The other face of corruption in Uganda
Jul 12, 2007
One of the major challenges facing Uganda is the hubris of immorality.<br>This hubris is characterised by corruption of institutions like the family and marriage as well as corruption of values such as faithfulness, honesty, fidelity, compassion, tolerance, respect (of self and others), responsibil
By Dr James Nsaba buturo
One of the major challenges facing Uganda is the hubris of immorality.
This hubris is characterised by corruption of institutions like the family and marriage as well as corruption of values such as faithfulness, honesty, fidelity, compassion, tolerance, respect (of self and others), responsibility and love (of God and others).
Such corruption would, if it was allowed to take root, have devastating consequences for Uganda’s stability, strength, freedom and prosperity and peaceful coexistence among a population.
Immorality, therefore, has two faces.
One face is the corruption of values which may lead to practices like hatred for God and people, infidelity, witchcraft, intolerance, idolatry (worship of self, materialism), selfishness and, therefore, embezzlement and thefts. The other face is the corruption of institutions like the family which may lead to practices such as homosexuality and infidelity. Each of the above practices is an element in the jigsaw of immorality or corruption of morals.
The thesis in this article is that if we, as Ugandans, allow immorality to dominate our way of life, we will be no better than the foolish man in the Bible who built his house on sand.
When it rained and floods came and winds blew and beat against that house, the house suffered a mighty collapse! On the other hand, the house that was built on the rock by the wise man suffered no such a fate because its foundations were solid.
Uganda’s foundations are its values and social institutions.
Some of these values and institutions are being undermined and replaced by reprehensible ones. For example, vain attempts are being made by some people to turn Uganda into a Godless country. This is happening regardless of the well-known fact that God is prominently central in Uganda’s affairs.
Coordinated attempts are being made to change the heterosexual design of the human body. In some countries around the world, the prohomosexual juggernaut is advanced, powerful and entrenched.
In developing countries, this juggernaut is using its weight and influence to try and turn up-side down human civilisation as we know it.
Its members argue, rather unconvincingly, that majority of homosexuals are born that way and that only a minority choose their sexual orientation! If this were so, why are they spending colossal sums of money in attempts to convert the next generation to their un-Godly cause?
There is evidence that schools and churches, too, are being invaded for this very purpose. Promoters of homosexuality are not bothered about human reproduction which is the very reason why human beings have hope in survival of human civilisation.
In the on-going crusade to entrench immorality in our society, the family is becoming the battlefield for redefining the human race. As the basic social unit of society, a normal family consists of husband and wife or husband and wife and their children or a father and his children or a mother and her children or any of these groups and a dependent or dependents.
The homosexual movement wants to redefine this by arguing that a family can also comprise two men or two women living together with adopted children! Its apologists claim that homosexuality is a ‘human rights issue’ which they must force on every one else through acts of intimidation, coercion, abuses, lies and outright bribery.
Another form of corruption of our morals is the prominence of satanic symbols, features and practices are increasingly becoming evident.
For example, during the recent Uganda Cranes-Nigerian Super Eagles qualifier match, there were sections of Ugandan ‘fans’ that openly performed acts of witchcraft in the false belief that it would guarantee victory to the Cranes.
Associated with this is the problem of unscrupulous witchdoctors who are defrauding victims of their possessions by promising them all manner of things. They are even advertising their services in the media and turning some of the print and electronic media into accomplices and promoters of abominations such as homosexuality and witchcraft!
Cleaning up our society of all forms of corruption is an urgent task for the whole nation. Government will consider embarking on a program to sensitise Ugandans to cherish our values and institutions. In the case of homosexual people, it will also seek to encourage, educate and assist, but not harass, them so that they understand that homosexual sexual behaviour is not natural but simply a serious social and psychological aberration in human behaviour as well as a violation of the evident heterosexual design by God for the survival of human civilisation.
Religious leaders should stand as the moral authority in the land and lead the crusade to roll back frontiers of the encroaching immorality. Uganda’s media and the entertainment industry should treat immorality as a subject that deserves our total rejection. To be able to do so however, its members will have to be highly ethical and men and women of integrity!
This is because the integrity of the public is, to a considerable extent, shaped by the integrity of both the media and music industry. On their part, both the Media Council and the Broadcasting Council should take appropriate action against those sections of the media that are involved in a conspiracy to adulterate Uganda’s values and institutions.
