Let’s use Easter period to reconcile, forgive

For years, most Ugandans have walked through a real way of the Cross, especially as a result of hardships forced by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Some have lost jobs or gone hungry. There are those caught in the political conflicts in the country. Some have disappeared, been tortured or imprisoned on suspicious charges and others have been killed by heartless security forces. The lucky ones have resurfaced through unclear circumstances. Relatives of the missing people have been sharing the difficulties they are going through in the face of persistent perils in the struggle for survival. 
 
Many families are on the edge, going through hell and continue to bear the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic and the brutality of kawukumi [the weevils or bad apples] in our security forces. And in our communities; we see pervasive corruption, land grabbling, poverty, starvation, unemployment, unresolved killings, political intolerance, defilement and rape. 
They young and old have suffered in equal measure. Criminals in our midst as well as parents continue to defile children with impunity. 

In just one year, the government statistics show that the number of fathers defiling their own daughters has more than doubled yet most of the case go unreported.
In the face of this precarious situation, it’s important that we use Easter period to chart a new path in our lives. It is normal for some Ugandans, especially those who have been forced to walk through the way of the Cross in the past few months, to begin asking like the Biblical Job, “where is God?”

To our leaders across the political spectrum, let’s use the new five-year mandate in office and the resurrection of Jesus Christ to make amends. Let’s use this Easter period to forgive and forget. 
This is what God expects from us. We must make a conscious decision to unite the country and hasten the healing process. Stop political arrests and release all political prisoners. 

Those in Opposition must adopt Godly ways to respond to injustices because darkness can’t be dispelled by darkness and hate can never be dispelled by hate.
The first chapter of the Book of 1 Peter reminds us of the relevance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, particularly, those who have been beaten by the pandemic, politics and life’s hardships and trials. Jesus Christ suffered and in the end, God in His glory gave Him the victory through resurrection. 

We must use Easter period to start the process of healing our country. To achieve this, it is important that we bury the hatchet and move on. God’s message is unequivocal on reconciliation, love and forgiveness.