The Observer (Kampala)
27 December 2007
editorial
The year is coming to an end.
It was an eventful year in many ways, but most importantly it will be remembered as the year Uganda hosted the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
Of course the icing on the cake was the state visit of Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom, Elizabeth II and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip.
This left Uganda basking in international limelight. But the year also had its lows; like the Mabira forest riots that resulted in deaths in April, the floods that killed dozens and displaced hundreds of thousands in eastern and northern Uganda, and the re-emergence of the deadly Ebola virus in Bundibugyo district.
While the country should celebrate successes like hosting the CHOGM, it should also reflect on events like floods, which clearly exposed our lack of disaster preparedness.
It is also noteworthy that gains achieved through CHOGM, particularly infrastructure, are in danger of being lost as the status quo unfortunately looks set to be restored. This must not be allowed to happen.
The year ahead of us is likely to be eventful too.
One hopes that the long running conflict in northern Uganda comes to a peaceful conclusion with the signing of a Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
The President recently issued an ultimatum for the peace talks to yield results before the end of January, which is understandable given that they have been going on for far too long. However, we hope that in the end reason prevails on both sides to give people of northern Uganda not only a peaceful 2008, but permanent peace.
On the political scene, the proposed amendments to the Land Act 1998 appear to be once again putting Buganda and the central government on a collision course.
Again we call for sobriety to prevail as the relevant leaders on both sides discuss the issues to reach a consensus. On the economic front, Uganda and its East African Community partner states recently signed a preliminary Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). If the final EPA is signed in 2008, the EAC states will be able to export tariff free to European Union markets. This is a controversial agreement opposed by many in Africa, but we believe that with good economic policies at home, it may be good for our economy.
Happy New Year!
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