Right is Comrade/Counsel AKA Kagame A.R. An Advocate for Social Justice -With a Common-wealth FriendIf a signal device showed take-off to safety or to flourish sign, it would be wrong to object. Opportunism involves foregoing or disapproving one thing for something else, since only one of the two or a few of the many can be selected. In many cases, a force-pull to self would be greater than to others. The others’ category could only be thought of later and only if need arose.
Longman dictionary of contemporary English, page 1156 defines an opportunist as someone, who uses every opportunity to gain power, money or unfair advantages। From the definition, only one person or a few of the many benefit from a project (s) they founded. On the other hand, perception of “unfairness” would tend to be by people, who never gained from a similar opportunity. For instance, after the 2001 general elections, Uganda could neither have two presidents nor two members of parliament per constituency.
The world of economics tells us about foregoing certain demands of goods and services, but never stipulates whether some people must die for others to live. A productive population, though, matters most for the economy to prosper. Statistics world too provides different ranges of events from highest to lowest and vice-versa overtime, which help policy makers to understand and predict possibilities of the future. The meaning here is that things cannot always be the same, but can be re-adjusted. Also, as if by nature, classifications develop as some people maneuver through their way to success, like it were justifying a common impression that people cannot have the same footing. But evolutionary science, wholesomely accepts loss of life as new generations form.
Traditions and cultures all over the world recognize social classification, where people from powerful families and of high social stature or race receive special treatment। This prompts some sections of society to turn round and fight back in the name of injustice, while others claim justice exists by inheritance or God’s will. However, the different backgrounds, environmental stressors and personality-dictated approaches or individual strength and weakness, and a combination or acting in isolation, would explain better much of what we are. A number of people, though, who struggle for dignified life regardless of the background, could be found. Barack Obama, the Unites States presidential candidate, who going against racial and color obstacles as his inspiration could be a good example. He uses “we can” “and because we can” slogan to elevate himself and followers forward. Can injustice be a motivation for self-advancement?
On the career front, people with leadership and entrepreneurship abilities tend to be driven by opportunism, as would for investors and corporatists, whose interests can be strongly above any other. Convey (1990) reveals that both character ethic and personality ethic play a role in transformation of individuals. As adopted values bring about a certain character of a person, personality, on one hand, promotes positive thinking and self-belief. In both, positive individual sense would be most important. Such transformations could potentially occur not only at individual level, but at group and organization level as well. Was injustice a reservation for the underachievers, and justice for the most successful or lucky ones?
In his book: seven habits of highly effective people, Convey stressed the developmental phases as; dependence, independence and interdependence that all people undergo to reach their potential, and be able to give back to communities. In all, there must be opportunities to constantly take care of. With increasingly limited resources, as population grows, difficulties like; attainment of higher education and accessibility to clean water, unemployment, stress on the environmental resources and communities would ensue. This time round everyone suffers regardless of the class, as developers and communities conflict over land and other economic amenities.
Makerere University has not been an exception of what are being pressured to change। Public pressure, along with presence other competing universities, both local and international, could help revolutionarize the ancient institution into what its ancestors had dreamed of -as the Harvard University of Africa। Among other things, we could, for example, want to see flexible class-work schedules for graduate students since most of them have to work to sponsor their studies. Sadly also, its public relations department left the university at the mercy of even rumors and gossips –most of which seemingly exaggerated. A lot of visible achievements are ignored by the critics as if there is a deliberate move to fail public institutions in favor of the private sector. But before the year 2000, noticeably the department under Henry Mayega was most active. The then PRO kept the public university free from external shocks and preserved its good image as he constantly clarified issues from the public. It is, really, acting too brave to continuously face and freely get a public beating. In its fast renaissance, first on the plan menu could be the need for the public relations department to undergo mending.
Under extreme circumstances, whilst in resources’ conflict, social classes collapse and rebuilding begins –something that would explain 2001 Zimbabwe land bonanza and 1972 expulsion of Asians in Uganda. Actually, observers say Uganda would be at the same level of development as Malaysia and Indonesia had Idi Amin not expelled Asians. But military misadventures, ambitious experimentation of the AK47 and tribal rifts could not let Uganda take off. It is surprising to note that Zimbabwe land re-distribution only arrested a feeling of economic oppression rather than save the country from collapse. Fortunately or unfortunately, ZANU/PF exit could save the situation and allow re-building process assumptive that MDC’s Morgan will never get possessed by Mugabe’s ghost.
