Tuesday, December 19, 2023

“For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. (Isaiah 9:6-7). With these words the Prophet Isaiah proclaimed a new hope embedded in the coming of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

We live in a time of joys and achievement, but we’re also live in a time of trials and tribulations. Apart from the usual festivities, Christmas should also be a time for serious reflections about serious issues. Some say Jesus came to be born, but a careful reading of the scriptures reveal that Jesus actually came to die. No wonder it was at the cross that he declared that his mission was accomplished when he said “It is finished!”. The motive of his mission was God’s love for mankind – his creation. This love is not passive. It is active and caring. Our love for each other should also be active not passive.

Christmas is also about a commitment to unchanging values. We should have a guiding star. However much darkness there is, the guiding star will ensure that we don’t lose our way.

As Ugandans, our guiding star is our values and our commitment to the oneness of our country. These are based in the Constitution which is the glue that binds the building blocks of our country together. Every abuse of power whether by way of corruption, illegal detentions, unlawful arrests and other forms of brutalization is an attack on the constitution of Uganda.

We have witnessed many manifestations of abuses of power. Indeed not everyone will have a happy Christmas. Victims of outrageous human rights abuses and their families will not have a happy Christmas. It our duty to express moral revulsion against all actions that offend the rule of law.

As we face the future, the stakes are getting higher. We have choices to make. One particular choice is that between regime change fundamentalists and those who believe in constructive engagement as a way to unite and reinvent our country. The wind of change must be balanced by the anchor of continuity. Change and continuity are two sides of the same coin.

The Democratic Party will continue to work for a government whose foundation is Truth and Justice! To achieve that goal we have made many proposals over the years. We propose a National Dialogue. We propose an agenda for National Reconciliation . We propose vital reforms to our Constitution. Above all we propose a three phased agenda for a Peaceful Transition starting with the building of a New National Consensus, the implementation of the Consensus and the ushering of a New Uganda.

Christmas should remind us that a New Uganda is possible. But the blessings of Christmas come with a huge responsibility – a responsibility to love and care for our country. Leaders come and go but Uganda remains! Our responsibility is to put the National Interest at the centre of our actions.

Many people are skeptical about what the Democratic Party has been proposing for decades. The say it cannot work. But how can something that has never been applied work? A patient cannot claim that a medicine cannot work unless he has applied the medicine.

This is the same dilemma we face as we contemplate the place of Jesus Christ in World Affairs. At Bethlehem there was no room for Jesus. Over two thousand years later there’s still no room for Jesus in our hearts, our homes, our governments and even in the conference halls where world leaders meet to take far reaching decisions. And yet some people have the audacity to say Christianity has failed! The truth is that Christianity has not failed. Christianity has simply never been applied! To unlock the blessings that the birth of Jesus Christ promises, we have to apply the teachings of the Nazarene Master!

Merry Christmas! God bless you all and God bless Uganda!