The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
True national progress is not measured by the height of our buildings or the number of roads we pave. It is measured by how the weakest citizen is treated by the strongest institution.
COMMENT | APOLLO BUREGYEYA | On Sunday, Christians across the world celebrated the resurrection of Jesus — a man arrested on trumped-up charges, tried unfairly, and executed by the state for challenging power and standing for truth.
But history is not fooled by uniforms or court rulings. Those who orchestrated his death are remembered, not as defenders of order, but as symbols of cowardice, corruption, and betrayal.
This Easter, let us pause and reflect:
Yes, the state can be powerful for a moment. It can try to humiliate a man like Jesus. It can try to strip dignity from those who question its moral or constitutional legitimacy. But it cannot do so without losing something of its own. Because no one can take away another’s dignity unjustly and still believe their own remains intact.
You can silence a person. You can lock them up, insult them, even parade them in shame. But you cannot take away their dignity without weakening your own. That’s not just scripture. It’s common sense, though clearly, some skipped that class.
That is the quiet truth many have forgotten.
True national progress is not measured by the height of our buildings or the number of roads we pave. It is measured by how the weakest citizen is treated by the strongest institution.
The police, once a symbol of protection, are now often seen as tools of intimidation. Young people are arrested for assembling. Journalists are detained for asking questions. Opposition voices are silenced, not by argument, but by force. Meanwhile, public relations departments hold press conferences to explain why water is wet.
Even our courts, at times, have lost their voice. Cases involving the powerful move quickly. Others, especially those that matter to ordinary people, gather dust like forgotten utensils after a village wedding. When justice begins to serve politics, dignity begins to vanish at the courthouse gate.
But dignity is not granted by office or withdrawn by decree. It is carried within. And a secure identity does not seek to injure another. Just as dignity, when truly held, does not require the humiliation of others to feel real.
To the uniformed: Your duty is honourable. But it must be done with honour. You are citizens before you are state agents. What you do in silence will one day be seen by your children. And history has a way of showing footage when you least expect it.
To the powerful: You cannot preserve your legacy by denying others theirs. Lead with truth. Disagree without disgrace. Paranoia is not policy.
To every Ugandan: Dignity begins with how we treat one another. It is preserved by courage, conscience, and restraint. Injustice may win moments. But only dignity wins history.
Happy Easter 
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The writer is an engineer, entrepreneur and industrialist. THIS COMMENT WAS ADAPTED FROM X @ApolloBuregyeya
