I am impressed by Nick Bates’ piece on “Offensive drivers rule in Uganda”. I particularly liked that he focused on his subject matter which included the dilapidated state of the roads, the reckless driving culture that has prevailed, and the lack of ideas on the part of government to deal with the terrible situation. He did all these without insulting the intelligence of the people. He concluded his piece by calling on those concerned to do something as it impacts negatively on one of their main sources of revenue. This is the sort of positive activism we expect from visitors to other parts of the continent.
These conditions have persisted, largely due to the weak opposition to the government of the day in most parts of our continent. Where they do exist, those voices are usually ignored with impunity, or systematically silenced by entrenched forces that are benefactors of the prevailing dysfunction. There is rarely any form of accountability on the part of the leaders. So, most of our people are switched on to “survival mode”, where there is little room for order, decency and niceties.
As Africans (whites, blacks or Indians), we need to begin to speak up for the voiceless; give constructive criticism where necessary; and not stoop to the threats of the “powers” that be. The account by Bates does not specifically apply to Uganda, that scenario could be Lagos, Onitsha, Port-Harcourt, Conakry or any other major city in most parts of Africa. Its subtle criticisms such as this one, from an external source, often gets the much-needed attention of the rulers.
