Fellow Ugandans!
Let me express my deepest gratitude to you all, who work so hard under the circumstances of our country, in order to keep Uganda on the map of countries. Regardless of our different tribes, sub-tribes, religious notions, economic backgrounds, we share a common homeland, ancestry, and historic mission to build our country. Those who came before us did their part – it has now fallen upon us, in this generation, to do ours.
I write to you today, on the eve of a widely distrusted election, because of a great concern I have for our country. We have come around again, to a time of great anxiety in our political system. That anxiety is brought about by the way the government relates with the people today.
A great thinker once wrote;
“When governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is to protect themselves against tyranny in government.” Thomas Jefferson
My great concern is therefore, that the people of Uganda today fear their government, and the government does not respect the people of Uganda. Because of fear, ignorance has cropped in our politics, so that the whole leadership now presides over a population of youth in disbelief. A staggering unemployment of graduates and skilled labour is upon us – and leaders look on without answers, because this is not something that has come up in one day!
The government operates an informal economy now, which forces the people to hold out their hands, rather than of holding out ideas as a way to fix the country. All of government is down to this pursuit, and it in fact yields all short-term political gains of the leaders. They seem to say, unemployment will go away, just keep voting!
Unfortunately, voting will not take away the unemployment of Ugandan graduates & technical skilled labour. The size of the problem and the nature of the jobs we have reveals a bigger problem in the very foundations of Uganda’s economy. I have written about this in a different document but suffice it to say here that, the unemployment, under-employment are deep and are a direct effect of an unplanned economy.
Moreover, the leaders act like time doesn’t matter; like the way decisions which affect Ugandans are made, is not important; like the people should sacrifice liberty in order to have security; like there can’t be economic opportunity for everyone in order to prosper – it is therefore a danger to the people for this leadership to remain in power one more day.
We have kept a dysfunctional government in place for far too long & now public trust is lost.
I therefore implore, call to action, all the young professionals and workers of Uganda in all fields, and say to you – the time of forging an existence as “brigades” and as “wings” and frankly speaking as “tails” of political parties must be done away with. We belong in shameful political parties, where the value of sharpening political thought among leaders is not taken seriously, which has led society to produce ridiculously ignorant leaders and bad laws.
Our politics must be returned to the edge of idealism – where the rigors of debate, competition, and local research produce the right goods, the right services and the right leaders from society.
The vitality, energy, speed and importance of our time – where development happens fast on account of prevalent technology, this age demands us to fast-track right-thinking leaders to the forefront of politics and decision making.
We must disrupt the status quo, shale ourselves out of comfort zones; question the very system of government.
We must have new leaders sworn to undertake big infrastructure projects, properly using meager resources of our economy, we must lift Uganda to a new status.
We must reverse the string of unprecedented bad laws which have been made in the chambers of our parliament by lazy regime MPs and which are tantamount to treason to the people.
We must choose meaningful leadership, and pursue worthy policies for our country. We must bring quality back in the realm of politics.
In this proposal, we must remain mobilised, called to action and ready to empower our fellow young people across the country in any small ways we can.
Frank Birondwa,
Pan African
