Government must plan for disasters
Jul 15, 2009
I do not agree with Prof. Tarsis Kabwegyere when he says: “It was wrong for people to assume that the Government is supposed to feed them.†(The New Vision, July 8)
Naboth Muhwezi
I do not agree with Prof. Tarsis Kabwegyere when he says: “It was wrong for people to assume that the Government is supposed to feed them.†(The New Vision, July 8)
Article 11.1 and 2 of the International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights states that: “It is the right of everyone to attain adequate standards of living for himself and his family including food, clothing and housing.â€
According to this article, states have a core obligation to mitigate and alleviate hunger, even in times of disaster. When the food crisis was announced a few years ago, heads of European nations converged to prepare and work out strategies on how their governemts could avert the threatening catastrophe.
When Tanzania was faced with hunger, the government banned food exports in an attempt to preserve enough food for their citizens. That is what leadership is all about — being able to plan for the future. It is intriguing when Prof. Kabwegyere says there is more food than we need in the country, even after watching the grisly television pictures of starving people.
As a minister in charge of disaster preparedness, what pre-disaster management measures has Kabwegyere put in place when, two years ago, Amuria and Katakwi in Teso region were hit by floods and the subsequent long dry spells? Any keen leader would have envisaged food shortage resulting from these natural catastrophes.
While climate, drought and floods have been cited as the causes of the hunger crisis, the incompetence of our leaders has made the situation worse.
The Government needs a well-thought long term strategic plan. They should engage private agencies and non-government organisations to set up food reserves in the country.
It should back these organisations with water harvest and irrigation facilities for immediate remedy to farmers in event of catastrophes like floods.
We need leaders who will exert their energies towards creating a lasting solution for the hungry. We need to figure out how to get rid of hunger once and for all. The Uganda to come 1,000 years from today has its existence in the Uganda of today.
The writer is a freelance journalist
I do not agree with Prof. Tarsis Kabwegyere when he says: “It was wrong for people to assume that the Government is supposed to feed them.†(The New Vision, July 8)
Article 11.1 and 2 of the International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights states that: “It is the right of everyone to attain adequate standards of living for himself and his family including food, clothing and housing.â€
According to this article, states have a core obligation to mitigate and alleviate hunger, even in times of disaster. When the food crisis was announced a few years ago, heads of European nations converged to prepare and work out strategies on how their governemts could avert the threatening catastrophe.
When Tanzania was faced with hunger, the government banned food exports in an attempt to preserve enough food for their citizens. That is what leadership is all about — being able to plan for the future. It is intriguing when Prof. Kabwegyere says there is more food than we need in the country, even after watching the grisly television pictures of starving people.
As a minister in charge of disaster preparedness, what pre-disaster management measures has Kabwegyere put in place when, two years ago, Amuria and Katakwi in Teso region were hit by floods and the subsequent long dry spells? Any keen leader would have envisaged food shortage resulting from these natural catastrophes.
While climate, drought and floods have been cited as the causes of the hunger crisis, the incompetence of our leaders has made the situation worse.
The Government needs a well-thought long term strategic plan. They should engage private agencies and non-government organisations to set up food reserves in the country.
It should back these organisations with water harvest and irrigation facilities for immediate remedy to farmers in event of catastrophes like floods.
We need leaders who will exert their energies towards creating a lasting solution for the hungry. We need to figure out how to get rid of hunger once and for all. The Uganda to come 1,000 years from today has its existence in the Uganda of today.
The writer is a freelance journalist