At best, to guarantee fairness, conflicting situations would call for a compromise regardless of their intensity as well as make it a culture (to compromise). In Kenya, it was extended to power-sharing between the opposition’s Raila Odinga and presidential-seat claimant, Mwai Kibaki. The bad situation in Kenya was managed before society would collapse for the situation to order rebuilding, but credit goes to diplomats, who helped bring the country back to its feet. Otherwise, a number of voices had predicted Kenya as destined to become 1994 Rwanda.
In his structure of scientific revolutions, Kuhn (1962) explained the concept of paradigm shift as “series of peaceful interludes punctuated intellectually violent revolutions।” In success of such revolutions, the opportunistic person’s characteristic of disapproving other things and people would be most visible if he or she was desperate to move to the next developmental stage -amidst conflicts। This would, perhaps, support a notion that there must be conflict for changes or development to take place. Conflicts of any form may never be avoided. Intellectual debates too cannot be underestimated, as face-off time in form of verbal “artilleries” and cross-firings, where the most dominant and “fit” dictates fate of “unfit”, could potentially transform people’s perception of problem areas. The implication could be that people must relentlessly fight battles and wars, both verbal and combat to realize their dreams, interests and natural rights. It seems the future could feature lots of civil strife, ceasefires and peace-talks.
Experience has, however, shown that it is exhausted belligerents, who give in to ceasefire and peace-talks. Still and always, negotiations would be the brightest way to go regardless of the war phase and its strong justification. Simply, there must be respect for fellow human beings and their right to exist. But good or bad life could potentially be determined by the nature of the dominant or victor ideology and beliefs, and whether they are accepted or resisted. This could require society to identify groups and individuals with self-defeating values and help dissolve them or institute negotiation and rehabilitation programmes for the perpetuators. Kibwetere, a “spiritual” leader, who in the year 2000 led several followers to death, may not be the last man to have developed a dangerous belief and lifestyle, others could come-by.
Misuse of religion is society’s growing problem. There could be a crack-down on it as the case with drugs abuse, fraud and robbery. Recent research on adolescents living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda has implicated some renowned born-again churches that ask their followers to abandon Anti-retro-viral Drugs (ARVs) for a spiritual remedy. Yet counteracting evidence showed that people continued to die after abandoning ARVs. This was tantamount to being accessory -to murder, and such churches could be brought to book! Rather, as a recommendation, a combination of spiritual-health living and medication (and positive living aspects) than barely spirituality was found helpful at building resilience or resistance against ill-condition as well as enabling people live “normal” lives.
Marxists believed that the oppressed people would at one time rise up massively against the oppressor, then a dangerous opportunist। They did not, however, indicate whether the reasons for the uprising were differences in levels development, historical backgrounds and endowments (natural or artificial) or persecution and deliberate discrimination. The revolutionary governments tended to ignore issues like community mobilization and participation -by the leadership towards economic development and of other forms after assuming power. They soon concentrated all resources on strengthening the state machinery. But history has shown that worshippers of Marxism are a kind of opportunists and up-coming capitalists or so in disguise, who want to take advantage of a majority opinion (dependence) to elevate them-selves to power (independence). Unfortunately with them, sooner or later they abandon their supporters as currently insignificant, and only enjoy benefits solely or with a few trusted fans. The fans could be the type, whose trustworthiness was so hard-tested that their resignation only exited the regime –something they (state) could not afford to wish or think about.
As a reward, the fans could have a privilege to bribe, engage in fraud, to rob, to commit “simple” murders, to assault, to recklessly kill, to deprive and suffocate citizens of their rights, to persecute, to de-personalize, to de-value, to perpetuate racial cleansing and to live without a constitution but led by leader’s mood. With these, of course, a new justification for a revolution could be well understood by the aggrieved. Multi-faceted development miseries would be a major motivation to rebel. Such mis-rulers must definitely be eroded by the uprising, according to Marxist thinking. It would, therefore, be important for a sincere regime or revolutionary to constantly seek the interests and wishes of the people, and protect them from repressive acts of its fans.
