FESTO KATO: Silence, the disguised peace

As days go by, we’re asking ourselves what our country really needs as we walk in the shadows of what should be democracy.

In 1980, some individuals took it to the jungle and successfully ousted the then sitting president in the name of Liberation and the need for better democratic system of governance, but as years have gone 34yrs later the current situation isn’t any different as history repeats itself and the arrogance grows to peak as those that are supposed to keep the citizen safe now kidnap, beat and kill the citizen.

Nsubuga .A. Fahad once elaborated that Peace is not determined by the absence of war and well I also add that there should be a line to differentiate between Silence/Quite and Peace.

Now how can we explain the damage being caused, how can we explain that it’s hard to feel safe when even those that are silent a being involved. As a child should be seen and not heard, should a Ugandan’s burden be buried and not learnt? Is it not our elders’ duty to raise us right? Then why are our elders silent about all that even the youngest of kids can see that we are being put in a position that we’re not even worthy of our leaders’ priority.

Since childhood we’ve been told the gun is supposed to protect us and we’ve grown up not having to ask any questions. Now I am grown but the responsible are still ignoring their call, effectively rejecting the youth and that is seemingly becoming usual and normal. Them coming after us will resent us, because they’ll be caught up in the fact that we’re being like them that came before us.

There was malice in your hearts during your time and now there’s hate in ours too but we’re just trying to fill a void that was created by you. You were supposed to give us the tools and the wisdom to help us beat the system and keep us out of prison but now we get caught and can’t snitch on anyone because we’re on our own and that’s how we’re being raised to live.

Those we look up to only see just this and how is that justice when all they’re shouting about is just… They’re telling us it’s just is. They’re telling us there’s an alternative to oppose their decisions, they expect us to act on information we don’t know we are missing.

See, no man is an island, we all need a helping hand to stay afloat. We may be hanging ourselves but our Government (National Resistance Movement – NRM) is giving us the rope.

I hope I won’t get twisted, we all have our flows and I am not saying we’re being set up but the institutions are failing to play their role because what’s in for the body when the liver is trying to work as the heart and when any part of the body is sick chances are high the rest of the body will be affected.