Elections In Uganda: Is Change Possible?

By Jacob Waiswa Buganga

It is election season in Uganda and other parts of the World.

It is time for prospective leaders to contest for power to serve citizens and experience 'successful' careers in politics.

Ms. Nancy Linda Kalembe - a Presidential Aspirant in Uganda,

There is one issue for sure that prospective leaders never mention: the fierce search for jobs and survival, or at least be recognised and open new opportunities for future appointments. They are like any other citizens who chose different avenues to find sources of livelihood.

Service to one's country has been most noble since the introduction of formal democracy around the World. However, it has had a sharp twist in recent years, when individual ambition to exercise power before others has proven stronger aspiration than the real desire serve and change lives of fellow citizens. The rhetoric is citizens' concern, yet in practice, concerns about the self matters most.

https://youtu.be/WG-IQXQ7_4s

Museveni (above) at one of the international press interviews revealed the truth about what and for whom he really stood for since coming to power in 1986

His statement on being a servant of his children and grand children only did not affect support he had and still enjoys, because of vested interests supporters have in his rule, as protection of business interests and enjoyment of favours in case of any threat to such interests.

While everyone has a duty to determine a leader of his or her choice, over time, those in power have restricted citizens' efforts to decide who that person should be, and even influenced decisions against national values. This has not gone on without opposition. The question though is: how effectively organised, knowledgeable, skilled, and experienced are they? Even with the experience they have, have they learned anything, or are simply time-wasters?

Patrick Oboi Amuriat -the president of leading opposition political party, Forum for Democratic Change (FDC)

Despite the limited success at changing leadership, very costly elections are organised every 5 and exhausted voters asked to actively participate. It is costly in terms financial resources spent, lives maimed or lost, and further deterioration of the quality of life of citizens. But, then, it goes on and on.

If loss of lives is the cost for a successful election contest, of what relevancy is such an election, when millions continue to live in poverty and social services are limited in quality and access? An election should be one, not a game or joke as it has proven to be in recent years. In fact, lowly voices argue that, other than run costly and unproductive elections, it is best for those in power to invest in social services and improve citizens' quality of lives. A section of the opposition, noteable People Power/ NUP believe that any earlier efforts by the opposition was comedy, and at no time would Museveni stay in power, even after rigging elections. However, experience has so far indicated that they never live by their word and cannot be trusted. Often, NUP leader was seen escaping arrest or confrontation with security personnel, while below they can be seen without berrets or red tops, which they vowed to wear as long as they existed.

People Power / NUP Party spokesman shortly after confrontation by security security forces.

People Power / NUP leader in red tie after going through a test of his own courtesy of security forces

While, again, everyone may have the power to influence leadership, much of what can be seen indicate practices like vote-buying and selling, supporting incumbent to guarantee security of one's property and business dealings, voting based on perceived chances of candidate winning elections, and culture of election-rigging that ensures preservation of the statusquo.

Nevertheless, election time still provides an opportunity to turn despair into fortune, to turn hopelessness into hope, to reawaken veteran voters to play active role in elections, to organise effectively and massively towards ultimate victory, and to strategically defend people's victory with the best mechanism to successfully deter alteration of voter numbers. If any such actions are impossible for the opposition, in their respective formations, then it is better to save one's effort and those of the people, time and resources, or even avoid risks to live through destruction of livelihoods, injury or death.

As interested citizens surge to contest for leadership, voters must seek for accountability from, first; the incumbents, much of which is lived experiences; second, assess individual personality and values of political parties in relation to aspirations as masses, and probe their knowledge, skills, experiences in leadership, and abilities shown in solving past challenges. He or she should not be a leader who says one thing and does another, or one who is renowned for self-talk, self-gratification, or whose message does not make sense, and are impractical, whose talk is usual noise and meaningless.

Leadership of a country should not be about ability to excite people and shift moods from one end to another. It should be about having knowledge of the country's policies and policy gaps, from which to build from planned actions.

It should be about understanding the real needs of the population and drawing interventions to address them in the order of priorities, and on record time.

Amb. Irene Wekiya, former NRC Jinja City and integrity of Parliament.

It should be about strongest desire to serve others rather than protect own interests as leader, or business interests of the individual. He or she should be a leader for all and have a national outlook, without regards to where he or she comes from.

It should be about ability to explain his or her vision and articurate clearly the very needs of the population, describe with accuracy and in a replicable and comprehensive manner how such needs will be translated into tangible goods and services, envisioned, and in a reasonable time, like within a year rather than 10 or 30 years.

