By Merlyn Mwanza
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has told the European Union to keep their chauvinistic hands away from Africa, decrying that they have told east African countries not to go ahead with the construction of the oil pipeline until the Europeans have approved of it.
Addressing his fellow heads of states and other dignitaries, President Museveni said recently that there was another manifestation of imperialistic arrogance and hegemony from elements in the EU, headquartered in Brussels, where they decreed that the East African pipeline should not be constructed until “these arrogant actors permit us to do so.”
He said parasitic elements from that part of the world have been causing problems for Africa and the world for the last 500 years starting in 1400 AD, saying partly due to internal weaknesses caused by tribal chiefs, what started as an alternative sea route to the east by the Europeans soon became a mega slave trade phenomenon; colonialism, exploitation, looting and genocide in Africa, Asia and against the original inhabitants in the Americas.
President Museveni said by 1800 the whole Africa had been colonised except for Ethiopia, but soon the Africans and other colonised people reorganized themselves and launched anti-colonial movements and the struggle for human rights by the black nation in the USA.
He said by 1994 the arrogant imperialists had been defeated in South Africa, the last bastion in the anti-colonial movement, following victories by other colonised people in Africa, India, Singapore , China, either through armed struggle or through peaceful mass mobilisation.
“1994 with the liberation of South Africa should have marked the end of imperialist arrogance and meddling in the affairs of their former victims. However, some elements are incorrigible as you can see from this resolution,” President Museveni said, but that the patriotic forces in the world were much stronger and the patriotic forces in Uganda more stronger and capable in all dimensions.
He saidthat imperialists used the mistake and weaknesses of Africa, but that Africans are invincible as was shown by the victories in Mozambique, Angola and Zimbabwe, where African forces defeated the colonialists in armed struggle, saying in the same vein, east Africa should not worry that those arrogant people can stop the oil project in east Africa.
He said if any actor tried to derail their project they shall decisively deal with that betrayal according to the relevant laws, vowing that all the aspects of the project shall be developed with willing partners.
President Museveni said the pipeline corridor will bring gas to his country through the Tanzanian and Mozambican corridors as Uganda’s gas resources were not that big, saying his country needed gas for the manufacture of fertilizer and chemicals and therefore “down with the imperialists parasitic murderers.”
He said however, that Africa should know that even during the struggles it had progressive whites that fought alongside Africans, saying even today there were whites in the west who can work for progress without white chauvinism and that Uganda shall seek them out.
He said the oil project and other projects are unstoppable, saying in spite of the move to curb green house gases around the world and move away from oil and fuel for cars, “our oil will still remain viable.”
He said oil will still be needed for textiles, hydro carbons for fertilizer, nitrogen for plastics, arguing that all living things have carbon in them and that carbon is not a problem but the problem has been greed of foreigners who jump from this to that looking for money without careful and honest study.
“Before the coming of foreigners, Africa was using solar energy, wind energy etc for drying things, processing millet and using carbon for blacksmithing in a controlled way…if we do away with greed all these projects can be used safely and sustainably,” said President Museveni. “When oil will no longer be needed for driving cars it will save us longer for use for other purposes.”
