Producing quality citizens, Uganda’s challenge for the next 50 years

“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done,” is a famous quotation that is often attributed to Thomas Jefferson. This man was one of America’s founding fathers, Principle authors of the Declaration of Independence (1776) and later the third President of the US. No wonder the US went on to become the nation that it is today
In all of the history of the US, there has been an endeavour to do things differently and this is attested by the great number of innovations and patents that come out of that country.

At 50, Uganda’s biggest problem has been stagnation at the national philosophical level. We seem to do the same thing over and over again expecting different results. We have tried so many things at the political level with all of them aimed at one thing, the perpetuation of selfish leaders.
From dictatorship, to all watered down versions of democracy; no party, one party, multi party, etc. The net result has been failure and frustration for the majority of our citizens who are left to the vagaries of empty hospitals, poor schools, bad roads and poverty. It is obvious that we have been very diligent while doing the wrong thing which has given us the same end result –futility.
One of the greatest mistakes that we have made is to overlook the fact that nation building is all about people more than anything else. The quality of the people when put together is the type of nation you get.

Many have told the people only half the story. That they are entitled to various indelible rights which is the easier part. They have cleverly hidden the harder part which is laying emphasis on the responsibility of the individual in a democracy.
If Uganda is going to amount to anything in the next 50 years and beyond, we have to get down to teaching and demanding from the individual the fulfillment of their responsibility to the State and building a viable democracy.

Leaders are sensitive to the people who finance their governments. That is why for most of the last 50 years in Uganda, donors and of late investors, have been revered by those that run the country.

If individuals do not work and pay their taxes, but demand services from the government, which services are financed by donors, then Uganda at 100 will be no different from Uganda at 50.
Secondly, Uganda needs empathetic people. If you want to live in a clean city, you must be clean to begin with. If you desire an environment that is characterised by law and order, you must be law abiding. Charity begins at home and it all starts with you.

The individual must know and implement their responsibility to others. If you do not respect domestic house help or are violent towards those who are in a weaker position than yourself, asking the governors of the State to respect human rights becomes a tall order.
But then for the individual to be a significant actor of use to the State, there is a need to have considerable levels of awareness.

This means intellectual nourishment and development must be taken seriously. People should take being informed on both global and local issues.
One of the reasons why we have had low quality citizens is that the scope of many of us is so limited. Many know very little about the world and are therefore amazed and grateful for the tokens that come out of mediocre leadership.

A poorly done road or bridge will definitely seem like heaven to those who have not seen construction of greater magnitude in countries and cities beyond their village. People, who do not read, write and yearn to know more will always be limited in what they know and want. Thus such people will never demand better.

We shall waste more time and resources in the next 50 years if this aspect of having quality citizens is not taken seriously. After all, democracy is about people. Poor quality people will definitely lead to a poor quality democracy and that is the stuff Banana Republics and failed States are made of.

Mr Sengoba is a commentator on political and social issues. nicholassengoba@yahoo.com