It should be about a leader, who will render current generation of youths productive rather than let them expire intelletually and physically, or even face extinction without any known contribution to the country or themselves. These youths should able to leave a legacy behind for newer generations to inspired-to-aspire, as Prof. Amb. Badru Kateregga loved to say during his very arousing and memorable lectures.

Wanzala Richard has been champion of youth causes since 2004.

It should be about a leadership that can make use of existing manpower to contribute towards the economy without undermining the integrity of the natural environment, and ensure sustainable livelihoods of families.

This leadership should guarantee families effective means to secure decent shelter, nutrious for healthy development of children, decent income, quality healthcare, and quality education for their children. There is no best guarantees for sustainable security and peace for all, including reigning leader and his expendables, as securing quality services for sustainable livelihoods and wellbeing of citizens that no weapons of mass destruction can guarantee. Instead, they are rendered dormant and non-essential, or unjustifiable to dwell on as the basis of security.

It should be about leaders, who respect life and work towards nurturing it. Otherwise, how can a fox be the shepherd or even part of the sheep? It should be elsewhere.

It should be about leaders, who have strong foresight, enough to undo impending danger, prepare in advance for undesirable scenes with high-degree risk management strategy in pursuit of ultimate goals, and put in place systems and mechanisms for safety of his or her people, including ensuring confidentiality of information sources, or one that could endanger anyone in their political parties, against the increasing uncompromising, insensitive, robotic, and reckless security agencies.

They should exercise high-degree intelligence and awareness of the dangers at-hand posed by the incumbent, enough to win confidence of citizens and faith that change is possible, while pursuing leadership and a country for all to be proud of as citizens, where future of all citizens lay and disinterested in facing racism and xenophobia in other countries, with leaders who value lives of their people and work tirelessly and meaningfully towards prosperity for all.

Jacob Waiswa Buganga at an International Event

The author is a peace psychologist and founder of IMI-BMA

Unity of the being and wellbeing

Keeping life systems is a balancing act, involving mastering of various components of it, without ignoring the physical environment, the emotional states, the psychological levels, and spiritual level of engagement. Inadequacy in any one of the components compromises functionality of the others; each feeds into the other. Less nourishment of the spiritual faculty creates confusion in the mind (psychological), triggers bad emotions (fear, anxiety, depression), shrinks the physical being to death, and the physical environment suffers. By JW Buganga

DISHMA-IMHS PROJECT: LETTER OF INTRODUCTION

DEAR SIR;

RE: INTRODUCTION LETTER

Human and ecological development through provision mental health services, require a holistic approach –considering multiplicity of dimensions that influence human functioning and well-being (or vice-versa).

We are well prepared to offer wide-scale services in psychological fields or mental health services, therapeutic and recreation facility or self-renewal design settings -relevant for the much-needed psychological relief, mental focus and management; design an environment where people can subscribe to spend time, refresh their minds, for general advisory and counseling, library and research data, herbal-medicinal treatment etc. Services rendered would base on researched data.

The project would work in a multi-disciplinary, multi-ideological, multi-stake, and pooled together for the common good of communities since challenges afflicting humanity are multiple in nature hence need a multi-dimension approach to confront them. Services offered would include; general counseling, career guidance, reinstatement of the traumatized, conflict resolution anger management, behavior change, stress management, policy reviews and assessment, research and publications and general mental-health advisory services.

The project is still very “young” and therefore would require huge support, collaborative or partner effort to help it stand firmly to its “feet.” We would appreciate any assistance or advice given regarding the above and look forward to linking up for further discussions.

Yours Faithfully

Waiswa Jacob
DIRECTOR

RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY: MAN'S POSITION AND APPLYING LOGIC OR NONE OF IT

The complex human nature makes it possible for humanity to evolve new ideas, rules, beliefs and cultures. They are constantly formed, adjusted and readjusted to help humanity understand the environment, answer challenging questions and make efforts to adapt amidst confusion, physical and ecological strains.

From further attempts to understand the unknown, hierarchical structures were formed establishing the position of the unknown and humanity. After acknowledging who will need the unlimited respect as unknown or Divinity, man and woman turned to themselves and the environment to begin the process of negotiating each other's position (roles and responsibility) in the hierarchy.

