Greed is a destructive spirit
Oct 13, 2010
HOW often do you indulge in moments of personal reflection, concerning the state of moral and political health of our potentially great nation? Does your conscience ever engage you in this kind of reflection?
By Dr. Nsaba Buturo
HOW often do you indulge in moments of personal reflection, concerning the state of moral and political health of our potentially great nation? Does your conscience ever engage you in this kind of reflection?
And do your social, economic and political prejudices ever cloud this important soul-searching effort? Following that, do you then end up in a state of despair or hope or both?
My soul is continuing to indulge in the search for answers to happenings that are continuing to adorn, sometimes with unsettling reverberations, Uganda’s moral and political landscape. My reading so far is that greed and godlessness should not be discounted when one is critiquing this landscape.
Greed is a destructive spirit. Its primary goal is promotion of self. Individuals whose personal chemistry is clouded in the mist of greed show no remorse whenever their actions are ‘hurting’ others. This arises because their faculties have been captivated as well as dulled by this spirit. It should be the duty of all well-meaning Ugandans to appeal to such individuals to open doors of their hearts and bring themselves to a collective sense of guilt and willingness to change.
A state of godlessness can have serious implications for any nation. These include declining presence of God’s values such as honesty, integrity, love, care, personal responsibility and industry in human relationships and management of, for example, public resources by nationals.
The absence of these values is likely to further lead to a breathtakingly as well as profoundly charged atmosphere where, for example, violation of basic principles of democracy becomes the norm. In the case of Uganda, the mantle of putting the country on a pedestal of irreversible progress and development has largely and squarely fallen on the shoulders of the National Resistance Movement (NRM).
The NRM has a story to tell! It was birthed in the fires of bad governance. This is why it is a party of good governance. Part of its strength should be measured in its ability to take disciplinary action against some of its members whose conduct disgraces as well as weakens this greatest political force that Ugandans have ever seen.
Lately, this strength has been facing a challenge of gargantuan proportions. This challenge is called immorality.
The morality of some Ugandans has taken a nosedive. For them, integrity, honesty and industry among others, are no longer the stock values in trade for which Ugandans were once famous. Our love for Uganda as well as our pride in being men and women of integrity is suffering a big knock. When our lives become cluttered with immoral acts, what results and manifests in us is the junk of more immoral acts such as greed and godlessness.
If Ugandans are going to benefit from fruits of good governance, we must resist the onslaught of immorality. Instead, we must demonstrate willingness to be rid of the road hazards of godlessness and greed. Those of us who are privileged to be leaders must ensure that values of justice and righteousness inform our own actions and behaviour. As leaders, we must take a hard and honest look at ourselves to see that we are not fuelling any situation to levels that could be dangerous to all of us. Truly, when godliness and integrity abound in those of us who are leaders, any lingering strife will be overcome.
Recently, I attended a high level meeting and every speaker was decrying the worrying state of our nation’s moral health. Inside me, I knew that some of the speakers were directly responsible for acts that are exacerbating the Ugandan situation. In these officials, I saw hypocrisy, lip service and double standards at work. Those of us who bear the tag of leader must know that it was not by accident or some act of smart personal manoeuvres against our political rivals or use of resources that we are leaders but the hand of God who expects us to honestly serve His people.
The task to wrestle Uganda from the abyss of underdevelopment remains frighteningly formidable. In one sense, Uganda and Africa are tired after being battered by centuries of domination and imposition with irrelevant systems and values. Years of slave trade, colonialism, ineffectual post-independence leadership and economic servitude have left us bleeding. This notwithstanding, Uganda and Africa must dust and unshackle themselves of these vestiges. We can do it!
Under the leadership of President Museveni, Uganda has made spectacular progress. Nevertheless, there is still an ugly side of our society we must collectively nail as well as oppose. Its elements include the glaring love of self and money; and love of pleasure rather than of God. Consequently, our obsession with these and other shortcomings has dulled our appreciation of God’s finest blessings for Uganda.
These blessings manifest in prolonged economic and political stability, peace in most parts of the country and promising prosperity. Sadly, they are being gravely threatened by a determined coterie of nauseatingly selfish individuals who are, through their corrupt practices, determined to haemorrhage Ugandans’ ability to lead decent lives. The struggle against this coterie must be intensified. In this struggle to put Uganda on a pedestal of renaissance, a question that remains vexing is whether leaders that should help the President to drive forward the Ugandan locomotive are willing to reach Uganda to her God-ordained destination.
While the President remains a towering figure on the Ugandan stage, it is not so with many of us who are conductors of the same locomotive. Yet, a symphony of an orchestra of progress is beautiful where there are able, dedicated and selfless leaders. The President needs other strings to move in step with his if the NRM is going to continue to be the greatest political force that is able to produce a beautiful melody for all Ugandans. May God bless Uganda.
