COVID-19 has revived Ugandans charitable spirit

By Dr Grace P'Karamura

Hard times call for hard decisions. At least that's how it was during my childhood. Come November, as children, we would instinctively know that the time for reduced food rations had arrived. Our parents would sometimes lose weight as they struggled to feed us. November, Katumba or eifa - famine, is a month between the planting and harvest season.

But we would somehow survive partly because of our parents/guardian's resilience, but also because the community pulled together and shared whatever was available.

If there's anything that COVID-19 has revealed about Ugandans, it is the revival of the charitable spirit, patriotism, which we thought had died among Ugandans. From billionaires to the commoner, people have gratefully contributed each according to their means to ensure that the vulnerable don't luck.

Whereas some have given money, others have given food, others have given themselves. Quite often we have watched on TV exhausted Ministry of Health officials, medical doctors, regional and local leaders all sacrificing themselves for the sake of fighting this pandemic. In short, we are all challenged and called upon to do our part however small we may think it is. It counts. 

It is a biblical principle that my neighbour is not the one I share a glass of wine or beer with or a boundary. It is that one who is lying in isolation waiting for the fourteen days to elapse. It is that one who before COVID-19 was living hand to mouth and for whom the President has made an appeal for support. Charity is not necessarily an act of mercy. It's an act of love. It is an invitation and perhaps an obligation about our responsibility towards our neighbours. Hopefully, we shall continue with such commendable spirit even beyond COVID-19.  

Having said that, some disturbing news are screaming on social media about people who are selling substandard food items to be consumed by the unsuspecting vulnerable poor. How heartless can we really be to profit from a situation as we in! 

More disturbing is the news that our Honourable MPs allocated themselves sh20m each apparently to fight COVID-19. If it is indeed true, it will be the joke of the century. Of course, as Ugandans, we wouldn't be surprised about such because it would not be the first time for our honourables to take a cut for themselves in the name of sensitising the masses. Taking the COVID-19 money under such disguise can be equated with grabbing away the last dose of medicine from a dying child!

Assuming that indeed they are going down into their constituencies, how will they reach them? They are not allowed to hold rallies, give or distribute food to their voters, not allowed to travel to their constituencies. Even if they travel there, they can't meet anyone as churches are closed, weddings and burial numbers limited, everyone is locked down at home. How are they going to use that money and on what?

In any case, aren't our Honourable MPs already well facilitated! They used to have a constituency fund and mileage in addition to any other allowances that make their job easier.

We wonder what else our MPs are going to add on the already well-handled situation. The President, the Ministry of Health officials, doctors and our local leaders have already handled the situation so superbly that our MPs will only be repeating themselves. It is one thing to want to be seen doing something, it is another to do the right one. The President cannot be seen and rightly so, rallying the country for donations when our MPs are pocketing 20 million shillings each. It's a contradiction in terms.

All those Ugandans who have given directly or anonymously have not given out of surplus or plenty. They have sacrificed for the love of the country and the situation it is in. For an MP who in any case is among the few very well remunerated citizens, surely, they can afford to sacrifice for their constituencies too.

We understand in some of our neighbouring countries MPs and government officials have sacrificed a certain percentage of their salaries to go towards the fight against this killer disease. Let's just imagine the imaginable. Suppose each MP contributed 5m shillings towards this cause. Parliament would raise over two billion shillings in a blink of an eye!

Of course, not all MPs are agreeable to eat this money as some have already shown their disapproval. Our MPs would have been applauded as we are doing to the President, Health officials, RDCs, LC5 C/M etc, if they pushed for such money to be allocated to health workers who are working under challenging conditions; or even using it to equip some of the regional Referral hospitals that lack the basics.

This is true because as COVID-19 has challenged us, a well-defended country is not the one with innumerable MPs but whose social services are up-to-date. In any case, the parliament has already reduced the sitting numbers to the minimum at different sittings.  

All our guns are silent and our SUVs packed. It is our hospitals that are awake day and night, at least until this pandemic ends. Our Honourables, please fight for improved doctors' remunerations and improved social services. You too might need them when flying to India is impossible as the current situation has already proved.

By the way and on a different note, where is our Edward Ssekandi?

Lord, please continue to protect our country and in our frailties, please forgive and love us unconditionally, AMEN.

Dr Grace P'Karamura (U.K)