Duty, Honor and Country

“The code which those words perpetuate embraces the highest moral laws and will stand the test of any ethics or philosophies ever promulgated for the uplift of mankind. Its requirements are for the things that are right, and its restraints are from the things that are wrong.” General Douglas MacArthur

Today as my hair was being trimmed by this barber who was talking good care and precaution trimming my beard; I could not help but remember and compare him to the barber who had previously trimmed my hair and beard. That prior barber was a disaster to my hair, In addition to trimming it without care and precision, he also caused reactionary pimples in my beard. This was because he seemed not to be interested in his work and lacked the love for it.

As this barber was trimming my hair neatly with due precision, I realized that he liked his job and enjoyed doing it.  I continued to think that perhaps the reason why Ugandans are corrupt or do unsubstantial work or have no regard for the rule of law especially when it comes to soldiers or why armies in Uganda have always been personal armies, it is because Ugandans have never understood the meaning of duty, honor and country.

Those three words should be the rallying point of every Ugandan citizen whether in the Executive, legislature, Judiciary, army or even the public service.

Those words respectfully dictate what every Ugandan ought to be, what they can be and what they will be.

Ugandan history has been marred by selfish Ugandans be it in government leadership, army, public service who place their interest above the interest of the country. Over the past years our country has been marred by coups, human rights abuses, corruption. This is because we have never understood what is expected of us as Citizens of this beloved country as leaders, public servants, army servants or even as private citizens.

We have a motto that reads “FOR GOD AND MY COUNTRY” but we have and shown utter disregard for that motto. In Uganda we have never had an army loyal to its people but instead we have seen every regime coming with a different army. Armies in Uganda are loyal to their leader rather than being loyal to Uganda and its people.

Uganda has suffered as a result of corruption and misappropriation of state funds by people who shame the honor that comes with being a citizen of Uganda and serving as a Citizen of this country. This all has shown that Ugandans have never understood their duty towards this country that we all call home.

It is for this reason that we have had indiscipline’s in the armies that have pretended to serve Uganda. Such armies have facilitated coups, looted other neighbouring countries minerals and disregarded human and constitutional rights all the way proving that they lack the essential citizenry code of honor, duty and country.

These three words should be the basis for our revival as a nation, the basis for revival of our national character, the return of meaning and purpose of the nations creed ‘For God and my Country’ and a new foundation that will make posterity grateful that their forefathers in the end fought for the revival and betterment of the motherland Uganda.