Monica Acayo
For the longest time, one of the greatest fears of humanity has been paying for what they don’t consume and spending their money where they see no value or where they receive no accountability for their money and other valuable resources.
There is also no doubt that another name for the country is FAMILY. And going back to the roots of constitutionalism, it is of utmost importance in the push for democracy that people have a say on how they are governed.
The preamble of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda is to the effect that power belongs to the people of Uganda. This profound statement simply means that Ugandans should have a say on how things are run and how public affairs are handled.
It can, therefore, be argued that what we saw yesterday in the capital city of Uganda was an attempt by the people of Uganda to breathe life into the Constitution.
Given the recent events of many government official’s names coming up in corruption scandals and the fear that such matters would eventually leave the public domain with little or no proper explanations, it is time our leaders listen to us.
We need to discuss these issues as citizens, voters, tax payers and or human beings.
A peaceful demonstration should not be looked at as a chaotic problematic thing that must be shut down instantly but rather should be considered as a serious indicator of a conversation that is long overdue.
Stop sweeping sticky issues under the carpet, waiting for yet another scandal to break out and the cycle continues.
Hold discussions with us for a better Uganda because at the end of the day, It Is For God And My Country, as our matter states.
It is clear that we have pressing matters to handle as a nation, the avenues we could explore include engaging in diplomatic conversations where the very people voted into Parliament to represent the common people are tasked to bridge the gap between the authorities and the people to find middle ground.
It takes all of us to build for the future and we can only do so much when we are reading different scripts and some of our leaders are antagonistic to critics.
Political leaders need to reach out to the electorate as much as possible and address issues within their mandate. Those who are pro-people will reach out to the youth and other players on how handle the cancer of corruption and other issues.
The Inspectorate of Government should also be empowered and equipped more so that its officials are able to bring to justice every culprit of corruption while keeping in mind that a great leader is the one who wins the war without shedding blood.
Ms Monica Acayo is a lawyer and the founder of Anothen Foundation.
