MBEKI REJECTS UGANDA DEATH BILL
In an important development, South Africa’s former president, Thabo Mbeki, has come out against Uganda’s proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill.
Mbeki took a stand against the Bill at a Makerere Institute of Social Research (MISR) discussion in Kampala, Uganda, about “The Architecture of Post-Cold War Africa”.
Doctor Sylvia Tamale, Dean of Law at Makerere University, asked Mbeki what he would say “politician to politician” to the author of the Bill, MP David Bahati.
“I would say to the MP that in my mind, sexual preferences are a private matter. I don’t think it is a matter for the state to intervene,” Mbeki said.
“It doesn’t make sense at all. That is what I would say to the MP. What two consenting adults do is really not the matter of law,” he added.
Mbeki further equated the criminalisation of homosexuality with the ban on interracial relationships and marriages during the apartheid era in South Africa.
Responding to Mbeki’s comments, Bahati later told Uganda’s Daily Monitor newspaper: “His Excellency (Mr Mbeki) needs to read the Bill and understand the spirit in which it was brought and the context in which we are talking about.”
While the Bill has been condemned by a number of Western countries, African leaders have largely remained silent on the subject.
Originally introduced in October 2009, the Anti-Homosexuality Bill allows for the death penalty in cases of “aggravated homosexuality” and includes various criminal penalties for anyone who fails to turn over gay people to the police or anyone who “promotes” homosexuality.
Uganda’s ambassador to the United States, Perezi K. Kamunanwire, recently claimed that the Bill will not be taken further by his country’s parliament.
Wow – thank you so much President Mbeki for speaking out in probably the most homophobic country in Africa. I really appreicate it. Lots of love to you and Zanelle. From an out and proud GBM.
He was indeed the best president this country has had !
Bit of a knee-jerk reaction there. How long has this “Proposed Death Bill” been out there, and how long did it take for ANY government official to speak out about it openly? Like everything else in this corrupt government, we would rather betray our countrymen, our constitution than stand up publicly against them to other african states, or China (who provides all that luxury funding) than to speak out about treatment of the Dalai Lama. The rest of the world already protested and signed petitions and threatened Uganda with sanctions to prevent this bill. Yet our OWN president never said a word, and only NOW, our EX president actually says something, and only because he was cornered with the question by a journalist. It’s PITIFUL!! NO congratulations due here. HYPOCRITES, CORRUPT INCOMPETENT IDIOTS. The WHOLE lot of them.
Well done to Mbeki for standing up for what is right. Unfortunately many South Africans will never be able to forgive him for being the “world’s greatest AIDS denialist” for so many years.
With you on this one Lance. I admire Mkebi for actaually saying it in Uganda.