The vice of some Ugandans pelting musicians they don’t like with plastic bottles is growing however much it keeps getting condemned. Ironically, bottles are being thrown to only those musicians who have expressed their public support to the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party and President Museveni.
At Matooke Republic, we think we can do better, and there are better and more important things we as Ugandans should throw away, other than plastic bottles. In no particular order, here are eight of them.
Corruption
This is a song everyone with good intentions for Uganda has been singing since time immemorial. Efforts have been made to investigate corruption cases and apprehend the victims but we all know the corruption disease is still very much alive.
Need examples? Where are the planes that were procured to spray the ‘deadly’ locusts?
Ugandans, let’s throw this vice away, please.
Government officials arriving late for meetings/appointments
Don’t you just hate it when you wake up early to beat the crazy Kampala traffic in the morning for that engagement with a government official at 8 am only for them to arrive at 11 am? Meanwhile, these are the people that have lead cars that can clear traffic but they just end up coming late, every time.
Last year, Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah complained about getting to the venue of his appointment in time only to find there nobody. We are sure the disappointment he felt that fateful day is what most Ugandans feel most of the time they want service from these public offices.
Dear Ugandans holding these offices, let’s value each other’s time and throw this habit away.
OTT
We understand the need to raise the tax base but was this the only avenue? This tax was strongly rejected by Ugandans led by Kyadondo East legislator Hon Robert Kyagulanyi and some Ugandans held the unsuccessful #NoDataWeek and #ThisTaxMustGo campaigns on social media.
Uganda is already among the countries that pay the highest on data in Africa, and this tax is just another pain, but Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) is planning to charge it directly on data, since Ugandans found a way of avoiding it through VPNs.
Dear URA, why don’t you throw away the OTT tax altogether, and levy a tax on other things; like government officials who arrive late for appointments?
Last year’s toothbrush
We know you might see this as an unserious thing but please, let us get serious! It is March for goodness sake why are you still using last year’s toothbrush? With the Coronavirus outbreak, personal hygiene is paramount; wash your hands regularly, and change your toothbrush, regularly. You smile counts on it. So throw away last year’s toothbrush please.
Hitting musicians with water bottles
We don’t want to say it was funny the first time it happened, but it is now getting stale. If you don’t like a musician don’t go to their shows. Internationally, Uganda is known to be a country of hospitable, non-violent people who just drink their beer, party every day and just enjoy life.
Let us not let politics destroy our image as a peaceful country (It might affect our tourism revenue). It is not a crime for a musician to support someone you don’t support, because in the free world, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
Instead of throwing plastic bottles towards them, let us throw away the entire vice altogether and just have a great time whenever we are at a concert. Deal? Deal.
Non-tolerance for differing opinions
As a country whose literacy level has grown exponentially, we can truly agree to sit on a round table and discuss our differences. There is no reason for you to use force if you find the door closed, the literate will knock and have it opened, or will just go and build their own house with doors to walk though.
Police, why would you shoot live bullets at an unarmed person? Civilians, why would you throw stones at armed Police officers? What could possibly go wrong if we tolerate each other’s different opinions? We should throw away all this intolerance that is causing even more chaos.
Harassing women with ‘Size yange’ chants
For some younger Ugandan women, walking through downtown Kampala and some other places is a nightmare. They are subjected to chants like “Size yange”, meaning “My size” and this is usually followed by sometimes pulling their hands and unnecessary touches.
To all men that do that, how would you feel if the same is subjected to your daughter, sister, or mother? You would riot, not so? Why do you do it to others then? We are still blessed with a functional family setting where our parents teach us to respect others and we should never deviate from these teachings.
Let us throw away this disrespectful habit.
Pressing toothpaste from the middle
Okay this just outright annoying. The toothpaste tube has a tail and that is where you should press.
Bonus:
Walking around with a toothpick after eating.