The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kiryandongo, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs Norbert Mao has said unity in Uganda can only be achieved if the country’s wealth is equitably shared.
Mao notes that the differences rocking the country currently arises from the feelings many people have that they are not equal shareholders of their own country’s prosperity.
“If we share the fruits of Uganda, Uganda will not be divided,” said Mao during the commissioning of the refurbished Karuma Bridge in Karuma Town Council, Kiryandongo District Friday. The bridge was officially opened to light traffic on Thursday after undergoing three months’ repairs.
“The reason people are divided is not because somebody from their tribe is not president or somebody from their tribe is not the minister…. But if they don’t feel like they are equal shareholders in the country,” the justice minister insisted.
Mao noted that the current political pressure mounted against the government too can subside if every institution has equal representation of Ugandans. Mao alleged that the popular pressure being witnessed doesn’t manifest any serious political differences in the country but rather the cry of people feeling marginalized.
“So, we must realize that when everybody feels like they’re not just stakeholders but shareholders, the country will be united. Every institution must look like Uganda, whether it is the army, whether it is the police, whether it is the cabinet, whether it is parastatals, whether it is Uganda Airlines…,” he said.
He said the quick response of the government towards rehabilitating Karuma bridge which has been a concern of almost every Ugandan is a key achievement of balancing the wealth of the country.
According to Mao, the success of rehabilitating the bridge is a clear indication that the government can accomplish it’s promises in time if pressured by the citizens.
“The pressure was positive pressure, let us continue to put that positive pressure on the government. It’s the duty of the government to understand that positive pressure, it makes a big difference,” he said.
He suggested that newly refurbished bridge be renamed Awich-Kabalega bridge after the kings of Acholi and Bunyoro who resisted the colonialists.
State Minister for Works and Transport Musa Ecweru however noted that the suggestion can be further discussed in the cabinet for the new suspended bridge the government intends to construct over the Nile River.
*****
URN
