Editorial
Mr President, you need people who have value to add to your presidency
President Museveni with his people
Mr President, there are many Ugandans out there who are smarter and wiser than the Ugandans who have always surrounded you while at the same time trying to keep ‘outsiders’ out so that they are the only ones who are always there to ‘pick from’.
The Ugandans we are talking about understand politics and they understand economics. From the early years of the NRM government, these Ugandans have watched the state of nation with the hope that the leaders appointed may be the right leaders to transform our country just like other countries are doing to transform theirs in order to uplift the standards of living for all their people.
Every five years we get up early, withstand rain and scorching sun to vote leaders for the next five years. But election after election, government leaders has become corrupt more and more while many ordinary Ugandans have become poorer and angry.
Whenever the media questions the angry Ugandans the cause of their anger, one constant reply is ‘loss of hope for a better life’. And apparently, they blame their hopelessness on seeing no change in the management of the affairs of state to bring about any meaningful change to their lives.
Now, most Ugandans understand that it would be just naïve to keep same managers who have failed to transform our lives for the better and yet expect different results. Yet they wonder why the notorious recycling of the same failed managers continues unabated.
Ministers have stolen taxpayers’ money. Yet they keep coming back in government. There are ministers who have never seen through any of the projects under their docket. But somehow, they are never dropped.
For example, there are ministers even the President had promised to punish because of failing his programmes and subsequent costing of the ruling government votes and popularity. Surprisingly, when the new cabinet was announced recently, the usual suspects were back!
Now, the chicken seem to have come home to roost. As a result of the way we have been going about our development process, there is glaring evidence of faster development around us in our Community, in our region.
We have of course experienced some degree of development but unfortunately the ordinary folks have missed out on this development that is always reflected in the figures from the national planners.
That is why we have no doubt that there is urgent need for doing things differently. Our development partners have given us money for the provision of services to the people of Uganda and this money has either been stolen by the ‘big men and women’ in privileged positions, or it has been used to win elections.
Just this week, a legendary American basketballer, Michael Jordan, troubled by the shootings of African-Americans and the targeting of police officers, he penned an opinion, ‘I can no longer stay silent’ in which he inter-alia said: ‘I know this country is better than that, and I can no longer stay silent. We need to find solutions that ensure people of color receive fair and equal treatment’.
Where are those Patriotic Ugandans who love this country so much and are prepared to speak up and to put national interest before personal interest?
The undisputed best economists in this country has told our leaders that if they continue doing things in the same way they have been doing in the last five years, and they continue disregarding production, the talk of becoming a middle income country will remain just that – empty political and bureaucratic talk.
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