values that society holds so dearly upon which it's distinguished from other societies. And that, the law applicable changes with the change in those societal values.
Just the other day, the Mukono Municipality MP, Bakireke Nambooze, trivialised the efforts by moralists to condemn the conduct of Dr. Stella Nyanzi, who stripped herself naked before the public(sic).
Her argument was that, Dr Nyanzi's conduct should not be condemned in a country where people walk naked in some part.
And yet still, in the same country, Hon. Betty Nambooze condemns the conduct of Pr. Aloysius Bugingo who "'merely' undressed his wife" by word of mouth
Oh, how hypocritical our people can be!
Well, let me be of help here.
In 1926, multifarious ethnic groups were aggregated into a big society called Uganda. Our national values are envisaged in our constitution, in the National Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy.
These objectives unify Ugandans but not their ethnic cultural values, our values as Iteso, Baganda, Acholi, Lagi, Bagwere, Banyankore, Basoga, Ikarimojong.....'Banyarwanda'....etc are recognized individually as provided for by the constitution under objective III.
I quote Objective III(ii) "Every effort shall be made to integrate all the peoples of Uganda while at the same time recognising the existence of their ethnic, religious, ideological, political and cultural diversity".
I think that, it is therefore not wise to bank on cultural values elsewhere to vindicate the conduct of members in another setting where the same is condemned.
The conduct of Nalongo Stella Nyanzi, a Muganda woman is bound to suit in the cultural norms and values of Buganda and I do not think that, Buganda condones her conduct.
One may argue that, we are on a national cause, yes we are, but before Uganda we belong to various and yet important units, family, clan, tribe..... that feed into the national society.
How many of you condoning Stella's conduct, searching from your heart of hearts wish that their daughters be inspired in a manner similar to hers!
Stop hypocrisy!
Condemn acts that threaten the moral fabric on which societies are built, lest we crumble into immortality that will subsequently determine the nature of our laws as per Von Savigny.
The author is a social and political critic