But for the sake of community development, none of the ideologies (socialism and capitalism) would be pursued in isolation. In fact, socialism alone would act as a vehicle by which the poor get organized -to liberate themselves from poverty and misrule. At one point, the socialist would emerge capitalist, with element of self-thinking or opportunism. Should Zimbabwe and the World trust MDC’s Morgan after being helped to get power? But a wiser socialist beneficiary would at an achievement stage give back to the community in sincerity. Many big firms try to play fairly with their consumers in appreciation for the goals reached. They, for example, do it through promotions, scholarships and donation activities.
And initial change, as would be expected, faces a lot of opposition -regardless of the value it carries. Even Jesus Christ, was stormily opposed in spite of the good news he presented. It is after he was harassed, killed and later defied death that Christians all over the world began to belief him as the truth. Whether the land reforms are good for Uganda or the National Resistance Movement/Organization (NRM/O) will fail and only celebrated later, is another issue. We are simply in the world of sacrifices that are renewed or changed when they no longer apply. We only have to respect and listen to voices when uncertainty roars.
The Disgruntled
The unsuspecting, seemingly docile and the currently disgruntled would fall in this category. The unsuspicious and docile could have chances of joining those in the struggle for social justice -which looks normal rather than an insult. Struggling itself, is a choice and process that calls for belief and determinations to re-discover one’s desired self, knowledge and continued attachment to treasured belief and value system –with which life is sustained.
The dangerously arousing problem would be if there is presence of a deliberate and systematic underlying policy to deprive, to frustrate, to close all openings to prosperity, to de-populate, to de-value, and to de-face. What a danger! In the face of such, effort must be focused on struggling until the system is overturned and human dignity realized while people, who deliberated chose to suffer get identified and placed under custody, not in Luzira, but at a mental health facility for help.
Election Rigging
Surely, for those who have contested for leadership positions through general elections could testify that preparing for it has no room for anything like defeat. The mentality ever is; “I will win” or “we shall win.” This becomes the driving force to the very end of campaigns, where a new and strange vocabulary like losing could, probably, be met. It is never easy to accept it when it comes. Losing, to them, never makes sense and meaning. No wonder, they are called presidential hopefuls, not hope-fools. Being hopeful is all they are made of and carry it to the end. Some even get heart attacks and die! For the doubting Thomases, they withdraw, just participate or never stand at all. Candidates only feel sensations of power-seat as if hallucinating. If a one morning, results showed the contrary, we could hear options as going to Luweero triangle for a protracted war. So what is this “thing” called election rigging? Does it, like PRA, exist or just a little mental problem? And what should members of the opposition expect if they only campaign on the eve of Election Day? At large there must be a problem that century’s ancestors of democracy failed to address or did not see.
But the general elections in Kenya were the most dramatic that would cause even the un-born baby to “kick the walls of the womb” in agitation. It was a kind of robbery in broad day light, given the timing of announcing winner and inauguration. It carried braver faces to cheat that way. At least, elsewhere, election commission chairmen find all means to institute a good tally system whether voters are felled across countries or ghost voters invoked to vote, and figures clearly stated with sweeping confidence. In Kenya, they did not have such experience. The Electoral Commission of Kenya Chairman was another actor. He showed fraud symptoms when he could not specify whether the “outcomes” were consistent with the ballot papers under his custody (refer to: Butagira and Othieno: January 3rd 2008, Daily Monitor page1). But, thanks to the steps taken to make peace and form a government of national unity so that the country comes first, and power fights second. Kenyans need congratulations over this.
Overall, in order to make sense where there is nonsense of opportunism, the disgruntled and election rigging, leadership must help organize its citizens to develop without regional, political, ancestry and cultural bias. In the same respect, personally and socially dignifying values and interests must be respected and divergent views tolerated.
Attempts, also, must be made to ensure that resources of the country benefit all its people, and peace and stability preserved through negotiating and revisiting social contracts with the recommended democratic ethics -to transform their lives, while a culture of talking peace is carried on to the future generations. Efforts too need to be concentrated on promotion of non-violence strategies of mass-boycott, mass demonstrations and mass denunciation instead of armed struggle until human and environmental values are put at the center of development. Having acted that way, opportunism, the disgruntled and election rigging would cease being no sense issues.
Jacob Waiswa
The writer is a situation health analyst
waiswajacobo@yahoo.co.uk
www.situationhealthanalyst.blogspot.com
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