At there level numerous ideas were brought into play and tested against hierarchical order right from the level of the unknown to theirs. Because of the cultural influences and norms a ready mixture was developed to gradually erode origin same-status of natural elements.

In an African situation, man would come first, then woman and the other creations last. It is the kind of arrangement that would later influence decision making and its outcomes in future. Besides cultural or traditional influences, man in some areas must have overpowered woman in intellectual assertions reinforced by physical assaults or fights.

The decisions made answers the questions of who would be accountable to the other and with what roles and responsibilities towards each other and between them and the environment.

This is when the evidence of who appeared to be privileged and oppressed or exploited could emerge. And, of course, the environment would suffer hardest seconded by either woman or man following the queue.

In Africa, where socio-cultural structures tend to force women into slavery, man, in that case would take the privileged position, and oppression become the life of a woman. However, with all justice and rewards favored to fall on the oppressed side, one day, as put forward by Marxists, the oppressed (woman) would be the most privileged, and man; most oppressed.

Personal ego and sensational attributes are most fertile in religion, and so soon penetrate and get strengthened into into it and become part of its structure. As a result, they begin to humanize and localize God through that structure.

And, because of the ego influence, with time it becomes hard to differentiate what is by either man or God. Because of that, religion turns out to be a path through which oppression and exploitation would be expressed.

Worse would be for a criminal mind, if he found his way to the helm of a particular religion, and worse if learned. Being learned yet realistically wrong would instead reinforce the wrong and harden the fellow off.

His or her individual weaknesses easily qualify not to be personal crimes, but for the religion -which he or she heads. And with the unyielding strength attainable from religious beliefs and rituals as highest level reinforcement, it is never easy to claim victory over religious criminals.

The cultural biases could place a woman no where, now, in religious decision making. And the environment, being at the bottom gets hurt the most, since it cannot even raise a voice or scream.

Well, it communicates back to man and woman in non-verbally in form of flooding, diseases and famine, natural resources conflicts etceteras. But, still, sometimes he fails to make sense out the kind of communication.

Interestingly, it is again such afflictions that could strengthens the fellow and sometimes venting his o her bitterness onto the oppressed person. And once resilient, even the most stupid action would mean real in the name of faith or religion for him. Everything would be argued along the unrealistic and wrong actions, then dangerously reflected into actions later on whatever they choose to target.

Sometimes, his or her actions could be so horrible that they overwhelm everyone like selling off all his belongings as sacrifice to total bankruptcy, refusal to seek health care in favor of set faith standards or physically and sexually abusing his following.

His perceived godliness or religiousness, in all such actions, remains his protection. It would be at this level that mental health workers could possibly come in to rescue the fellow, and overwhelmed and confused following.

Interestingly, because of man's high appetite for power, he (or she) has transformed religion into a kind of political institutions or party -with its accompanying power hierarchy. In it, he forms departments like the security one to guard him (or her) and his (or her) amassed wealth, finance department -which he (or she) could be directly under him (or her), elders -who act like his parliament, etceteras.

And because of the economic element that is central in the running of religious affairs, church proprietors exploit the constant demand for religious services to pool as much coins as possible in their safe.

So as the following grows from being poor to beggars due to the high cost of religious services footed everyday (for some sects), they as an institutions are thriving. When local people run out of money, the church would shift from a company tone to an NGO one, so as to attract funding from elsewhere.

The chameleon color change, indeed, can be effective in enabling it survive the pressure of modern times. Time emerges when if man is speaking, “it is God doing speaking,” and the questioning audience believe.

And since whatever one believed worked for him or her regardless of the stimuli source, they automatically find fulfillment from the religious practices or rituals -that could include the sort of Kibwetere phenomenon.

The unemployed, who identified faith-related services as fortune, were and still are quick to take it on as gold to change his or her economic life. No wonder, many kiosk-like churches have sprung-up, and being based on tribe, ancestry, reformed views slightly away from old faiths, on dietary choices, feelings, avenge mission and others -purposed to fish beautiful women later on after being repulsed by them -when he was still poor. And there could be many more bases on which religion could be build -from merely idea formulation, a following, and then money -finding its way onto pioneer's personal account.

On the other hand, spirituality is a system of two opposing forces, one struggling to replace the other like the coup d'etats of west Africa. The invisible system of forces, at ease influence every aspect of human beings in a way that is the evolutionary, intellectual and the unknown (of the future) manned and controlled by the conflicting influences of the system. The unknown, remain a reserve the system, yet continues to nurture and refreshen us.

