Usafiri Uganda Magazine

24/12/2020

19/04/2020

*By Prof. Wasswa Balunya*

End of an era? Move Over the USA, Here Comes Who?

The United States (US) has been ruling the world for the past 130 years. The US is the perfect representation of capitalism and indeed capitalism was the reason why it took this leadership taking over from the UK from about 1890. Incidentally, the Spanish flue was the last nail in the British Empire coffin. The United States in its history has had only one parastatal, the “Tennessee Valley Authority”! Every other activity in the country is owned and managed by the private sector except for regulatory and some research activities. Even when you look at the Health sector, right now one of the challenges is if you don't have medical insurance you will not be tested for the Coronavirus! This is the epitome of capitalism in the United States.
Coronavirus appears to be the change maker for capitalism. Starting with the United States President, Donald Trump who appears to have messed up the management of the Coronavirus challenge. And now he has announced withdrawing of support to the World Health Organization (WHO), one of the organs of the United Nations (UN)! The United Nations was formed after World War II with a view to bringing together different countries in the world so as to have a commonness in approach on various issues, to ensure world peace and prevent conflict among nations. The World Health Organization (WHO) is one of the organs of the United Nations which is responsible for health.
Through the United Nations organizations, the countries all over the world small or big, are able to have a common approach over topical issues. They generate common solutions to address problems. And this has been going on since 1945 when the United Nations was formed. Various subsidiaries were formed including WHO. At the moment, the global coronavirus challenge has been addressed through WHO. The WHO appears now to be the source of conflict!
Of course, the United Nations has not been perfect, it has had challenges but it has achieved a lot in different fields. The United States has been the biggest funder of the UN and its subsidiaries and withdrawing funding right now from the WHO means that the activities of the WHO are going to stop. But will they stop? The new kid on the block China with all the bank balances it has may be the new funder! Indeed China has promised US $800 million to WHO. The US has been contributing US $ 400 million! A close US ally Saudi Arabia has promised US $ 500 million after the US has withdrawn!! Whatever that means??
This may have been a big mistake by the United States to give space to China to take up a responsibility that the US has been shouldering. But this may be a pointer to some of the changes that are happening around the world which are leading to the end of the leadership of the US in Global Affairs. As this happens there has been a feeling that there is no unified action especially by the developed countries (commonly referred to as the international community) on the Coronavirus pandemic. This unified action means these countries would have come together, discussed the issues together and agreed on what they need to do together. While UN organs do their work, it common for the “international community” to also do their thing! However, as I write today it appears each country is looking inward within itself, generating its own policies of handling the pandemic. This means the existing world order is collapsing. Is coronavirus nail in the USs’ coffin?
The Italian Prime Minister was very clear when he recently came out remarking Europe may not be the same again. You could interpret it as Italy would leave the European Union! This follows the departure of Britain earlier on this year (January). Why does the Italian Prime Minister say so?? There is a feeling that Europe didn't assist Italy when the coronavirus pandemic got out of hand in that country. So Italy feels that many of its decisions may be done as a country rather than as a region!
What holds the European Union (EU) together is the fear by small European countries of Germany’s might and domination, France knows this very well. By being part of the group, Germany cannot intimidate individual countries. Instead it is generous to all. Not supporting Italy, a country with its own pride and abilities was a mistake.it may cost the EU’s destiny.
The rising inward looking sentiments and decisions by countries are being seen even in this post economic coronavirus stimulus efforts. Germany has announced its own package of US $ 814 billion, France has announced about US $70 billion, Italy has announced its own. These countries would have been doing this together! But they appear to be doing it on their own, meaning that the state of affairs as it has been known are no longer the same. The European Union (EU) President Ursula Von Der Leyen extended a heartfelt apology to Italy for not being there for it during the pandemic challenge. This was an initiative to mend fences. While Germany has announced US $ 814 billion, EU as a group has announced a much smaller package of US $ 550 billion! It came after realizing there was need to act as Europe, not individual countries. Is this a sign to the end of Europe? (Too proud to unite, I wrote in 1992)
As this happened in the US and Europe, India was threatened by the American President Donald Trump about the supply of the Hydroxychloroquine drug and India had the guts to respond saying " look here Donald Trump you can't dictate to India” something, maybe, they would have not done or said before. Donald Trump wanted the drugs from India and he said if they don't give the drugs the US would retaliate! India was very clear, “why do you preach to us? Why do you dictate to us?” No country, especially India, would have done this to the US. India has been very good at balancing relationships between Russia and the US. Traditionally India has hostilities with China, as a result they usually go into alliance with anybody who is against China and in this case, India would ally with the US. But this kind of statement tells you about India's position and India's changing view about the US. The US can no longer call the shots. India just needs to assert itself like China, not lick any other country’s boots. These, therefore, are indicators that there's a new world order emerging. There are new rules as to how the world is going to be run.
In my earlier article, on stock I talked about China buying American companies on the America stock markets. While I cannot verify this, it is now reported (www.wio news) that China has been scouting around the world to buy companies in the Europe that are in financial difficulties, companies that need money now. As the companies go through the coronavirus crisis, they are short of cash. China has the money!

