By Spy Uganda
He now preaches reconciliation, “When you talk about reconciliation I stand here as a testimony, he said, adding that, “The issue of reconciliation must bring people or nations together that have disagreed. For reconciliation to be meaningful, forgiveness must prevail. If it doesn’t then it’s not achieved,” Rwakasisi said while testifying his forgiveness to Museveni on murder charges.
The former state minister in the office of President Milton Obote, Rwakasisi also said that while in prison he read the Bible from cover to cover and he thought he was saved, but forgiving Museveni was never in his mind.
“The preachers who used to come to prison used to teach us to forgive and forget but I found no way to forgive Museveni and forget that I was in prison. I hated him and he hated me in equal measure,” he added.
After many years in detention, Rwakasisi said that he had grown weak due to sickness as a result of diabetes. He says that he surprisingly received the letter of release from the OC upper prison Luzira from state house signed by Museveni.
“I could not believe but I was released. Two months after my release I received a call from state house for a meeting with the president. I went and met Museveni in state house. We were like brothers who had lost touch for quite so long. When he welcomed me from Luzira, I welcomed him from the bush. And we exchanged pleasantries,” Rwakasisi narrates.
Amiably speaking, Rwakasisi asked all people who are peace loving to embrace the culture of reconciliation and forgiving. He said that forgiving means that you know what someone did to you but you no longer hold them accountable.
‘Reconciliation presupposes realignment of different societies so that people can have peace. The result of reconciliation is peace and freedom. To transform a society you need peace, because peace is where everything is built. That is why I forgave Museveni and it was relieving me a lot,” he explained.
He however condemned those who reconcile with no commitment to implement calling it hypocrisy.
“We have witnessed many contesting parties reconcile but fail to implement, at the end they take back their positions. That’s not good. Reconciliation and love are gifts from God. Love without God is hypocrisy,” he said.
Peace and tranquility is usually premised on reconciliation. And without God, reconciliation mean nothing. Even president Museveni says that he was guided by God to pardon me.
“Rwakasisi was supposed to die, but when I consulted God, he said that leave him alone:” Rwakasisi testifies Museveni’s pardon message.
