By Martha Leah Nangalama
Thursday 20 03 2020
CORONAVIRUS response by Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni – @KagutaMuseveni
Daniel Nangalama, Martha Leah Nangalama – Bududa, Uganda
Open letter to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni
Moncton, Canada
email: mlnangalama@gmail.com
WhatsApp / Mobile +15068716371
March 19, 2020
Dear President Yoweri Museveni,
RE: Your directive on shutting down schools and places of worship
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Papa, mulembe naabi. Mulembe naabi naabi.
I write to you today to give you a piece of my Bududa mind about your directive. One day, you will write back. I have kept all the letters I have been writing to you since 2013.
I finally now understand why some opposition people leave opposition parties and join NRM. It is because our opposition leaders are not solution centred. They are problem centred. They attack anything and everything you say. This must stop and it will stop.
Please suspend the OTT tax immediately. INFORMATION IS POWER. People will be relying on social media to get information and news about Corona. We need the communication channels to remain open and open for free.
This morning, March 19, 2020 (Dwendi duendi), I read some utterances by some opposition leaders. Here you go.
1) MP from Kampala cut down everything you said is needed to be done in Uganda. He offered no solutions at all.
2) I read a statement issued by one opposition party. I started to comment on it point by point but gave up. It is no use debating with people dead set on only criticizing. What I found interesting about their statement was “how will schools explain to parents about the school fees which have been paid and schools are shutting down”? What happens after the 32 day lockdown?
Now, I was thinking of “you value your money for school fees more than the life of your child? Totumanyila”.
On what happens after the 32 day shutdown. This is very simple even a 4yr old child can tell you that after the 32 day shutdown, if Uganda still has no registered cases, we re-open and return to business as usual. If after the 32 day shutdown, the virus pandemic is still ongoing, we extend the shut down.
Is Macron wrong to say “We are at war”?
Is Angela Merkel wrong to say “This virus is unprecedented and nearly close to World War”?
Is Trump wrong to say “this virus pandemic might last into July and August”?
Are Germany scientists wrong to say that the pandemic might last up to 2yrs?
3) The problem with Uganda opposition is never being willing to work on solutions while you are in power. They will solve all of Uganda’s problems after #MuseveniMustGo. This is very naive. We work on solutions now while we await you handing over power peacefully and going into retirement.
For example, below are some of the things I have been doing for Uganda since 2013 while waiting for you to retire:
a) I noticed that Ugandans write horrible English on social media. I have been teaching spelling and grammar.
b) High unemployment. I have been teaching about job searching, CV / resume preparation, cover letters, how to prepare for an interview and how to dress for the interview. Communication skills. I am one of the team of people who writes for the Virtual Learning Academy (VLA) which was started by Omar Kalinge Nnyago. I write the Communication Module.
c) Self employment. I have many articles I have written about how to start a small business and I offer the business ideas people could start with.
d) Scams. I warn Ugandans continuously about scams. Yes, scans are govt helped but it is not like you, one person, is going to go to every Ugandan and tell them that Development Channel is a scam. Not even the Bitcoin craze. Throw in the Forex trading where kids borrow money to trade forex but have no bank account and no internet. They give their money to some scammers in Kampala who trade for them and rip them off.
e) Scholarships. I share scholarship information very frequently. Our kids do not read. Our opposition leaders do not do this. Just go to a political rally and after we get into power, you will get a job. But how will opposition create jobs when they do not focus on the current needs of the unemployed youth?
f) Legal immigration to the countries which allow in immigrants with great education and skills. We have some agencies in Uganda which take money from people to the tune of UGX 14mln to get them visas to Canada. Yet, with only $1,600, these people can get a visa into Canada for Permanent Resident (PR) which leads to citizenship 3 years down the road. This money includes a one way airline ticket and all costs. But nedda, they would rather pay $6,000 for a fake visa. Why does opposition not address such things?
I will support you on the lockdown with no ifs or butts or coconuts.
I will support you if you disband parliament. Our August house is really useless now and not even worth keeping. Just send them all home with no pay. It is the rainy season. They can go dig their gardens and plant food.
I will support you if you postpone the elections. If people get sick from Corona and die, then how will they be voting?
I look forward to hearing from you.
MARTHA LEAH NANGALAMA
Moncton, Canada
Bududa, Uganda
The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members
Coretta Scott King
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