Invoking patriotism when it fits best

The love for one’s country remains regardless of whether one agrees with the current government or not. However, there’s also hypocritical patriotism, invoking patriotism when it fits best not, for example, the Uganda cranes are striking because of allowances yet the national team of netball has been struggling with finances to facilitate them.

But when Teachers, medical workers strike for salary increment, a discussion will be held or a meeting with the complainants will be held to comfort them and not pay them!  When members of Parliament deem it fit to increase their salaries, they do with little or no opposition. These are cases that should make us question our level of patriotism, when is it fit to demonstrate patriotism and when is it not.

At functions, the corrupt are celebrated, invited to give keynote addresses and little if any opposition is raised against celebrating these individuals.

The continued selective patriotism needs to be questioned, checked and addressed because patriotism doesn’t start and end with a certain government or political leader. Being selective in projecting patriotism is not patriotism. Either you love your country, support it, critic it or you don’t!

Patriotism goes beyond one’s lifetime and it impacts long term decisions. To call out the corrupt, advocate for equality and equity support all that need the support in good faith should be the standard for patriotism but alas, that’s not the case. Lest we forget how certain citizens are treated less than and other more than.

A case in point is the collapse of a perimeter wall belonging to Lohana high school which killed three street children, the children made news slightly throughout the day and the next day, they were small articles in the papers. God forbid had the wall collapsed inside the school and killed or even injured a student or two. All hell would have broken loose with Kampala Capital City Authorities being called to Parliament to explain. The news would have been filled with the incident, not only would more schools with old perimeter walls been un the spotlight but also old cases of the collapsing building would have been revisited.

The questions we should ask ourselves as to how and why these children sleep on the streets and the possible solutions to end this. The selective patriotism is seen even more with such incidents. Can we do better, yes but will we hmmm.. highly unlikely. Let’s remember that with this selective patriotism not only are we creating more inequality and inequity we are un securing the future doing more harm than good.