Assassination Of Karegyeya Will Usher In Dictatorship
Saturday, January 18, 2014 - 00:00 -BY KOIGI WAMWERE
Before my family and I send our heartfelt condolences to the family of
Patrick Karegyeya, let me say his assassination shocked and devastated
me because he was my friend, a great Rwandan and Ugandan patriot and
an African hero who was taken too early by the cruel hand of an
assassin.
Assassination of Patrick Karegyeya by Rwandan agents, now admitted by
President Paul Kagame, hit me like assassinations of Chris Hani, J.M.
Kariuki, Tom Mboya, Patrice Lumumba, Thomas Sankara, Martin Luther
King Jr, Malcolm X, John and Robert Kennedys hit me before and those
of Mahatma Gandhi, Dedan Kimathi and Che Guavara hit mankind.
I loved and miss Patrick Karegyeya because he was a man who fought
oppression all his life and sacrificed his life for the freedom of
humanity.
Mainly Patrick Karegyeya fought for freedom in Uganda and Rwanda. For
his opposition to dictatorship, he was jailed by Obote for three
years. Later he joined the government of Paul Kagame in Rwanda as one
of his intelligent chiefs.
I first met Patrick in 1986 when he worked as an intelligence officer
in President Museveni's government after the defeat of dictatorships
of Idi Amin, Okellos and Obote that together killed 800,000 Ugandans
fighting freedom and democracy.
When we applied for asylum in Uganda after fleeing Moi's killer
machine, we were interviewed and recommended for asylum by Patrick
Karegyeya. Under pursuit of Kenya's Special Branch, UNHCR later
relocated us to Norway and Sweden but I kept links with Patrick.
When Rwanda Patriotic Front launched guerrilla warfare in Rwanda from
Uganda, Patrick stayed behind in Uganda, I believe as a key link
between RPF and Museveni's government in Uganda without whose support
RPF would not have won their struggle in Rwanda. When RPF took
government in Rwanda, Patrick relocated to the country as the chief of
external intelligence.
Patrick was a true Pan Africanist who lived and fought for both
Uganda and Rwanda giving his best to both countries.
Since Patrick Karegyeya was killed, there has been a tussle regarding
where he will be buried. Though Patrick Karegyeya is both a citizen of
Rwanda and Uganda – having fought for both countries – against laws of
God that no person shall be denied a place of burial, leaders of
Rwanda and Uganda who claim to be champions of democracy and
development have refused that Patrick be buried in either country.
To the shame of East Africa, Patrick will be buried in South Africa.
How can leaders of East Africa claim to be integrating their countries
and uniting their people when they cannot allow a patriot and democrat
of East Africa to be buried in East Africa?
If Museveni could allow Idi Amin to be buried in Uganda, why can he
not allow a man who was born in Uganda, was jailed for Uganda and
served Uganda not be buried in Uganda? And does Kagame belong to
Rwanda than Karegyeya?
Now Patrick will be buried in South Africa, a country whose struggle
for freedom he sympathized with but fought less for.
However, as we thank South Africa for accommodating Patrick in death,
we regret that the security she has given those to whom she has
granted asylum is so lackluster that fascist regimes have killed
political opponents there. This should never happen in a country whose
leaders were themselves hunted down in exile and out of power.
That Kagame and Museveni can deny Patrick the right to be buried in
Rwanda and Uganda means these two leaders believe they own their two
countries at the exclusion of others whom they consider subjects. Yet
Patrick and others did not fight for Rwanda and Uganda to make them
exclusive properties of leaders.
That Patrick was denied burial in Uganda and Rwanda also means his
assassination was also assassination of democracy in both Rwanda and
Uganda.
Indeed if the assassination of Patrick can happen without
condemnation of East African leaders, in violation of South Africa's
sovereignty, followed by a refusal of burial in gross violation of
democracy and natural justice means, the East African integration that
Kagame and Museveni talk much about is nothing but East African
regional dictatorship.
Some Kenyans support the assassination of Patrick Karegyeya saying
Kagame is a benevolent dictator that Rwanda and Africa need for their
development.
Such unapologetic support for dictatorship shocks because
assassinating dictatorships cannot be benevolent. Moreover, supporting
tyranny means we have forgotten cruelties of our one party
dictatorship while many Africans are selfish enough to build their
wealth on the skeletons of fellow citizens.
Indeed support of an economically successful Rwandan dictatorship
reminds me of German masses' support for the Holocaust and Nazi
tyranny, merely because both were built on phenomenal industrial
success, elimination of German poverty and unprecedented hell for
Jews. Many Kenyans will support dictatorship hoping to benefit from
it. When the dragon arrives however, most will end up eaten.
The following are things I will always remember Patrick for.
One, when Kenya was discussing Moi's comfortable retirement and some
were opposing it, Patrick told me a comfortably-retired president
would be Kenya's best gift to Africa. It would encourage Africa's
dictators to retire rather than kill opponents to keep power forever
in fear of misery in retirement.
Two, during the Westgate attack by al Shabaab, Patrick called to wish
Kenyans well, a mark of true pan-Africanism.
Three, when African leaders were attacking ICC and demanding
non-prosecution while in office, Patrick said they were wrong. Was it
a premonition of his fate at the hands of African dictatorship?
They have killed Karegyeya but never the dream of freedom for Rwanda,
Africa and the world.
http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-151251/assassination-karegyeya-will-usher-dictatorship
--
SIBOMANA Jean Bosco
Google+: https://plus.google.com/110493390983174363421/posts
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http://www.youtube.com/user/sibomanaxyz999
***Transmission Time Interval (TTI) on Saturday January 18th, 2014:
TTI=14H06-20H30, heure de Montréal.***Fuseau horaire domestique: heure
normale de la côte Est des Etats-Unis et Canada (GMT-05:00)***
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