Let 2013 be a year of peace, change and development

The 'long gone' 2012 was a year special for Uganda! It was supposed to be a year of joy, celebration and unity of all Ugandans regardless of tribe, religion or political affiliation. As Ugandans, we were supposed to join in the Jubilee celebrations as a family and focus on what unites us other than what divides us. However, political intrigue, selfishness, corruption, negligence and other vices continued to manifest in the ‘jubilee year’! Some politicians labeled the jubilee celebrations a waste of time and money, huge corruption scandals were reported while hatred amongst top public figures grew. Let 2013 be a year of peace amongst civil servants and politicians where the drive to provide leadership and services to the people supersedes personal egos and political disguises. Let this be a year of public accountability. Let it be that the drive to serve overrides the drive to steal. When those in government ministries, Commissions and authorities decide to be good stewards, then those in local councils will be forced to follow suit. This would reduce the strain on the national budgets already affected by donor cuts. Let 2013 be a year of commitment to duty for all in public offices. Let it be that no mother dies in labour due to negligence of health workers. Hellen Keller, an accomplished author and the first deaf blind to earn a Bachelors of Arts Degree once said, ‘’the world is moving along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of tiny pushes of each honest worker<’’. Let the next eleven months be a period of honest work and ultimately peace and development will be realised for all of us.