A VISION FOR THE SCHOOL OF LAW CHRISTIAN UNION
Talk delivered by Daniel R. Ruhweza at the Makerere
University School of Law Christian Union Reunion and Finalists’ Dinner, May 3rd
2014 at Piato Restaurant Kampala Uganda.
Thank you for inviting
me.
As we celebrate today in
which some of the students of the Faculty of Law are leaving, while others are
continuing and yet some are just joining, I would like to ask this question,
What is your Vision?
There are two kinds
of Vision: A vision can either be directly from God or inspired by God
Peter saw a vision of
unclean animals descending from heaven and a voice telling him to kill and eat.
He didn’t understand that this was a vision from God showing him that the
gospel of Christ will now spread to the gentiles and not remain only with the
Jews. Another scenario is found in Daniel 5 when Belshazzar the king made a great
feast for a thousand of his lords, ‘the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and
wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace;
and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. The
Bible says that the King and is wise men could not read the writing, or make known to
the king its interpretation. This means that it is
possible for one to have a Vision like Peter, without being visionary.
Therefore, let it not
be said, that we missed God’s plan and purpose for our lives while at Law
School. Woe unto us – whether as students or lecturers, if we miss this chance.
For Queen Esther was told by her uncle Mordecai at the time when she doubted
whether she could do anything to save the Jews from the hand of Haman, ‘Never
know it was for a time like this that you became Queen.’ Taking on
Mordecai’s cue, allow me to ask ‘What time is it at the Faculty of Law and in
Uganda today?’
A Vision inspired by God starts with God: For I know the plans
I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to
give you a future and a hope. (Jer 29:11) . It should be noted that a
Vision inspired by God involves our own agency. It has been described as a ‘‘vivid, imaginative conception or anticipation’’ or ‘‘an
aspirational description of what we would like to achieve or accomplish in the mid-term or long-term future.’’ It is something we ‘‘ Imagine as a future possibility.’’
Something that is intended to ‘‘serve as a clear guide for choosing current and future courses of action.’’
We have reached a
deadlock in Uganda today. We have developed a culture of nfunira wa? (What is my personal benefit out of
every situation I am involved in?)
In Uganda today, we
are selfish, corrupt and complacent. Remember Pastor Martin Niemoller’s poem?
First
they came for
Edmund Burke also said
‘ All that is necessary for evil to triumph is good men doing nothing’
In Uganda,
We sell expired drugs;
We build in Swamps
and watch on as floods sweep our babies away;
We drive badly;
We blame the staff at
the School of law for not cleaning away our urine in the toilets;
We cheat in exams;
We applaud corrupt
leaders;
We envy thieves who steal
Global Fund for Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria;
We preach
reconciliation but practice tribalism;
We restrain from
telling friends about their makeup gone wrong or zips undone only to gossip
about it later;
We cow away from
responsibility;
We fear to stand in
the gap when there is need and instead blame others for seeking the limelight
(bandabe);
We forget that we are
watchmen over the city and blood is on our hands( Ezekiel 33). Remember what
happened to Israel when they refused to attack when the Lord told them to do
so?)
Our country (and the
School of Law) needs us - I am reminded of my time at the Law development
centre when my friend Eric Hatanga gave his time to encourage those students
who were doing their oral examinations how that helped many students. In spite
of his situation, he gave of himself and time and was victorious in passing the
exams too. Therefore,
We need magistrates
who arrive on time in court;
We need lecturers who
are humble enough to admit their failings;
We need lawyers who,
far from quoting Latin phrases, will do justice, love mercy and walk humbly
before God ( Micah 6:8);
We need Members of
Parliament who will not give bribes under the guise of facilitation or abscond
from duty to respond to the needs of their constituency because they are
promoting the interests of one man;
We need land
registrars who will not sign off land transfers because money has been placed
between the transfer deeds yet they have not done due and reasonable diligence;
We need policemen who
will not only enforce the law but also the spirit and breathe of the same.
Policemen who will stand up to and not merely adhere to the whims of “Mr.
Above” Police men who will be willing to pay the price for being conscientious
objectors to unjust laws. I am reminded
of Martin Luther King Jr. who said ‘ one had the moral responsibility to
disobey unjust laws’. St Augustine also said ‘ an unjust law is no law at all’;
We need prosecutors
who will listen to their conscience and refuse to prosecute a case that they
clearly know is intended to pervert the course of justice;
We need lawyers who
will honestly recover the monies of their successful clients instead of using
frivolous and vexatious arguments to retain more that they are due;
We need Judges who will
not fear to arbitrate matters simply because their friends or relatives are on
the wrong side of the law or because their bread is buttered by the person in
the wrong
At the Law School,
We need diligent
students who will be fair in their criticism of a lecturer or diligent in
reading cases, carrying out research and actively participating in tutorials;
We need students who
will not shun to clear up the rubbish in the class room; assist weaker
students, help the disabled, and be positive influences socially, economically
and positively around them;
Students who will visit
legal practices and encourage and pray for lawyers and state Attorneys;
Students who will
walk up to the Dean’s Office and pray for her to excel, persevere and
administer well;
Students who will
beautify the School of Law grounds instead of wait for the porters to do so;
Students who will
adhere to the adage that “cleanliness is next to Godliness” and keep their
rooms, classes and toilets clean;
That, my friends, is
positive impact on Community not just spending time praying
So, I ask once again,
what is your vision as you leave the School of Law? What is your Vision
individually or as the Faculty of Law Christian Union?
We are not merely
another Fellowship but a Fellowship if different denominations of Christians
who are studying (and in my case teaching) the law at Makerere
University. (emphasis mine)
We are specifically
located at the oldest University in East Africa. We are a specific profession
We are a critical
mass that is being prepared to bring Christian values to the diverse profession
of law. Not any one else can do that – ideally- but God can always choose
someone else and like Eli the High Priest, who failed to reign in his sons, we
can also become irrelevant having lost our saltiness in bringing healing to the
wounded in our societies
If we do not style
up, God will make the trees and stones do it. He will yank the responsibility
from us like He did to King Saul. Like I mentioned earlier, God has a remnant
ready. A reserve army. Wow unto us if we are not par t of that reserve army.
Like Esther, it is for a time like this that we are in Law School
Let it not be said of
us as was said of Belshazzar, ‘‘Mene
Mene Tekel Upharsin’’ Mene - God has numbered your Kingdom and finished it.
Tekel - That we have been weighed, found wanting and our Kingdom has been divided and given to
the Medes and Persians. Let us not be found wanting or lacking in a ‘material
particular.’
What therefore is our VISION?
We need this Vision/ purpose so as to be guided in what we can do , what
we can achieve and how we can achieve it. Habakkuk 2:2 : And the Lord answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on
tablets, so he may run who reads it. In so doing, we steer clear away
from controversy as can easily happen
Vision will make
honest lawyers of us. Lawyers who are able to admit their failings and
weaknesses but also work towards improving themselves
In so doing, we need
to ask how do we relate or partner with other professional student fellowships
to advance professionalism in Makerere , Uganda, East Africa, Africa and world
over? Can we for example work with the Medical Fellowship to train on the legal
rights, responsibilities and health care needs of female prisoners in Masindi
Prison?
Let me end with two
of my favourite quotes –
Martin Luther King Jr. said
If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he
should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music
or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts
of heaven and earth will pause to say “Here lived a great street sweeper who
did his job so well” Somewhere it is mentioned that
the world will make a beaten path to his door even is he is hidden deep in the
forest
Philippians 4:8
Finally brethren,
Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honourable, whatsoever things
are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever
things are of good report, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise,
think on these things
God bless you
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