President Yoweri Museveni made Africa proud recently when he signed the anti-gay bill into law despite the global outcry against it by sinister liberal interests.
The law was autochthonous as it reflected the wishes and aspirations of the majority of Ugandans who are largely conservative. These East Africans are aghast at the brazen disrespect for the inalienable rights of their parliament to make laws for the good governance of their country despite the Union Jack being lowered over five decades ago.
The million-dollar question to ask is does Uganda or any other African country for that matter interfere in the lawmaking process in Washington DC, Westminster, Paris, Berlin, EU Parliament, or any Western Country? Why can’t they then leave us alone to govern ourselves? What is sauce for the goose should be sauce for the gander!
Personally, I am vehemently opposed to the death penalty and so disagree with the provision of the legislation which imposes it on aggravated cases which include having gay sex with someone below the age of 18 or where someone is infected with a life-long illness including HIV. Some other sanctions would have sufficed.
Let us critique what the liberal West had to say about this life-saving and noble law.
In a statement later on Monday, US President Joe Biden described the passing of the law as a “tragic violation of universal human rights”, urging Uganda to repeal the legislation immediately.
Mr Biden also said Washington was considering “additional steps, including the application of sanctions and restriction of entry into the United States against anyone involved in serious human rights abuses or corruption”.
What sheer arrogance! Why should a law which protects the greater interest of the society’s most fundamental unit – the family be repealed just to suit the base and insatiable desires of the LGBTQ community? Did Museveni call for the restoration of the Mexico City Policy which Biden yanked off after he succeeded Donald Trump? I am glad that Museveni called the bluff of the ever-bullying liberal West.
Why should visa restrictions be a sanction if not for the corrupt and visionless leadership of most African leaders which ironically has the imprimatur of the West who provide their facilities for the illicit flow of the siphoning of public funds? If the majority of African leaders were patriotic and nationalistic, who would care about standing for hours in the sun and getting ripped off by cheeky consular officers at the US embassy?
One way the West uses to arm-twist African leaders is the denial of foreign aid to African nations. The critical question to ask is why should Africa still be dependent on foreign aid decades after their political independence. Does any country on earth develop or experience a great leap forward on the back of foreign aid? Did China and Asian Tigers like Malaysia and Singapore experience unprecedented economic development and metamorphosis from third-world to first-world nations on the strength of foreign aid?
Fearless Oxford-trained Zimbabwean economist, Baroness Dambisa Moyo wrote an evergreen book ‘Dead Aid: Why Aid is not working and How there is a better way for Africa criticizing the very idea of aid as an imperialistic and neo-colonialist tool ruthlessly wielded by the West to perpetually keep Africa in eternal chains. Not surprisingly, the former world’s wealthiest man who has more than a passing interest in Africa through his liberal Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, was a virulent critic of the outstanding oeuvre to which Moyo who doesn’t suffer fools gladly gave it hot to him in a famous right of reply which went viral.
Some left-leaning international ‘development’ agencies also roundly criticized the law.
“We are appalled that the draconian and discriminatory anti-gay bill is now law,” the United Nations’ Human Rights office said in a tweet on Monday. “It is a recipe for systematic violations of the rights of LGBT people & the wider population. It conflicts with the Constitution and international treaties and requires urgent judicial review.”
Roland Ebole, the regional researcher for Amnesty International, said the group is calling for the repeal of the law. By late Monday evening in Uganda gay activists had filed a petition in the constitutional court, challenging the new Anti-homosexuality law.
Once again, I commend Museveni for putting Ugandans first despite the risk of economic annihilation through the blockade of foreign aid. I urge African leaders to be more creative and export our rich culture to the West in a manner similar to how India did with Bollywood and China did with their rich cuisine. We can smartly package our wonderful conservative and pro-life values and make a fortune from it via entertainment, education, and the arts.
When Africa has economic power which is what the liberal West fears, it can then deal with her adversaries on her own terms.
Tony Ademiluyi is the Director, Media & Publicity West Africa for Christian Voice UK and is a contributing writer for the Project for Human Development. He can be reached on +2348167677075.
Support Project for Human Development’s Pro-Life Media Agenda
It is no news that most African nations have bravely pushed back against the liberal agenda of the West to foist the destructive agenda on hitherto Sovereign African nations through their local legislatures.
What is unknown to most Africans is the surreptitious hijacking of the soul of the African media to aggressively push this nauseating culture of death preying on the ignorance of many Africans on noble pro-life issues.
It is therefore imperative for African Conservatives/Pro-Lifers to control the media space and positively use it to shape local public opinion.
If you want genuine sustainable development in Africa which can only occur with the pro-life ideology, consider making a generous donation to 0042779816 Project for Human Development, Access Bank.