To block this, the European countries have initiated laws to preserve Banks, Insurance, Health care, Energy, Transportation and cyber security sectors. Italy, Spain and Germany have strengthened the law that makes foreign takeover of companies harder. Before the coronavirus, companies from Western countries would scout for investments in other countries, this was okay as long as the West called the shots. Now that it’s China, it’s not okay! Restriction of buying or taking over of companies’ means restrictions in the financial markets and international transfer of capital. This spells doom for capitalism.
Are we seeing the end of capitalism? Or simply the rise of China as the world leader. China has a big challenge. The latest act by the US Federal Reserve (The US Central Bank) has been to deny Chinas’ Central Bank dollars to allow Chinese companies operate outside China. The Fed (As it is fondly known) would like China to cash in its huge reserves to get dollars. By denying China dollars, China companies are restricted in their activities outside China. But this can only be temporary, China will find a solution. When Japanese imports were restricted in the US and Europe in the 1980’s, the Japanese found a solution and continued to sell! Important, China may press for its currency to join the dollar as a currency of international trade! True the west will not go down without a fight. Definitely not. The west controls the world media, China should be ready for negative publicity about it. China’s goods will be targeted for boycott, but with its market, will China care? Countries will try to get their companies out of producing in China, but this distorts free market and puts a nail in the coffin of capitalism. If capitalism pursues profit, consumers will prefer cheap products, producers will choose Chinas’, then China may prevail.
The world is now in a recession. Excluding China, but who is more resilient, China, Japan, Germany are. For reasons of maintaining production facilities rather than making fortunes in financial markets. Still the west is at a disadvantage. One, they no longer have the money, two, they don’t control the technology (5G), three, they don’t have the numbers in population. Asia has about two thirds of the World’s population, four, these cycles in life are inevitable. Probably it’s time for change. Who ever knew the sun would set on the British Empire. It did.
The biggest beneficiary in this struggle for power between Nations should be Africa this time round, but will Africa be able to take advantage of this? Africa has been divided, Africa had been exploited. Africa has the Arab north, black South and the rich South Africa. Africa has a Francophone, Anglophone, and of course the Arabic languages speaking Nations. All these are divisions within Africa that make Africa unable to work as one unit. While Africa’s population is growing and there is a belief that it could be the next economic flush point, the divisions cannot allow Africa to come together. Neither can they allow it to develop just like China has done. Nigeria which could play the lead role with all its oil and population but has failed to put its act together. South Africa does not represent Africa! African countries and leaders are set up against each other. No unity in sight.

Africa failed to progress scientifically and therefore economically! They instead became slaves to the world. They were prevented from progressing economically and this continues. Agree or not this is a fact. They were also enslaved in their own continent. Of course as the world changes, it calls for cultural tolerance but the fact that Africa was a source of slaves tell you a story. The fact that there have been many instances of western governments trying to get rid of the African race tells you a story. The fact that the western government have been responsible for military coups in Africa tells you a story. The fact that Africa is manipulated tells you a story. It seems, race has been a disadvantage to Africa, being blacks has been a challenge.
What do these big nations want? They are looking for raw materials and markets so as to make profits. The raw materials are in Africa, the markets are primarily in Europe in the developed countries. This is now changing, markets are now increasingly becoming China with its huge population and huge middle class. Markets will be India with its huge populations and a huge growing middle class. This change is affecting capitalism as it has been known. Africa will still be the source of raw materials. For those who want to rule the world, it is better if Africa is not developing!
So what is this race factor, black or white or other? This race factor creates hatred among races. You can’t blame the black man for being black. God made them that way. But intolerance of black people that you find in different parts of the world is the challenge. So as China emerges the most powerful country in the world, what are the images that we are seeing? Mistreating of Africans, black Africans. The world has almost forgotten how Africans were treated as slaves. Infact the majority of Africans, the youth, have no idea about slave trade neither do they have these stories of mistreatment. Instead they know the west for being a nice place! Will China behave any different from the US denying Africans their rights? Is it true that China may also get involved in the race to eliminate the blacks? Is it true that China hates the blacks? There are various videos of Chinese beating up Africans. We have also watched on the news during this coronavirus pandemic that Africans were denied where to stay in China! If it is true, it is a mistake that China is making because Africa may be its ally in this emerging new world order.
So as it emerges as the biggest superpower in the world, it should pick lessons that this is a world where blacks had no choice on how it was created. Discrimination will lead to resentment. It should pick lessons from the US and indeed other countries that have lived with Africans for years. This is a world where there is a need for tolerance of race, of religion, of other beliefs and without it conflict will be the consequence.
Am not sure whether Africans can pick any lessons from this and be able to unite? But the fact that they are divided by the same people who are ruling them makes it very difficult for Africa to ever unite and have a common position on anything. The day African Unites, though no power in this world would allow them to do that, is the day Africa will start developing. Africa will wake up from slumber and claim its rightful position in the society. Is it the end of an era for the US? Are we seeing a new era by China? The new kid on the block, Africa appears to remain the same old door Carpet in this change of “guard”.

