February, 2009 was an interesting month in my view because it was the month
when the heated debate on Poor Performances in Schools in West Nile was a
serious topic of discussion. That period kind of coincided or was very close to
the Ombaci and later on Mvara and Koboko OB activities. I kind of believe that
because of the OB activities, the discussion on Poor Performance of Schools in
West Nile were serious and focused and as a result there was some
organizational framework which culminated into the decisions made, and the
Education Task Force was formed. Some of the work (reports) of the Committee
were at least published on the West Nile Net in the recent times. I will
comment on the report and relate the report to the Education Ordinance and the
Budget Document which was also distributed on the WestNile Net at a different
time.
Then there came the Barifa Land issue, the Balalo land acquisition issue, the
environmental degradation issue, the killings of our people by the URA in
Koboko, the Matego districts, and many more topics we debated on this forum.
Another serious issue discussed was how we can document these discussions we
have on the WestNile Net and present to the relevant authorities. The idea of
forming a body that will be representing this forum in presenting our views to
the authorities evaporated to the extent that the number of people contributing
on the forum has reduced compared to what it was like in February when it was
rich and diverse with some comedies to lighten the discussion up. I have been
off the forum for a couple of weeks just observing what is going on with the
forum without giving any contributions to the discussion.
I have observed and tend to think that while we people from West Nile are very
good at offering solutions and we all have very big plans, we are not very
proactive and focused in what we talk about and we tend to be afraid of leading
the cause but would rather follow the cause.
One reason I have come to this decision is simply the fact that while we are
vehemently discussing and giving ideas and talking of planning big, we are all
shouting this without any body of umbrella to implement what we talk about. We
have failed to have a representative body or organ of this forum to implement
the big plans we are drawing. While the education committee may be the
exception, we can not task them to be the one to do everything. If the Ombaci ,
Mvara and Koboko OB's can sit for a meeting in Kampala or Arua and elect
representatives why is it difficult for the members of this Forum to have an
elected represetantives to carry out the decisions of the deliberations which
people on this forum so much talk about?
Why do we have to shy away from leadership positions and issues which may have
political implications when we are all political within ourselves. I think the
people on the ground in need to help us to stand up and be counted in this
issue of representation.
The suggestion for collecting some funds for hunger and starvation in West Nile
has met the problem of who will be responsible for collecting such moneys
donated and I believe up to now it is in Limbo. If we had such an umbrella
organization for this forum this would not have been a problem. A bank account
of the umbrella organization would easily be used for depositing such funds.
Hardly before the hunger issue was resolved, the new issue that came on the
Block is the University Museveni has given to West Nile. Seriously speaking,
are universities supposed to be given to people by presidents!!?? Does the
President own Universities or these are supposed to be public institutions
established on careful planning and assessment of infrastructure demands and
the needs of the people!! What a gimmick! Now all the attention of the forum is
planning for this University, how big the plan is supposed to be and where
there are to be other branches and example of Universities in Wisconsin and
Quebec Canada have been given. One thing not mentioned about those examples is
whether those Universities in Wisconsin and Quebec Canada were given by the
President and the Prime Minister of those countries in which they are. I am
pretty sure that was not the case whatsoever, and even then those cuntries are
not banana republics where the President just gives without the discussion and
approval of the electorate. In those countries the electorates plan and lobby
their representatives to present their demands to the Congress or Parliament
not the other way around where the president gives without even any
consideration to the plan and infrastructure needed to run a public institution
like a University while the citizens are busy dying for lack of food and simple
treatable sicknesses.
What happened top our initial resolve to improve the elementary and secondary
schools in West Nile. Is this University really necessary for the development
of West Nile given that we have a branch of Islamic University, there is a
branch Mukono University and I believe the Nile University near Ombaci is also
operational (if i am not mistaken). Was this New University in West Nile given
to take away the issue of hunger an starvation in the region and to wood wink
the electorate the government all of a sudden cares about the people of the
region.
Is this University more important than lack of clean source and supply of water
in the region? Is this University more important than having a reliable of
energy (power) in the region. If for the next 5 to 10 years we do not have
supply of clean and enough water and power in the region and we have this
University, will our region be better developed, because some of the arguments
for following the University is creation of Jobs.
>From my limited knowledge, adequate sources and clean water supply and energy
>supply are the main initiator of development and the main reason for
>deforestation in the region is lack of alternative domestic energy resources
>for a population that entirely depends on cutting of trees for domestic energy
>supply.
To me the issue of building or starting a new University is misplaced. if there
is money for starting a University, that money would rather be used to improve
the primary and secondary schools infrastructure and paying qualified teacher,
nurses a living wage so that they do not have to go and do other duties to earn
a living. That money could also be used establish village water storage systems
so that water conservation is seriously addressed in our region otherwise the
next catastrophe our region is bound to experience is that of water shortage.
We just can not jump on the band wagon of the what the President says like
people who have no heads to think and plan what we want and how we want our
region to develop. I never knew that a new University was a much bigger
priority in our region compared to good water and energy supply. I wonder if it
is the lack of the new University in West Nile which has caused very few
students from the region to be accepted in the existing Universities. While it
is good to plan big it is also imperative that we plan according to the
priorities of the population and the region as a whole. Let us not buy into the
elections campaign allocations which are there to hood wink people while he is
giving billions to the kingdoms to appease and divide people he has injected
this idea to confuse the region into thinking he cares about the region which
is not true.
Vasco Oguzua
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