Author: The Rt. Rev. Cranmer Mugisha, Bishop of the Diocese of Muhabura, Uganda
Abstract:
I have always been amazed by the way the terms, ‘Justice’ and ‘Democracy’ have been used by the privileged few to gain power, fame and accumulated-wealth around themselves at the expense of the suffering, unprivileged ones.
In many cases, most of us have usually understood justice as exercising authority in the maintenance of ‘right’. But the easiest way to define it, so even the most common person understands, would be that justice is ‘fairness’. Both these definitions are found in the English dictionary. Therefore, there is no way justice can be separated from the concept and practice of development and it makes sense to the ones who would be most needy of it.
Taking the case of Muhabura, [1] we have come to believe that justice without economic empowerment will never be exercised to the level whereby the undeveloped will demand justice. This may be so because their view of livelihood will depend on the mercy of the developed few.
In our fight for justice, we have found that economic empowerment, as it relates to gender violence, is a big concern in Kisoro district and in Muhabura Diocese, in particular. It is generally agreed that democracy and good governance is a cornerstone for sustainable growth, stability, peaceful co-existence and development; elements that ‘fund’ justice.
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