By Emmanuel Gyezaho
Some of the world’s most brilliant and eccentric people have travelled thousands of miles to grace the Commonwealth Peoples Forum (CPF), the largest gathering to date of civil society delegates. An estimated 1,500 delegates have descended upon Kampala, Uganda’s capital, for the discussions.
In a key note address at the CPF opening on Sunday, Mr Warren Nyamugasira, the Chairperson of the Commonwealth People’s Steering Committee did not mince his words when saying “we [the Commonwealth] have the dynamite†to erase poverty off the face of the earth, because we have “weapons of mass poverty destruction.â€
What he meant is that the Commonwealth is not lacking intellectual capacity to face any of the biting problems that have plagued the world’s underprivileged and underdeveloped. “This opportunity cannot be squandered,†he said. Well said Mr Nyamugasira.
But red warning lights are flashing.
This afternoon, I had the opportunity of covering a workshop on knowledge and Innovation for Economic Transformation, where a couple of brilliant ideas were flaunted that will supposedly help the Commonwealth people to realise and tap into their potential with the sole aim of transforming their lives.
Even while I marvelled at the eloquence of discussants and the ideas, I couldn’t help but feel it was an effort in vain.
We all have seen and heard nice ideas through good intellectual discourse. In fact the problems of the developing world [poverty, hunger, disease, unemployment, etc] are always known. However, the real problem is not what is wrong but the lack of action.
We all know what a modern efficient functioning state entails, but the real problem for the Commonwealth, I believe, is the inaction of our leadership and policy makers.
I am a Ugandan female, a statistician and economist from Makerere University.
I want to make a contribution to the debate”CAN WE EVER PUT/REALISE ALL THE SOLUTIONS TO OUR KNOWN PROPBLEMS WITHIN THE COMMON WEALTH?”.
I have read so many policy papers and resolutions passed on all the several problems afflicting especially the third world countries like ours-Uganda.
the Youth Forum has just ended and i heard over the radio some of the recommendations that they have included in their communique to the secretary general of the common wealth; number one on the list is that they are determined to fight poverty by fighting youth unemloyment, they encouraged the leaders to play a more active role by participating in future CEMMS.
I believe that our greatest problem is puting all these great resolutions, solutions, and recommendations into action.
Commonwealth states should have a clear and common strategic plan for the next 5-10-50 years, where all these great ideas can be realised.
all can be said and be put on paper,without it being actually realised and be seen on ground is a total waste of everyone’s time, but gainful to those few involved in drawing up all these solutions and reports.
i will give you a clear case:Kampala has never looked so beautiful like it it does right now for these 2-3 months of hosting CGOGM, 2007. The roads that are being used by the visitors are all in “shape/form”, we even have floers on the streets, to ensure this, heavy barriers like chains have been put around them to protect them. How I wish we could actually sustain all that has been put in place, so many people have gained employment out of these activities, for example the young and old workers that have p[lanted the flowers and grass and kept the city clean, not to mention the many young people in the hospitality industry, i will not even comment aboput the privet sector that has provided all the necessary services and materials (cement, steel, labour, entertainment,…).
What we need for this year’s CGOGM is for our leaders to please ensure that they are realy commited to realising all the solutions provided before and this time round. after realising the potential we have, please let us then put our ideas and beliefs into action. I suggest that the next theme for CHOGM-2009 be “TAKING ACTION TOGETHER”.
Lutaya Jane Rose
TEL: +256-712-890167/+256-752-787013
P.O.Box 3755, Kampala-Uganda.
My experiance as regards participation in these meetings and follow up of their reports force me to affirmatively say that nothing may materialise. just imagine all the commonwealth meetings since its inception, then assess the benefits there after. The capital cities are ‘cosmeticised’ then they start talking and more talking but at the end of the meeting nothing much can be stigmitised out as the real beneficial or tangiable result more especially which directly impacts on a local man like me living in the suburb of the ‘queenilised’ Kampala.
Lack of action, as stated by Warren , is actually in my view being strengthened by the mentality of the capitalistic tendencies gripping our society.We all think of self aggrandisement as the final goal in life. People in positions of pragmatic implementation should be employed after a thorough mind setting by training or counselling of their importance in serving society.We need a standard mechanism whereby all those lined up to serve in resource governing bodies to know that they are to join in the betterment of society and not themselves.
Also we need the Media to stop wasting alot of their time praising people who acquire material gain. Media stories should be of people who are contributing to projects that lift society out of poverty.
LETS ALL TRY TO WORK FOR SOCIETY AND NOT THE SOCIETY TO WORK FOR US(ENRICHING AN INDIVIDUAL WHO AQUIRED OFFICE).