1 Kings 3 verses 16 to 28 tells an interesting story of two women who were claiming to be mothers of the same child. One of the women, while asleep, had rolled onto her child, killing it in the process, and claimed that the child who was alive was hers. They were taken to King Solomon. The king asked for a sword and ordered that the living child be divided into two, and half of it be given to each woman. The real mother moved by compassion objected. She asked the king to give the child to the other lady while the fake mother was happy to have the child killed. Solomon in his wisdom judged that the lady who objected to the child’s killing was the real mother and the lady walked away with her baby.
The story of the two women has important lessons on leadership. We could juxtapose the two women to reflect two leaders; the real mother to represent the good leader, and the fake mother to represent the “bad leader”.
The Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) believes that leadership is service. Leaders must always be preoccupied with improving the welfare of its people. Leaders must be able to listen to its people and do everything in their power to ensure that more people enjoy an improved quality of life.
In the past two years, the economies of many countries crumbled. Businesses perished, families disintegrated, children were married off in the name of families’ survivals, health workers struggled to treat the sick, and sadly, many Ugandans succumbed to other illnesses largely due to the negative effects of the lockdown. Many “good leaders” instituted austerity measures aimed at reducing the cost of public administration and cushioning its people against the high cost of living. To many in the NRM government, Covid-19 was an opportunity to make money; deals were made, loans (many fake ones) were obtained, and the bourgeois danced off their poverty.
Amidst this background, it is therefore strange that the people in power, and their hangers on were surprised when Ugandans expressed dismay at parliament chartering a plan of a whooping USD 500,000 to take the then Speaker of Parliament for treatment in the USA. Eyebrows were also later raised when another budget of UGX 2.5 billion was presented as the budget for his burial.
Like the fake mother, many of the leaders in the NRM don’t feel the pain of Ugandans. Their high salaries, hefty allowances, and grandiose motorcades have shielded them from the daily hustles of Ugandans. Hundreds of Ugandans continue to die because they can’t afford medical bills, or the hospitals just don’t have the very basic equipment. Thousands continue to choke on debts, and sadly, things are getting worse. Is it surprising then, that the crime rates are increasing every day? Dear NRM leaders, the country is bleeding. Ugandans are hurting. It shows on the streets, it shows on the different radio talk shows, the hatred is clear on social media. Are you listening? Will you ever sit down and reflect on how you can make life easier for citizens? Is it too difficult to minimize the public wastage of resources? Is it too much to ask for a lean administration? Do you feel the pain of Ugandans? It appears to me, more and more that, the real legacy of NRM may turn out to be the regime that was never in touch with the people and pursued anti-people policies.
Cartoon by Jimmy Spire Ssentongo
Article by Titus Tumusiime, a member of ANT.