Comments on: Ugandan government negotiates with Bahati over antigay bill

By: Richard Willmer

Richard Willmer — Wed, 30 May 2018 19:50:54 +0000

Back to the Bill: one problem that M7 faces is that any further discriminatory laws (as opposed to non-discriminatory laws designed to protect children) would elicit a strongly negative response from ‘the West’, especially countries like Sweden, Norway, Germany, the Obama Administration and possibly even the UK (where the precise of nature and scope of ‘developmental partnership’ is now currently subject to ‘review’ – so I’ve recently been told by UK Foreign Ministry officials – partly in the light of the recent Bahitlerite antics).
The ‘solution’ for the authorities is very clear to many of us: bring forward sensible, gender-neutral, non-discriminatory legislation to address such things as the sexual exploitation of the young and the vulnerable. That could break the current logjam by effectively ‘neutralising’ the anti-gay extremists.
By the way, a well-connected friend of mine, who is also an NRM functionary, has said this today:
“… the Monitor today reports that Hon Eriya Kategaya has asked Hon Bahati to “be so kind” and save the country from embarrassment by withdrawing his ill-advised anti gay bill. How about it Hon Bahati? Can you be so nice and save us from your mischief?”

By: Lynn David

Lynn David — Wed, 30 May 2018 19:50:54 +0000

Maazi.... I reiterate again—there is no way the Ugandan State will tolerate militant gay sex advocacy especially when it risks potential civil unrest.

So you'll gladly allow plain old gay advocacy minus the militancy and sex?

By: Richard Willmer

Richard Willmer — Wed, 30 May 2018 19:50:54 +0000

@ ‘Maazi’
I thought you had mentioned Zimbabwe, but now see that you had not done so. (You did a while back, suggesting that, because Mugabe said or thought such-and-such, then it must be a good idea!)
So who is (one of) my contact(s) then? Tell me, dear! Let’s see if you are correct.
As for ‘good social policy’: why do think that there is such opposition to the Bahitler Bill among senior politicians despite the fact that gay bashing is allegedly so popular in Uganda?
One last question: in what capacity do you speak for the ‘Ugandan State’?

By: anteros

anteros — Wed, 30 May 2018 19:50:54 +0000

…says Maazi while anxiously paying attention to the “many western gay sex lobbyists commenting here”

By: Maazi NCO

Maazi NCO — Wed, 30 May 2018 19:50:54 +0000

Back to the Bill: one problem that M7 faces is that any further discriminatory laws (as opposed to non-discriminatory laws designed to protect children) would elicit a strongly negative response from ‘the West’, especially countries like Sweden, Norway, Germany, the Obama Administration and possibly even the UK (where the precise of nature and scope of ‘developmental partnership’ is now currently subject to ‘review’ – so I’ve recently been told by UK Foreign Ministry officials – partly in the light of the recent Bahitlerite antics).

That would be the same scarecrow tactics that failed to cow the much poorer Malawi. In the end, the West cannnot stop its habitual use of aid as a means of buying geo-political influence. Realpolitik always gets in the way of any pretensions to libertarian ideology. The US government restored pathetic donor aid to the Malawian government which still refused to reverse its January 2011 revision of the sodomy laws to expand the scope for punishment.

By: Maazi NCO

Maazi NCO — Wed, 30 May 2018 19:50:54 +0000

get a life, dude.

You should take that advice yourself !!

Of course the fight against hate campaigns will need to continue into the new parliament. No sensible person thinks otherwise. As for ‘Maazi’s’ adversaries: well, there are plenty of those both within and outside UG, and they are often better-informed than he realises

There is no effective fight campaign in favour of gayism in Uganda in the real sense. You simply call up the Obama government and it pressures the Ugandan State to act as a kind of buffer between gay sex militants and the rest of the country. You need to ask yourself whether this will be a sustainable winning strategy in the future, especially when one sees how it failed woefully in Malawi, Zambia and Burundi.

My guess is that the Government (as opposed to [rich] raving loonies like Bahati and Ssempa) are more concerned with economic issues

The government is concerned with anything that will disturb social stability in the long and short term. These range from political to economic to socio-cultural matters. It is wishful thinking to expect that one problem will be allowed to fester in favour of tackling another problem.

By: Richard Willmer

Richard Willmer — Wed, 30 May 2018 19:50:54 +0000

Here’s another perspective on the whole issue of open and honest discussion regarding human sexuality (noting that one of Bahati’s cherished aim is to criminalise such discussion with regard to same-sex relationships): http://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12975&Itemid=59
Note also that ‘homosexuality’ is not cited as a problem with respect to this tragic rise of HIV incidence among these schoolchildren.

By: Richard Willmer

Richard Willmer — Wed, 30 May 2018 19:50:54 +0000

Bahitler and PrPP provide most of the ‘militancy’, so, if they were to fall silent, that would sort out that part; Uganda without sex is not something I regard as a likely proposition!
(Seriously, if were ‘Maazi’, I would be cursing Bahati and Ssempa to the skies – no two people have so discredited the ‘anti-gay agenda’; I still can’t help wondering if they are secretly working for ‘the other side’!)

By: Richard Willmer

Richard Willmer — Wed, 30 May 2018 19:50:54 +0000

One more thing, ‘Maazi’ dear: the freezing of aid to Malawi occurred after the mid-term election in the U.S., so it is perhaps doubtful that the prime motivation for that freezing was courting that group of people that so entrances and excites you: ‘gay sex practitioners’.

By: Maazi NCO

Maazi NCO — Wed, 30 May 2018 19:50:54 +0000

Earlier today I had an email exchange with a member of the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee who told me that the committee will raise the issue before Parliament as a matter of urgent concern next week.

Just wanted to add that some representatives of the Ugandan people have planned for the worst case scenario, but hope for the best case scenario. The prognosis for both scenarios are very good. The difference between the best and worst case scenarios is just the space of time