04/04/2020

04/04/2020

OPPORTUNTIES TO HARNESS DURING COVID19
By Golooba Richard
As I write this piece from my quarantine square in Arua, the corona virus is striking and consuming lives across the world, Uganda has had its cases rising, but with no fatalities yet, ever since President Museveni gave directives on how to combat the viral spread of this vicious monster, I have seen opportunities that need to be harnessed by enterprising individuals and realigning the service delivery by local governments, this global novel virus that is keeping us contained in our homes-may be for months is already reorienting our relationship to government, to the outside world, even to each other. Some changes expected to be seen in the coming months or years might feel unfamiliar or uncomfortable. But this crisis has presented us with opportunities: more sophisticated and flexible use of technology, less polarization, a revived appreciation for outdoors and life’s other simple pleasures. Nobody knows what exactly what will come, I explore the unknown as society –governments, healthcare, the economy, our lifestyles, education and more will change.
Our loss of innocence, or complacency, is a new way of being in this world that we expect to change the way we do things in this world. We now know that touching things, being with other people and breathing the air in an enclosed space can be risky. How fast or quickly the awareness recedes will be different for different people, but it can never vanish completely for anyone who has lived through this year. It will become second nature to recoil from shaking hands or touching our faces.
The comfort of being in the presence of others might be replaced by a greater comfort with absence, unfortunately If unintended those without easy access to broadband will be further disadvantaged, this calls for more investment in affordable broadband connections, and in the case of Uganda, government has been presented an opportunity to invest in Uganda Telecom Limited-UTL to tap into this market, where even the most remote areas would be connected, this opportunity will breathe new life in this struggling giant of the country, it will even additionally create more employment opportunities for our ICT graduates within Uganda. The paradox of online communication will be ratcheted up: it creates more distance, yes, but also more connection, as we communicate more often with people who are physically farther and farther away, and feel safer to us because of that distance, our young tech innovators should grab this opportunity to scale up their creations as in this crisis many communication models have gained like Boom, Cissco Webex which have become instant channels of communication.
Patriotism:
Government of Uganda has invested heavily in past to promote patriotism in the young generations, but no one can shoot the virus. But it has rallied our doctors, nurses, drivers, pharmacists, teachers, business owners, store clerks, utility workers, employees and our armed forces saddled with unfathomable tasks, compounded by an increased risk of contamination and death they had never imagined in line of service. When all is done we will recognize their sacrifices as true patriotism, saluting them. We will give them praises for the sacrifice of their health and their lives for ours. Perhaps, too, we have gotten an opportunity to finally start to understand patriotism more as cultivating the health and life of our communities; maybe we have patriotism and love of our communities as the benefits to come from this whole awful mess. The extra ordinary shock(s) to our system that the corona virus pandemic is bringing has the potential to break Uganda out of the pattern of escalating political and cultural polarization we have been trapped in, and help us change our course toward greater national solidarity and functionality. It might sound idealistic, but we have the common enemy to fight COVID19.
The political shock wave scenario, studies have shown that strong, enduring relational patterns often become more susceptible to change after some type of major shock destabilizers them, this doesn’t necessarily happen right away. Societal shocks can break different ways, making things better or worse. But given our current levels of tension due to the unseen enemy who is very lethal and vicious, this crisis suggests that now is the time to begin to promote more constructive patterns in our cultural and political discourse.
Uganda has the opportunity, when this ends to reorient its politics and make substantial new investments in public goods-for health especially and public services. The pandemic is going to cause immense pain and suffering, but it will force us to reconsider who we are and what we value, and in the long run, it could help us rediscover the better version of ourselves.
Faith
All faiths have dealt with the challenge of keeping faith alive under the adverse conditions of war or diaspora or persecution-but never all faiths at the same time. Religion in the time of quarantine will have to challenge conceptions of what it means to minister and fellowship. But it will also expand the opportunities for those who have a local congregation to sample sermons from afar.
Healthcare
This corona virus has revealed gaping holes in the world healthcare systems infrastructure, with most of the people in the world especially the elderly having a history of health complications and with children suddenly home from school indefinitely. This crisis should unleash widespread support for national wide healthcare insurance schemes affordable by all the citizens of Uganda, and state funded healthcare program for the children and elderly people. Government has got the opportunity to introduce universal healthcare reforms to provide it to all, funded by public revenue for all people, through progressive tax systems under which everyone including the super rich and large corporations, pay their fair share. Our public health systems must deliver services that reach most of our people. After the horrors of World War II, several European countries and Japan introduced universal healthcare, but they have been overstretched by this pandemic and need rebuilding, just us we need to reform our healthcare training, upgrading of staff right from nursing assistants who are being phased out, but have proved to be the first respondents in Europe and US. We have gotten the opportunity to backtrack on the implementation of reforms in the healthcare sector, especially restructuring the staff, we need each and every Ugandan trained healthcare personal.