MP, Minister for Ethics and Integrity
HOW often do you indulge in moments of personal reflection, concerning the state of moral and political health of our potentially great nation? Does your conscience ever engage you in this kind of reflection?
And do your social, economic and political prejudices ever cloud this important soul-searching effort? Following that, do you then end up in a state of despair or hope or both?
My soul is continuing to indulge in the search for answers to happenings that are continuing to adorn, sometimes with unsettling reverberations, Uganda’s moral and political landscape. My reading so far is that greed and godlessness should not be discounted when one is critiquing this landscape.
Greed is a destructive spirit. Its primary goal is promotion of self. Individuals whose personal chemistry is clouded in the mist of greed show no remorse whenever their actions are ‘hurting’ others. This arises because their faculties have been captivated as well as dulled by this spirit. It should be the duty of all well-meaning Ugandans to appeal to such individuals to open doors of their hearts and bring themselves to a collective sense of guilt and willingness to change.
A state of godlessness can have serious implications for any nation. These include declining presence of God’s values such as honesty, integrity, love, care, personal responsibility and industry in human relationships and management of, for example, public resources by nationals.
The absence of these values is likely to further lead to a breathtakingly as well as profoundly charged atmosphere where, for example, violation of basic principles of democracy becomes the norm. In the case of Uganda, the mantle of putting the country on a pedestal of irreversible progress and development has largely and squarely fallen on the shoulders of the National Resistance Movement (NRM).
The NRM has a story to tell! It was birthed in the fires of bad governance. This is why it is a party of good governance. Part of its strength should be measured in its ability to take disciplinary action against some of its members whose conduct disgraces as well as weakens this greatest political force that Ugandans have ever seen.
Lately, this strength has been facing a challenge of gargantuan proportions. This challenge is called immorality.
The morality of some Ugandans has taken a nosedive. For them, integrity, honesty and industry among others, are no longer the stock values in trade for which Ugandans were once famous. Our love for Uganda as well as our pride in being men and women of integrity is suffering a big knock. When our lives become cluttered with immoral acts, what results and manifests in us is the junk of more immoral acts such as greed and godlessness.
If Ugandans are going to benefit from fruits of good governance, we must resist the onslaught of immorality. Instead, we must demonstrate willingness to be rid of the road hazards of godlessness and greed. Those of us who are privileged to be leaders must ensure that values of justice and righteousness inform our own actions and behaviour. As leaders, we must take a hard and honest look at ourselves to see that we are not fuelling any situation to levels that could be dangerous to all of us. Truly, when godliness and integrity abound in those of us who are leaders, any lingering strife will be overcome.
Recently, I attended a high level meeting and every speaker was decrying the worrying state of our nation’s moral health. Inside me, I knew that some of the speakers were directly responsible for acts that are exacerbating the Ugandan situation. In these officials, I saw hypocrisy, lip service and double standards at work. Those of us who bear the tag of leader must know that it was not by accident or some act of smart personal manoeuvres against our political rivals or use of resources that we are leaders but the hand of God who expects us to honestly serve His people.
The task to wrestle Uganda from the abyss of underdevelopment remains frighteningly formidable. In one sense, Uganda and Africa are tired after being battered by centuries of domination and imposition with irrelevant systems and values. Years of slave trade, colonialism, ineffectual post-independence leadership and economic servitude have left us bleeding. This notwithstanding, Uganda and Africa must dust and unshackle themselves of these vestiges. We can do it!
Under the leadership of President Museveni, Uganda has made spectacular progress. Nevertheless, there is still an ugly side of our society we must collectively nail as well as oppose. Its elements include the glaring love of self and money; and love of pleasure rather than of God. Consequently, our obsession with these and other shortcomings has dulled our appreciation of God’s finest blessings for Uganda.
These blessings manifest in prolonged economic and political stability, peace in most parts of the country and promising prosperity. Sadly, they are being gravely threatened by a determined coterie of nauseatingly selfish individuals who are, through their corrupt practices, determined to haemorrhage Ugandans’ ability to lead decent lives. The struggle against this coterie must be intensified. In this struggle to put Uganda on a pedestal of renaissance, a question that remains vexing is whether leaders that should help the President to drive forward the Ugandan locomotive are willing to reach Uganda to her God-ordained destination.
While the President remains a towering figure on the Ugandan stage, it is not so with many of us who are conductors of the same locomotive. Yet, a symphony of an orchestra of progress is beautiful where there are able, dedicated and selfless leaders. The President needs other strings to move in step with his if the NRM is going to continue to be the greatest political force that is able to produce a beautiful melody for all Ugandans. May God bless Uganda.
MP, Minister for Ethics and Integrity