The surprising influences on humanity in unexplainable manner, prompts humanity to interpret and assign cause or source. They would have numerous labels like God in English, Mukama among Baganda, Kibumba among the Basoga etceteras -to describe the wonderful influences on them.

Similarly, opposing labels would be developed in attempt to understand the source and reduce panic. Such reference could be; Satan or devil in English, curse, witchcraft and every undesirable action or experience etceteras.

Incidentally, where human intelligence, scientific evidence or logic as suggested by Kajabago Ka Rusoke, much, if not all of such questions could be unheard of, as man continuously analyses along the major principle of good and truth, and finds solutions to ever emerging challenges. Consequently, he (or she) would become more confident of himself (or self) and entirely responsible for their future.

Like in democracy, people form sides, other remain confused and other simply look on, and only wait for eventuality than plan and negotiate their ways with the systems. Interesting to note is that the way the system is approached could determines the nature of reciprocated results of that relation (between man or woman and the system -with the natural environment as part of it). In the kind of relationship man and woman seem to take the roles of initiating, constantly maintaining and re-initiating harmonious face of it.

If the intentions in the kind of relationship are for good, then they would be relating with a specific set representing goodness or God. And, in turn, such goodness would be felt and attitude developed towards fulfillment of the good goal in his or her life. The magic word here is merely to “believe” -regardless of the situation at hand.

Several studies have found a strong influence between positive spirituality and well-being. Even that is still functional in religious practices, though and could have similar influences to the well-being of people.

For example, with Islam, after going through the practice of washing different parts of the body, they experience a feeling of holiness -a quality that allows members to experience God's mercy and blessing or goodness of nature. It eventually comes along with tremendous emotional and mental relief.

The sustained goodness, in turn, helps the body's immune system to grow stronger and entire being to get nourished with good decision making and actions towards self and others. It, then, would be about how one invests his or her thoughts -whether for goodness or evil to create different desired or undesired outcomes.

The summary of ever investing one's thoughts for the evil is fear, poor physical health, pressure, lost self-esteem and confidence discords, escalating risky behaviors along with related hazards, social structural breakdown due to violence -among others.

Indeed, it could be the beginning of anything bad. Interesting, too, is that to cross over best life or vice-versa, or reset to horrible situation, as well, could be a matter of democracy (choice). However, to change oneself for the better would require support of people of the promising character to reinforce the one being nurtured in by goodness spiritual system set.

In creating a better path or worse one, the being would be obliged to initiate link with the goodness system set -through realization of the best path, acknowledgment it, taking responsibility, talking the walk (along with constant self-reassurance, self-trust, self-believe and self-determination).

But even without person initiative, there would be compelling, yet competitive forces of both goodness or positive spirituality system set and negative spirituality system set. And many fall victims of the unworthy choice, regardless of their educational status or social and economic worthiness.

The problem with Kajabago's logic application to religious teachings is that soon or later believers would digress from experiencing goodness spirituality system or God to begin localizing such super powers as their own or even misrepresent them -through horrendous behaviors.

Kajabago's presentation too could still reincarnate religious capitalist and exploitation, which he was trying to caution against. It, therefore, would seem like one must know when to apply logic and when to surrender it. There must be a specific scale on which to weigh the logic as well. It, for example, could be best if the local conclusions considered the elements of truth and good.

For reflections about the goodness of nature or God, one must surrender potentially destructive aspects like negative and incompatible logic that could block one's bid to create a healthy working relationship with goodness spirituality system set.

It would require total concentration to spontaneously believe in the goodness spirituality system set trust the relationship with it, allow experience what would be desired in that relationship, subject the experience to one's feelings, and then acknowledge the new feelings as the desired to follow. Instantly or gradually, one would experience positive feeling and attitude that later get enhances with consistent actions.

But where the rituals contradict the expectation of goodness and truth we all yearn for, then logic as put forward by Kajabago could immediately apply to avoid undesirable events like being physically or sexually abused or involving murders of people, and many other practices that may be illogical. What Kajabago did not say was the space and time -to cock and apply logic. He was right, though in that regard.

Waiswa Jacob
Situation Health Analyst
P.O. BOX 8885
KAMPALA-UGANDA
Tel. +256774336277 or 0754890614
DECISION MAKING AND SITUATION HEALTH MANAGEMENT -DISHMA
www.situationhealthanalysis.blogspot.com