{UAH} How presidential candidates plan to create more jobs

 
 
 
http://www.monitor.co.ug/SpecialReports/Elections/Presidential-candidates-plan-create-more-jobs/-/859108/3020072/-/w7cn0u/-/index.html
 
 

Folks:

Check out the link above  to see the promises being made by presidential candidates.  For now let us hold our critique so we avoid claims that we are biased. But soon, the big question must be asked: are their promises properly cost?  How much will it take to implement those promises to create the said jobs? 

Will money be borrowed locally or globally? Will they raise or cut taxes-it is all there but hold your noses and read.  Surely, it all can't be based on Bunyoro oil money!

That said, I have perused through and neither of the candidates challenges Ugandans. All they do is promises as if these programs cost nothing. So what is it must Ugandans also do to mitigate their Kantian malaise? 

Basically, the presidential candidates working with their elite teams came up with some popular  ideas to try and cure the serious problems Kant identified. If you will, the promises amount to Marx's robust response that the collective held promises to mitigate what Kant had identified.

 

But the presidential candidates must also emulated the famous Jurist, Oliver Wendell Holmes who noted "taxes are what we pay for civilization". NORDIC countries top the world in most ranking not because they cut taxes. No. Because they tax those with the means heavily to uplift the needy. That is why Sweden in particular has the lowest inequality among OECD countries. On the other extreme the English speaking trio, but especially the USA, UK and Canada have some of the highest inequality among OECD countries. Hint: Ideology

 And btw, Sweden has been able to levy high taxes without paying heavy penalties in job flight. Sweden is still highly sought after by global firms.  Actually it makes common sense.  With low forms of inequality Swedish workers are likely to be satisfied to work harder.

 

So those Ugandan presidential candidates promising heaven while also promising to cut taxes are to borrow a phrase popularized by Owek Mayanja Nkangi  in 1980, "balimba/ liars".

 

FYI, America achieved greatness at a time when the highest income tax rate on the top earners was 90 percent. That is correct, 90 percent!  That is the revenue that funded the highways, bridges, dams, schools, and state colleges etc. that are the envy of the world.  The 90 percent tax rate illustrated Oliver Wendell's observation in practice.   

 

So again, good for the Monitor to serialize the promises, but it must ask the candidates some tough questions: how are you going to fund them?  And are those plans credible? Have they been fully costs or is it the usual nonsense of giving party cadres bags of money under the illusion that it is development or will curb unemployment? Wapi.

 Folks I challenge you all to put aide your favorite candidate and ask some tough questions. UAH is full of the candidates or their sidekicks so it is time they are taken to account. Producing glittering manifestos is good, but delivering takes more than promises.

I have read through but again I have not seen anywhere anything mentioned about NSSF funds. To me NNSF funds could be the game changer. But of course the returns must go to workers not to the NRM thieves, who in turn donate billions to NRM house. 

With the proper oversight, NSSF funds can be sued to transform Ugandan infrastructure society. Maybe NSSF funds should be dedicated towards certain high return projects, infrastructure, electricity projects etc.

How about dream about dual carriages highways? How many Ugandans must die in head on collisions ? Think of the traffic jams as the DMC crowd Ugandans roads? It is basic common sense that you need savings to invest and for many countries NSSF type funds have done wonders. Why not Uganda? What is exceptional about Uganda> okay thieving and crooks but come on.

 I suggest we ask Mr. Tony Owana for NRM or Ms. Kagingo to actually take questions and post replies. I do not know who is acting for KB, but Abbey said KB has a lot of social media help including here in UAH.  JPAM has many handlers and Dr Baryamureeba can handle his questions.

 We should comb their manifestos and ask them to clarify. If we can do that then UAH would have played it proper role.  We should call the UAH presidential challenges and insist on responses.

The candidates have dazzled the proverbial 'Wanjiku', now we should step in and ask them to defend their promises.

 As some of you may have heard, Mr. Justine Trudeau to use his words "left his opponents in dust" because he dared to be different. He promised to run modest deficits before balancing budgets while his main rivals vowed that come hell or high water, they would balance the budget. 

From that moment the election was fought on ideological grounds. And he was not done. He promised to raise taxes on the top one percent. Remember the popular slogan by Occupy Wall Street, 1% vs 99%. And he has kept that promise. Raised taxes on the rich and cut them for the middle class.  

 

In Uganda the candidates are promising tax cuts to people who pay no taxes!  

Since my sympathies in the elections lie with Dr Kizza Besigye, when is he going to dare to be different from the presidential pack? When is he going to signal strategic intent? Intent to do what, why and how? Intent to embrace, reform and make UPE and USE mandatory? The voters are waiting for some details.

As Mr. Daniel Bwanika noted, time for "I will defeat you" is done. Now is time to tell voters what you will do to win the elections. Why should Ugandans voters vote for you this time? I know they say you won before but focus on the moment.

Oh and for starters, Mr. Trudeau and his Liberal Party won a stunning majority government sweeping entire regions something perhaps that has never happened before. Of course it helped that they are the Liberal party driven by a liberal ideology.   

And the funny thing, even the rich he was promising to tax a bit morel agreed and voted for him by a far wide margin! What does that mean? It means that voters are not dummies.

They respond when challenged by their candidates. The rich know that it is in their best interests to pay a little more to fund infrastructure and other programs for the majority.  That way they can sleep easy.

So Dr KB challenge Ugandans to something. Come on, even a modest challenge like Mr. Mwai Kibaki's plea to Kenyans to do two things: pay taxes and become working nation. It worked wonders for Kenya. 

Dare to challenge Ugandans to take some responsibility. Take some risks.  Yes, ask Ugandans to take responsibility for voting the bure NRM for years. Erase that coning NRM, which has used the "we brought peace and you are now sleeping better" mantra to hoodwink Ugandans.

But why can't Ugandans sleep on full stomachs? Why can't Ugandans sleep with hope for good jobs? Why can't Ugandans sleep after attending functioning schools and health care centres?  Why can't Ugandans attend concerts/music festivals with something plus?  Why must sleep alone carry the day?  Why indeed? Let me stop because I went way over.

 

WBK