KAMPALA: Exactly 35 years after Idi Amin expelled 70,000 Indians from Uganda, thousands more are amazingly flocking here every year straight from India and once again colonising vast swathes of this country’s economy. But this time round they’re taking out unprecedented political ‘insurance’ against a repeat of the 1972 pogrom.

Many say the Ugandan Indians’ brand new strategy of entering political life and making friends with black leaders of every political hue across the heavily Indian-populated three-country swathe of East Africa Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania may literally be a lifeline.

On April 12, riots broke out in the heart of the Ugandan capital after a recently-arrived Indian salesman Devang Rawal was stoned to death by a black mob, which was protesting against an Indian sugar firm’s plan to develop part of a protected rainforest.
Though much of the outside world saw the riots and Rawal’s murder as a gruesome re-run to the dark days of 1972, Uganda’s newly-reestablished, largely prosperous 18,000-strong Indian community insists this is only half the story. They say the world has changed and with it, much of Uganda and the Indians themselves.

Says Mahesh Wadhwani, who left India in 1994 and now owns Mima Fashions, a company specialising in business suits: "We know we have to support this country, we have to support the locals, we don’t have to be harsh on them."

Wadhwani’s reference is to a key complaint against the Indians’ alleged cruel mistreatment of black Ugandans before August 7, 1972, when Amin gave them 90 days to leave with one suitcase and $100 each.

After thousands returned under a forgive-forget and financial reparation deal offered by Museveni’s government from 1988, and many others arrived direct from India, the Indians were more wary, less arrogant and more polite.
Says Patrick, a black Ugandan student, "Before, the Asians used to treat us blacks so badly, we couldn’t understand why. Now they are better-behaved but they still don’t let us marry their daughters. A black man can marry an English, American, Canadian or any other woman — never an Indian."

Adds Sanjiv Patel, 40-something, leading light of the 1000-member strong Indian Association of Uganda: "The new generation of Indians coming from India are very different from the old. They just would not call a black man a kala to his face. They know what is acceptable behaviour and what is not."

But that is only one part of change. In a significant break with the past, says Patel, "We are now looking at politics even though we have traditionally focused on economics not politics. So, we have a very good relationship with President Museveni and his governing National Resistance Movement."

Interestingly, Patel claims his association is the only one in East Africa that can speak up for Indians. In Kenya, he says, "The Indian association is the Hindu Council and Tanzania has no Indian body." Uganda’s Indian Association, therefore, is piously playing the good politics.

"We want people who matter to know we ’re active and we’re concerned," says Patel. This extends to the realpolitik of elections and party affiliation. Last year, the Ugandan parliament welcomed its first Asian, 34-year-old Sanjay Tanna, who refused Museveni’s request to take an NRM ticket and instead fought the election as an independent. Meanwhile, another Indian, Parminder Singh Marwah cannily accepted the President’s nomination for the elected party post of deputy national treasurer.

As a sign of affectionate regard, Museveni bestowed the tribal name ‘Katongole’ on Marwah. And Tanna, who proudly says he speaks a host of African languages "Swahili, Japadohola fairly well also understand Samai and Lugishu and basically most of the Bantu languages" along with English and Hindi, is proud to claim two tribal names.

But there is a jarring note in this African-Asian rhapsody. Underneath the bonhomie, the Indians appear still to want a get-out clause.

Says Gopalan, another Indian from India, "We just cannot understand why the Indian government has given dual nationality to NRIs in UK, US, Dubai etc but not Uganda".

Patel, who holds an American passport, while his wife, mother and father have British, Indian and Ugandan passports respectively, admits he would only acquire Ugandan nationality if he could have another as well. "Yes, it is true we want a get-out clause, just in case. But frankly, I don’t think we’ll need it again."
(To be continued)