As a culturalist, and for fear of being construed as partisan, I will, for purposes of this article, borrow a political slogan from the National Resistance Movement (NRM), which speaks of defending the gains and “Kisanja Hakuna Kulala.”
I find the Bukuka of the Bamasaba people to be one of the gains that the community must defend with maximum effort against any political delinquents. The Bamasaba must watch out for narcissistic groups and individuals in political circles who seek to undermine the cultural institution.
The Bible is replete with examples in which God urged His people not to touch kings because they are His anointed ones. Romans 13:1–2 states that rebelling against authority is rebellion against God: “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.”
In Bugisu, through High Court mediation, we recently reached a detente in which we agreed to bury our hatchets on issues that had given our people sleepless nights, particularly disagreements surrounding the Inzu Ya Masaba Constitution.
Different individuals have had varying understandings and perspectives about what the constitution means. This reminds me of the story of the elephant and the blind men, each of whom had a different description of what the animal looked like depending on the part they touched.
However, through the recent court-mediated settlement, we agreed to realign the impugned Inzu Ya Masaba Constitution with the national legal framework governing cultural leadership.
As a condition precedent, there must be broad consultation to bring all stakeholders on board. The issue of so-called “founder members” must be rejected completely because nobody founds the culture of an entire community.
Any cultural institution and its attendant regulations must be owned by the entire community, rather than a selected few. The Inzu Ya Masaba Constitution cannot be treated as though it were the private property of a few individuals.
Personally, I have been accused of issuing quick ultimatums to several politicians, particularly those who seek to bring down the present leadership. My position has always been that they should seek peace with the cultural institution.
It is not wise to fight a cultural institution. 1 Peter 2:13–17 guides us to submit ourselves, for the Lord’s sake, to every human authority, whether to the emperor as the supreme authority or to other leaders.
Proverbs 24:21–22 similarly warns: “My son, fear the Lord and the king; do not join with rebellious officials, for those two will send sudden destruction on them.”
The essence of giving some radical Members of Parliament from Bugisu, who number fewer than four, together with their well-paid bloggers, deadlines to apologise to the Bukuka is grounded in these biblical teachings.
As the spokesperson of the cultural institution, I must warn my people against what I believe could invite God’s anger and wrath upon politicians who openly fight the present cultural leadership.
I am happy to report that those deadlines came with immense benefits. Even ordinary voters in villages began asking the notified MPs to respond to the deadlines given by the spokesperson and apologise to His Highness the Umukuka.
A cultural leader or king of any community cannot ascend to the throne without the knowledge of government, particularly within the framework of the laws governing cultural institutions.
I therefore believe that an attack on the cultural leader can ultimately harm the community itself.
When I hear people lamenting that Bugisu has only two state ministers in the present Cabinet, I am tempted to believe that this could partly be a consequence of disrespecting the cultural leader who serves as a source of lobbying power for the community.
By fighting the Umukuka, you may be trimming the lobbying power of your own community.
I am therefore not apologetic for giving those who disrespect the Bukuka deadlines to apologise within ten minutes. Whether they are Members of Parliament or LCV chairpersons, I do not care about their political positions. What matters to me is that they should quickly seek forgiveness from God and reconcile with the cultural institution whose authority they have undermined.
The Bible gives us an important example in the relationship between David and King Saul.
David had an opportunity to harm Saul, who was pursuing him, but he refused to lay his hands on him because Saul was the Lord’s anointed.
In 1 Samuel 24:6, David said: “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed.”
This demonstrates the level of respect David had for authority, even when that authority was being used against him.
I therefore encourage every Member of Parliament and LCV chairperson from Bugisu to critically reflect on these Scriptures and, where necessary, seek forgiveness from His Highness the Umukuka and the Bamasaba people.
We are now about 1,500 days away from another electoral cycle. This is the time for our community to build bridges rather than deepen divisions.
As a community, we must develop mechanisms for addressing emerging disagreements in a respectful and constructive manner.
Politicians should not use media platforms and hired bloggers to attack leaders of the cultural institution. We must find responsible channels through which disagreements can be discussed and resolved.
The law restrains cultural institutions from overtly or covertly involving themselves in partisan politics, and so far, we have done well on this parameter.
The same spirit should be embraced by politicians and other members of the community.
The Bukuka belongs to the Bamasaba people. It should therefore be protected, respected and strengthened by all Bamasaba, regardless of political affiliation.
Our cultural institution should unite us rather than divide us. Political disagreements will come and go, but our cultural identity and unity as the Bamasaba must remain.
Written by Steven Masiga
The writer is the Spokesperson of the Bamasaba Cultural Institution.
