Do Ugandans really understand the ‘pearl of country’ they have?

________________

OPINION

By Capt. Tarig Badreldin Mustafa

As a refugee making the hardest choice that any human can face of making another country my new home as I fled the horrors and tribulations of political violence in my country late last year, my heart kept pointing in the direction of Uganda.

A country I knew far less about yet had heard from trusted lips as one of the few global “true new homes for those in distress.”

I had also had the blessing of meeting a Ugandan who became my student (now a former student), whose personality made me undoubtedly believe in Uganda. East or west, Uganda was to be my destination as a refugee. Ever since my arrival in the Pearl of Africa, many international friends have asked me to describe Uganda and this is what I have (on a daily basis) told them.

Uganda is paradise and “the Pearl of Africa re-loaded.”

The Ugandan people are educated, humble, honest, peaceful and respectful. Ugandans don’t raise their voices on streets or public places.

They are so welcoming and a visitor has no issues blending into the nation, brimming with lovely and healthy kids. The climate is fabulous, with both rain and sunshine throughout the year.

The terrain is so green and pleasing to the eye, with fertile soil that grows almost anything. All types of fruits and vegetables are fresh and available (even types I’ve never encountered in my life).

This lovely nation eats what they grow, feed on what they breed and drink what they milk and brew. It is a country of abundance.

A fully self-sustaining lifestyle with a very healthy kitchen consisting of the healthiest and most nutritious ingredients is a hallmark of Ugandan homesteads.

Safety and security is outstanding. You move around anywhere and anytime, no one bothers you (unless you voluntarily embrace crime as your trademark), as everybody minds their own business.

On the contrary, you will get a lovely greeting saying (Hello Muzei) or the lovely children would say (Bye Mzungu – a friendly description of anyone who has a lighter complexion).

The infrastructure is amazing. Roads, bridges, buildings, services, resorts, and houses are villa style just like we have in Sudan.

The Ugandan market in my opinion is the best organised and stocked in the region. Any product you can think of is available at large.

In my honest opinion, President Yoweri Museveni has done a marvellous job in transforming this side of the world into a healthy, peaceful, productive and a flourishing nation.

The secret to such success for this heaven on earth is from good leadership that values a suitable human-centric ideology for the citizens, laying a foundation for socio-economic development, a secret Uganda was able to discover in the recent history of “the present era.”

This has systematically and meticulously transformed Uganda from an enclave economy to a value addition and service-based system.

That is why I respectfully ask, do Ugandans really understand the ‘pearl of country’ they have? If they do, why do some of them find no problem churning out lies while mudslinging their own country, especially abroad and on social media?

What if all Ugandans tried uniting for just five years, wouldn’t they taste a leap in their current level of development beyond middle income status since both the leadership and non-human resources are abundant here? Or is it the case of some humans who “never appreciate the greatness of water until the village well runs dry?”

The writer is an aviation expert, Airline captain and flight instructor (Refugee in Uganda)