The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Another expert on causes of unhappiness, psychologist Ali Male says, while a few are living in comfort, many are helpless. Male, who by the nature of his profession interacts more with unhappy people, says the helpless are stressed because they feel they cannot do anything about it.
To him, the UN research is spot on and if the situation is not contained, Ugandans may become the unhappiest people on planet earth. He points out that Uganda has no mechanisms for conflict resolution right from the family level with many facing a problem of breakdown in communication.
“When people start solving issues by violence, it communicates more than meets the eye,” he says.
Mary Butamanya, the President of Uganda Professional Counselors Association, told The Independent that they are increasingly receiving young people with problems related to stress and hopelessness.
“Because the majority of the youths can’t find jobs, they have resorted to betting and other businesses of chances. When they clear bills for this month, they start to gamble on how they can clear the next bill. In the end they get mental problems”, she says.
Butamanya says if the same research is conducted now, the results would be more worrying especially after the recent general election of Feb. 18. She participated and lost in the election where she was vying to be the Ibanda District Woman representative.
“Some people got political seats after getting loans,” she says, “so such a person can’t be settled until they clear their debts. For the voters, some still can’t believe their particular candidates were defeated and they’re still angry.”
According to her, compared to the 2011 election in which she also participated, there was a lot more corruption this time as candidates used money and power to lure voters – at least in her constituency.
Butamanya points out that Ugandans are not trained well enough to face the realities of the world and end up living in regret because they keep failing. She advised the government to stop putting a lot of energy into things that cannot be changed and instead work on ensuring there is good governance and freedom.
30% mentally ill
Dr. Emilio Ovuga a professor of psychiatry and mental health makes the same point. He told the Independent on Mar.29 that up to 30% of Ugandans suffer from depressive illness, the commonest and most unbearable form of mental illness that affects humanity.
He added that up to 14% of ordinary adults in rural communities report having ever attempted suicide in their lives. He said commonest issues driving people to consider committing suicide are domestic disputes, mental health illnesses, problems between parents and their children over disciplinary matters, poverty and general hardships in life.
To Dr. Ovuga, it’s understandable for Ugandans to be unhappy especially now. He notes that while by nature, humans need to contribute to their respective communities and have a say in managing social affairs, Uganda’s system of democracy is flawed and wishes of the majority are never respected.
He told The Independent that: “Arbitrary arrests and detention of individuals both within and outside of their homes is common. The foundation of moral development among young children is weak as the traditional cultural values have been or is being eroded fast; the children of the elite are left to the care of maids, as elitist fathers and mothers are busy attending to the non-family matters upon which a solid and firm moral foundation cannot be established”.
“Though the country is applauded for rapid economic development, the wealth of the nation is in the hands of less than 10 percent of the population,” Ovuga adds.
For Uganda to change this ugly image, Ovuga says there’s need for addressing issues of democratic rights for everyone at election and outside election time in addition to strengthening traditional systems that foster harmony and respect for the rights of everyone in society.
For James Tumusiime, the Group Chairman of the Fountain Group which owns Fountain Publishers says Ugandans need to return to their traditional ways to restore happiness. He should know because he is the author of a book, ‘What makes Africans laugh’.
“We can’t be happy when we have abandoned our traditional sources of happiness where many things were collective responsibility of the community. These have been replaced by new cultures in the name of modernization.
“People need to go back to the traditional values and restrict ourselves to modernising them instead of jumping out.”
According to the 2016 World Happiness Report, the principle of greatest happiness is the pursuit of policies and goals that can inspire and unite people from all backgrounds and cultures. It involves being in harmony with major religious traditions. That appears to be a long way from President Museveni’s focus on economic wellbeing, but it need not be.