Finally, the Government, the public, media, entertainment industry and religious institutions must all show practical revulsion against immorality in all its forms. They must show willingness to fight for the soul of this providential nation so that it does not sink under the weight of the encroaching hubris of immorality.
The writer the Minister of State for
Ethics and Integrity
One of the major challenges facing Uganda is the hubris of immorality.
This hubris is characterised by corruption of institutions like the family and marriage as well as corruption of values such as faithfulness, honesty, fidelity, compassion, tolerance, respect (of self and others), responsibility and love (of God and others).
Such corruption would, if it was allowed to take root, have devastating consequences for Uganda’s stability, strength, freedom and prosperity and peaceful coexistence among a population.
Immorality, therefore, has two faces.
One face is the corruption of values which may lead to practices like hatred for God and people, infidelity, witchcraft, intolerance, idolatry (worship of self, materialism), selfishness and, therefore, embezzlement and thefts. The other face is the corruption of institutions like the family which may lead to practices such as homosexuality and infidelity. Each of the above practices is an element in the jigsaw of immorality or corruption of morals.
The thesis in this article is that if we, as Ugandans, allow immorality to dominate our way of life, we will be no better than the foolish man in the Bible who built his house on sand.
When it rained and floods came and winds blew and beat against that house, the house suffered a mighty collapse! On the other hand, the house that was built on the rock by the wise man suffered no such a fate because its foundations were solid.
Uganda’s foundations are its values and social institutions.
Some of these values and institutions are being undermined and replaced by reprehensible ones. For example, vain attempts are being made by some people to turn Uganda into a Godless country. This is happening regardless of the well-known fact that God is prominently central in Uganda’s affairs.
Coordinated attempts are being made to change the heterosexual design of the human body. In some countries around the world, the prohomosexual juggernaut is advanced, powerful and entrenched.
In developing countries, this juggernaut is using its weight and influence to try and turn up-side down human civilisation as we know it.
Its members argue, rather unconvincingly, that majority of homosexuals are born that way and that only a minority choose their sexual orientation! If this were so, why are they spending colossal sums of money in attempts to convert the next generation to their un-Godly cause?
There is evidence that schools and churches, too, are being invaded for this very purpose. Promoters of homosexuality are not bothered about human reproduction which is the very reason why human beings have hope in survival of human civilisation.
In the on-going crusade to entrench immorality in our society, the family is becoming the battlefield for redefining the human race. As the basic social unit of society, a normal family consists of husband and wife or husband and wife and their children or a father and his children or a mother and her children or any of these groups and a dependent or dependents.
The homosexual movement wants to redefine this by arguing that a family can also comprise two men or two women living together with adopted children! Its apologists claim that homosexuality is a ‘human rights issue’ which they must force on every one else through acts of intimidation, coercion, abuses, lies and outright bribery.
Another form of corruption of our morals is the prominence of satanic symbols, features and practices are increasingly becoming evident.
For example, during the recent Uganda Cranes-Nigerian Super Eagles qualifier match, there were sections of Ugandan ‘fans’ that openly performed acts of witchcraft in the false belief that it would guarantee victory to the Cranes.
Associated with this is the problem of unscrupulous witchdoctors who are defrauding victims of their possessions by promising them all manner of things. They are even advertising their services in the media and turning some of the print and electronic media into accomplices and promoters of abominations such as homosexuality and witchcraft!
Cleaning up our society of all forms of corruption is an urgent task for the whole nation. Government will consider embarking on a program to sensitise Ugandans to cherish our values and institutions. In the case of homosexual people, it will also seek to encourage, educate and assist, but not harass, them so that they understand that homosexual sexual behaviour is not natural but simply a serious social and psychological aberration in human behaviour as well as a violation of the evident heterosexual design by God for the survival of human civilisation.
Religious leaders should stand as the moral authority in the land and lead the crusade to roll back frontiers of the encroaching immorality. Uganda’s media and the entertainment industry should treat immorality as a subject that deserves our total rejection. To be able to do so however, its members will have to be highly ethical and men and women of integrity!
This is because the integrity of the public is, to a considerable extent, shaped by the integrity of both the media and music industry. On their part, both the Media Council and the Broadcasting Council should take appropriate action against those sections of the media that are involved in a conspiracy to adulterate Uganda’s values and institutions.
Finally, the Government, the public, media, entertainment industry and religious institutions must all show practical revulsion against immorality in all its forms. They must show willingness to fight for the soul of this providential nation so that it does not sink under the weight of the encroaching hubris of immorality.
The writer the Minister of State for
Ethics and Integrity