Delivery services
I have moved around and discovered that this crisis has presented us with an opportunity to venture into the delivery service for consumables, this is a virgin market with huge potential and likelihood of creating employment for the communities. Wholesalers and retailers in our major towns have got the opportunity to venture in data collection for their customers to in future deliver directly to their doorsteps.
Local governments should harness this time to organize the Boda Boda industry in their areas, this will in future help to track down people in case we have another outbreak. It will also help in streamlining business and ushering in trade order.
Improved Intelligence Community
We have had our intelligence community so much focused on security related intelligence, but this pandemic has presented us the opportunity to overhaul this community to make more robust, dynamic, innovative, research oriented, transparency recruitment process and well trained staff with the perquisite qualifications.
On my every Monday morning weekly show on Channel 44 TV, where am an analysts on world issues, I have been very hard on the weakness of our intelligence community, we must do advanced intelligence into health, finances, lifestyles, travel, etc. But our has been so much military & security, where were our intelligence epidemiologists, as this coronavirus was raging in China, what have we prepared after this is gone, have we got Intel about the aftermath in economic and social setups of our country.
Our intelligence should recruit professionals from universities, not spy on their colleagues but inform them about developments in various fields to prepare the state for any eventualities. I know that the longer this stays with us our security is going to be over stretched in enforcing the directives, curfew and also monitor the security of lives and property, by now this should have advanced interaction with local leaders to prepare and engage our progressive messages for the massive young people now home or in towns across the country.
Education
Our system has been so much of physical interaction especially in primary and secondary with just a few schools which have online education facilities, even universities have not advanced so much in that field, its an opportunity to drastically reform our education system with huge investments into technology. Just as the US every educational technology has been deployed to keep the school children engaged, we have to invest, empower and sponsor our innovators to get apps that can be used in our regions, we shouldn't outsource and lockout our own, I also challenge them to present their innovations to the people and shouldn't be intimidated by self seekers within government structures. We the public want changes in these systems and bureaucracies that have for long held off our own capabilities.
Government to Citizen Communication
This pandemic has presented government and its departments an opportunity to polish and rebrand their communication strategies and engagement with the public, Police has been having the habit of failing to acknowledge receipt of documents at the headquarters so thing that hasn't been positive,in this kind war against an invisible enemy where you need the public to respond, police must change its approach. Its common in Uganda, that most police officers are not oriented in public relations, they are rude, uncooperative and always not unifying. Police take this time to reform your communication strategy. But also other departments have got the opportunity to crosscheck, because some the people you have been under looking might have had special information in one way or the other.
Even since the offset of times pandemic, I have relied communications either from other sources about this monster and texts, but to be honest Hon Jane Ruth Acheng, Hon Joyce Moriku, Hon Anite Evelyn, Hon Godfrey Kiwanda, Mr Morris Rwakakamba who I don't know have answered my calls, SMS, twitter or in some cases acknowledged receipt. But others don't even bother to respond, this is high time you change.l must be appreciative of Ms Akello Alice, the deputy RDC of Arua, Jackson Atima-Chairman Chamber of Commerce Arua, Hon Ayaka Rose Woman MP for Maracha District, Mr Adomati Dickson, RPC of West Nile, DPC of Arua, Col Jackson Kayanja the Brigade Commander for being pro people, the Indian Community in West Nile, and just a phone call away during this trying moment of fighting COVID19. Bravo
Government must use this opportunity to work with all media outlets regardless of their levels of operations and outreach, the strategy of selective engagement should be discarded.

22/03/2020

20/12/2019

Look out for the next issue of Usafiri Uganda Magazine (Jan-March 2020)

17/12/2019

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
From all of us at:
Usafiri Uganda Magazine.

30/10/2019

Lookout for the next issue of USAFIRI Uganda magazine with a new feature called "behind our lenses" here we will share the most captivating and breath taking scenery the "pearl" has to offer, Happy viewing!!!!

19/06/2019

What you need to know about acquiring E-passports.

30/05/2019

Dear readers of Usafiri Magazine watch out for our third edition and prepare to travel with us as we explore the beauty of mother nature Uganda.

21/03/2019