Morality is the heartbeat of a nation

SIR—I have over the years observed with great yearning anxiety the seemingly slow, but frightening collapse of Uganda’s political and social systems, and of our economy. I wish to submit my personal diagnosis of this unfortunate trend. The moral breakdown of any nation is the primary source of its economic, political and social collapse because it ushers in a process of decay which no material factor can stop. In other words, no morally rotten nation can permanently endure even if it has all the science and technology and wealth. A decadent people, a morally broken people, cannot build or rebuild a nation of quality and greatness. A nation is great only when her people are good. And if her people cease to be good that nation ceases to be great. Thus, goodness or morality is to a nation what the heart is to the body. When the heart has a problem the rest of the body suffers, never mind how well it may look. In other words, morality is the heartbeat of a nation’s life. No morality and discipline, no nation! There is no negotiation about this.Therefore, our national salvation and recovery will depend first and foremost on our discovery of a correct and standardised moral code of conduct that will usher in goodness. Then, and only then, can education, science, technology, and money lend a hand and help us out of our dilemma of backwardness. And how do we arrive at a standardised moral code in religiously and culturally diverse Uganda? I wish to suggest the following: that our Ugandan leadership —political, religious, cultural and educational and at all levels in our society be mobilised to discuss this question of a standard moral code at their different levels. Then, a body of their selected representatives would discuss the findings and recommend them to a final relevant national authority.Granted, this would be a costly exercise. But it would be worth it —just like the process of writing our 1995 constitution was costly, but worth it!I pray and hope these suggestions make sense and find favour with our national leadership, and that in turn our leadership will awaken this nation to its moral obligations once they are established.Dr Edward MuhimaKampala