Uganda: Celebrations are okay, but what about the future?
Deo K Tumusiime
2012-10-10, Issue 601
Where the country will be in another 50 years depends on what Ugandans and
their leaders begin to do now. No miracles are going to happen.
If you are 20 years today, 50 years from now you will be 70; if 30, you'll
be 80; if 50, you'll be 100 and if 70, you'll be 120 years old and in the
unlikely event, those that are 80 years today will be 130 years old by the
time Uganda celebrates her centenary of independence.
Many of us who have had the special opportunity to witness the Golden
Jubilee might be thinking that we may not be around for the centenary
celebrations, but one thing we must never lose sight of is the fact that
Uganda exists for both the present and future generations. A lot of the
things we have lived to enjoy were a result of the efforts of those that
came before us. Therefore we have a golden opportunity, energized by the
mood of the Golden Jubilee, to lay a well buttressed foundation for those
that will come after us.
A number of times, leaders come to power with very short-sighted plans that
only focus on their term in office and a couple more years if they have a
chance to be re-elected. Even when they beg for another term under the
pretext of un-finished business, it is usually a mere gimmick for securing
the vote, but in actual sense they do not really have Uganda at heart. Even
us ordinary citizens sometimes live our lives as if there is no tomorrow.
But incidentally today happens to be the tomorrow we worried about
yesterday.
>From today, our leaders should ply their trade in the form of a relay. In a
relay competition, the person holding the baton is not necessarily expected
to be the one to lead his team to the end. Everyone runs a given fraction of
the distance and hands over the baton to the next runner until the team's
ultimate goal is achieved.
Therefore Uganda deserves to have a master plan that supersedes individual
(or party) interests, and which all future leaders must work to actualize.
There must also be a checking, reporting and accountability mechanism to
assess progress, so that when anyone takes to the podium at the next
celebrations they must be in a position to tell the world what progress will
have been made.
I was impressed when President Museveni mentioned that in the next 50 years
Uganda will have taken a stride out of the age-old Third World class.
According to him, the discovery of oil and gas resources points in this
direction. This is a very positive dream, which all leaders must put
forward. However, oil and gas discovery alone is not enough. There is so
much more that must be done in terms of fighting the biting monster of
corruption, enhancing unity and patriotism and changing the people's
attitudes.
We could start with a few examples towards transforming our country into the
Uganda we dream of. First, it should be a big shame that Kampala in its
current state will still be the place to call a city in Uganda 50 years down
the road. Kampala is not only dented with potholes almost in its entirety,
but its original plan has been terribly defiled to such an extent that if
nothing is urgently done to clean it up, it could quickly deteriorate into a
slum rather than an improving city. Besides, we must ask ourselves the
all-important question: is Kampala the city we shall comfortably call
Uganda's capital 50 years from now? If not, then we should already identify
a suitable place somewhere else in the country where we can plant the seeds
for the capital city of our dreams and start implementing that dream bit by
bit. Who knows, the centenary celebrations could find us far more decent -
but we must start NOW.
I was particularly happy with the Kabaka of Buganda when he called on the
Kingdom to embark on the practice of community service, popularly known as
`Bulungi bwansi'. This is the first step towards taking responsibility for
our country by each individual dedicating a part of their time (and
resources) toward the common good. This system was operational in olden
Uganda; chiefs were mandated to coordinate their communities on a given day
of the month to clear bushes, construct latrines and clear the roads and
trenches, and so on.
However, this died out as capitalism quickly gripped the country and
maintenance of public utilities was taken over by government. Despite taxes
being paid by the people, the reality is that this has failed to translate
into effective service delivery. So why not reduce the taxes and let the
citizens offer community service where they can? Could the road connecting
Kabalagala through Kibuli to Kampala be riddled with potholes for over 15
years if the community were mandated to fix it?
`Rome was not built in one day', many people are often heard as saying.
However, the Romans must have been working towards a common dream, spent
sleepless nights, dedicated massive resources and energy devoid of
corruption in order to get to where Rome is today.
President Yoweri Museveni who is now serenaded as the bringer of peace and
stability, the Jubilee president, and so on should pick up the broom and
sweep his `house'. Every person entrusted with responsibility under his
leadership must be tasked to provide tangible accountability consistent with
the resources they manages.
We need to see all sectors justifying the budgets they are allocated each
year and if our failure to take off is due to lack of adequate funds, let us
devise means to secure them. I believe with no grain of doubt that if well
intentioned, Uganda can become a thriving middle income economy in the next
50 years.
Ugandans as individuals should not wait for government to do miracles if
politicians continue with their incompetence and looting of public
resources. Once we know where we want to go and everyone is committed, no
one shall have space to languish until the dream for Uganda is achieved.
Back to the analogy of a relay, every citizen, every family, every community
must play their role to realize the national dream.
If anyone has doubts about whether they will live for the next 50 years,
please be comforted by the fact that God, at the time of creation, blessed
each one of us with life according to his programme. None of us knows God's
programme and, therefore, we have no business speculating whether or not we
shall be around. In football, we often say that each game should be played
as if it's the final.
Likewise, every individual must perform to their very best every day,
especially considering that tomorrow is only God's secret. One thing,
though, is for sure: whether you and I are around tomorrow or not, Uganda is
here to stay; but what kind of Uganda will the future generation find? The
answer lies in what you do today.
Thé Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni and Dr. Kiiza Besigye Uganda is in anarchy"
Kuungana Mulindwa Mawasiliano Kikundi
"Pamoja na Yoweri Museveni na Dk. Kiiza Besigye Uganda ni katika machafuko"
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