African Press International (API)

By Korir, Chief editor, API

One thing is clear. Although many people suffered during his rule, Ugandan blacks learned to be independent. The Asians enjoyed their stay in Uganda before Idi Amin took over as President because they treated the black Ugandans like their slaves at all times. They characterised them as number 3 and Europeans number 1. The Asians believed they were number two in rank just one rank below the Europeans.

 This type of ranking, putting the black person behind every other race must never be allowed to continue.

After watching a clip from a film “on YouTube” today, I am saddened to learn that the Asian mentality has not changed even many years after Idi Amin threw them out of Uganda in 1972. They still want to sit on the Africans in Uganda. The short documentary titled “Return to Uganda” is very disturbing because one sees a daughter of a family who was thrown out of Uganda trying to justify the way Asians treated the black Ugandans.

In the film, her parents are expressing their love for Uganda, how they miss the country and their house there. The shame one gets by watching it is the fact that the same people are not saying anything about how Africans were being mistreated. They only want the world to know that Idi Amin destroyed their big plans – plans that they had at the time, for themselves to be successful and have a good life in the country, while mistreating the black Ugandans, using them as their slaves while they sit down and party.

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They should be reminded that there are  good things that has happened to Uganda and the Ugandan people after they were thrown out. Ugandans went through hardship during some periods Amin was in power, but they have also learnt to be independent and they have progressed business-wise and do not need the Asians to get back and disrupt their lives.

It is easy to say Idi Amin was a very bad man. As has been reported many times, Amin during his rule is said to have murdered many people who were opposed to his rule. Opponents were arrested and killed. It should not be forgotten that the same has also happened in many African countries because of leaders thirsty to hold on to power. We are not excusing the act. The mentality to cling to power by some African leaders leads them and their henchmen to kill people who they consider as challengers. Africa needs mature leaders who leed by example and not through terror.

In the question of  Idi Amin chasing the Asians out of Uganda, this is something very difficult to be the judge, because when one talks to black Ugandans they say the Asians were very oppressive. The Asians in Uganda during Amin and even those in other African countries have a problem because they consider themselves to be above the Africans. They want Africans to do dirty jobs for them.

Asians who do not even have education do enjoy mistreating educated Africans. This kind of behaviour is not healthy for their stay in the African countries. It is debatable if Amin did the right thing throwing them out of Uganda, but it must not be forgotten that some of the Asians, even now those who have returned to Uganda tend to think Ugandans they left behind in 1972 when they were thrown out are still the same and will serve them the way they use to do in a slavery manner. This is a dream they would love to have coming true so that they mistreat them again.

Ugandans should not allow the returning Asians to dictate them anymore. They should, anyhow, let them go back and resettle, but on the present conditions whereby they must respect the black Ugandans as equals and not to continue thinking they are better than them for the simple reason of their lighter colour. Travel to some Asians countries and you will meet Asians so black that you will not believe they are from Asia. Some have very black-skin than the black man and woman in Africa.

Those who do not know Asians should travel to Asia and study them and the way they operate. In India. for example, if you are an African walking on the street you will be ambushed by poor Asians who want a penny, begging for one rupee to buy themselves food. The same people, if they get the opportunity to be in Africa will pretend to be above the African. It is a sad reality. Africa and Africans must wake up and get informed that the Asians are not better than them just because they manage to start businesses in the African continent.

African leaders should not sit down and let such Asians misbehave and harass the community, and the Asians must wake up to the reality that Africans are not junior to them in any way.

A big problem is the fact that the Asian community in Africa stick to themselves, even in marriage, and as Idi Amin said, they are not ready to be integrated with the Africans. They seemingly fear to intermarry with Africans because they want to protect their businesses from the African community. They know if they inter-marry, business sharing may also catch up with them when they get children with the Africans.

President Museveni may have done the right thing to allow them to return. They should be welcomed as long as they understand that the black Ugandan is no longer going to be their slave.

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