Abraham Lincoln once said, “it’s better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.”
I could hardly believe my ears and eyes when I read and heard allegations that the State Minister for Investment and Privatisation, a one Hon. Evelyn Anite had blurted out statements in line with the fact that all Ugandans shall be required to have a simcard of the rabied Uganda Telecom.
Before I start on Uganda Telecom, I would like to register my disappointment in the level of intellectual ability depicted by some of the ministers in our government. I now realise why a minimum education requirement was put in place for anyone who wants to be a member of the Parliament. However, today, I propose that the education requirements for Ministers be elevated even much higher than a Senior 6 certificate.
This is not the first time I have been uneasy about the kind of chit chat this Hon. Anite turns into public speeches. Matters are even made worse when one learns that she holds a sensitive docket whose aim is to promote investment in this country.
Why should Ugandans be forced or required to have UTL Sim Cards? In her wisdom, she calls upon our nationalism as a way of reviving the ailing entity. Now here are some questions for her in this regard:
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Where was Nationalism when the top four managers were earning a combined salary of US$ 95,500 (UGX 343 Million) monthly?
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Where was Nationalism when a one Emmanuel Kasule was paid UGX 50 Million before he even begun working for UTL?
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Where was Nationalism when the Uganda Police and lots of other Government agencies raked up unpaid bills in billions?
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Where was Nationalism when a decision was hurriedly made to sell shares to UCOM without following due process?
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Where was nationalism when the share holding structure was further altered to favour UCOM by reducing on that of the government?
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Where was nationalism when UCOM continued having lee way over management issues in the business despite the expiry of an earlier agreement?
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Where was Nationalism when Lap Green acquired the UCOM shareholding under unclear circumstances?
Hon Anite, your simplistic trend of thought is inexcusable for someone who has had a parliamentary stint. You have since enjoyed the perks of not only being a parliamentarian but also a ruling party member only for this to be later followed up with a ministerial position. Most of what you seem to share in this docket is either extracts from peers you relate with or smatterings of information that you collide with.
Hon Anite, if you want to appeal to our sense of nationalism, you need to present a package not these one off requests. We need to see you in government as being practising nationalists before we can kowtow.
As a UTL sim card holder, I have a lot of frustrations that I can share which will just show you that the entity, while being in the 21st century is actually being run with a 20th century mindset. During Sim Card registration, as Africell, Airtel and MTN were using electronic methods to register us, I walked to the UTL outlet at Game and the first thing they asked me was to go photocopy my National ID, write my number on the same paper and then wait till the photocopy is taken to the head quarters. I refused and as a result abandoned my line. I cant allow to be associated with such incompetence under the guise of nationalism.
It is now over two months since the Hon Nandala Mafabi probe into UTL, a lot of wrongs were unearthed but to-date, no action has been taken against the culprits. So much for nationalism.
While I may want UTL to continue existing for sentimental and nationalistic reasons, your very government’s inaction towards wanting to see it succeed has made me and many others give up on that side of things. Truth be told, we now don’t care afterall we are having some decent services from the other players. I do enjoy my data with Africell, Voice with MTN and occasionally Airtel’s Pakalast.
By the way, even if you legislated that we own UTL simcards, will you force us to use them? Does UTL have the capacity to support over 20 million users in its current derelict state?
Like a glutton who after puking calls upon others to clean his vomit, we are being rallied to support a cause for a mess others deliberately created.
#Temutukooya (Don’t make us tired)
As it is, the hussle in our economy is so real that the last thing on our mind should be dealing with such dreams that are devoid of a serious thought process.
For God and My Country
Wire James
Twitter: @wirejames
The Wire Perspective 
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Hon. Anite is sort of knowledge and Research.
Does she know meaning of law making? In the person of minister, she should know that she represents the government and statements of that nature puts the image of government in disrepute. The constructs of nationalism does not lie on Ugandans use of their own products but the values, cultures, rights that cut across the country to which we subscribe to. If that is bill would propose to be enacted into law, then quality and good principles of laws remain questionable as public good.
These require research for leaders to acquaint themselves with information for public consumption.
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Evelyn Anite embodies the entrenchment of stupidity within the Ugandan body politic. Despite the history of mismanagement and theft at UTL and the resultant insolvency, all she can recommend is the purchase of sim cards by all Ugandans.
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Reblogged this on The Hub and commented:
It is indeed sickening….
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