V POLITICAL ORGANISATION
One of the distinguishing marks of the people of Uganda was the
idea of co-operation. People co-operated to do work for the common good in every walk of life. In agriculture, they co-opareted to plant together and to harvest together. In business, they made back-cloth and blacksmith work together. In social life, they made wells and roads together and they married their sons and daughters in this spirit of co-operative effort. We could produce many other examples but these are enough to show how people were accustomed to do things in this magnificient way. Even defence was done co-operatively. An alarm was enough to summon all the people in the neighbourhood and passerbys to come to the rescue of any one in need. There were social sanctions against people who did not respond to the community need of this kind.
With the introduction of Western ideas, this fine spirit died until to-day people are helplessly suffering social and economic uncertainities which were not known in the old days.
What is required is to revive this idea by the interplay of social, political and economic thinking. This can be done by a new orientation of power. Instead of imposing power from above let us have it originate from below from the people themselves, from each individual in his locality.
The Kiganda proverb, "Kamu-karmi gwe muganda" (one by one makes a bundle) is very fitting here. We want each individual contribution to the progress of our different localities. We wish each person to feel the pride of being useful to the community in which he lives. It is these isolated local prides when put together that constitute community spirit and the sense of belonging. Isolated local communities make society, and the different societies with one idea running through them make a conutry.
"One by one makes a bundle" several small bundles of sticks make a bundle of firewood and bundles of firewood make a heap. We need to base our social, political and economic thinking on this iedea.
The following is the plan which the Progressive Party is prepared to put into effect as soon as they come into power. They are prepared to decentralise power and take it to the smallest unit. Here is the plan:-
