UGANDA PEOPLES CONGRESS
NATIONAL SECRETARIAT
Plot 8-10, Kampala Road, Uganda House, P.O Box 37047 , Kampala. Phone/Fax:
+256-41-236748
PRESS STATEMENT
(Embargoed for release at 11.00 am, 25TH JULY, 2007)
MILITARISM IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR NATIONAL SERVICE.
1. Last Wednesday, the 18th July, 2007 , the Uganda Peoples Congress
decried the further slide of our country into militarism. We were critical of
the further militarization of the NRM and of all institutions of state
including the civil service and Parliament. We warned of catastrophic and
bloody consequences of this militarization.
2. The reaction by NRM leaders and ideologues has been to cite article
17(1) (a) and 17(2) of the Constitution of Uganda to justify the one Party
indoctrination and militarization that goes on at Kyankwanzi as part of
national service. These articles are being cited and abused out of context.
Article 17(1) (e) simply states that it is the duty of every citizen of Uganda
to defend Uganda and to render national service when necessary while article
17(2) states that it is the duty of all able-bodied citizens to undergo
military training for the defence of this Constitution and the protection of
the territorial integrity of Uganda. Kyakwanzi is an NRM ideological
militarization school. It does not prepare one for defence of the constitution
which is daily raped by the NRM government nor does it prepare one to defend
the territorial integrity o! f Uganda. It is not part of any known scheme of
national service.
3. In 1969 the UPC published its proposal for genuine national service
the objectives of the national service were:-
a) "The basic objective of the National Service will be to mobilise all
able-bodied persons to develop a real sense of individual and collective
responsibility to society, within the overall national goal of "One Country-One
People".
b) For those citizens who have had little or no education/training
(professional to technical), the Service will aim at providing expanded
opportunities, developing their potentialities and enabling them to acquire
skills.
c) The Service will further aim at the promotion of an intercourse among
all the people of Uganda and provision of facilities for the people of
different backgrounds to participate in national and community projects,
thereby affording to all participants in such projects opportunities to know
more and more about Uganda and her people, and to develop new values and
attitudes towards the Nation.
d) Since the majority of citizens of Uganda live in rural areas where the
standard of living is low and amenities are few, it will be the principal
concern of the National Service to encourage and promote new patterns of rural
life that are compatible with modern requirements and standards. It is for this
reason that it is proposed that the National Service should not be based on
training in arms of war, but in arms for the sustained development of the
economy, the raising of the standard of living, and the inculcation of national
unity, integrity and a spirit of dedicated service to the Nation.
4. The specific goals for the UPC proposals for National Service
included:-
a) To produce economic returns for individual citizens and in turn create
wealth for the country, using, in the main, the efforts of the people.
b) To improve the standard of living in the rural area so as to make rural
Uganda attractive for both young and adult to live in.
c) To eradicate factional feeling and loyalties, and to consolidate
National Unity through creative participation of the people in the task of
nation-building.
d) To promote African Revolution, Culture and Aspirations.
e) To provide facilities and opportunities for those who participate in
the National Service to acquire new skills and new attitudes which will enable
them to make a greater contribution to their well-being and to society as a
whole than would have been possible without the National Service.
f) To ensure that the country's manpower and other resources are
usefully, equitably and rationally utilized, and to reduce the incidence of
under-employment and unemployment, particularly of school-leavers, and to bring
the benefits of our Independence, particularly to the rural population and
urban workers.
g) To bring home to the whole country those problems which face the
country, be they economic, social or political, can best be solved by the
people themselves being involved in common endeavours and sharing the
experiences of one another, and by bringing about material conditions within
our society for the solution of any such problems; and further, by realising
that it is the duty and obligation of every individual or group or persons to
work towards the goal of self-reliance in solving problems which may face the
country.
h) To bring about the realization that as a people, our national and
collective bounded duty to our Republic is to be vigilant all the time, to
safeguard our sovereignty through dedicated services and to make this Republic
a happier, safer, better and more prosperous country for all.
i) To give training, particularly to the youth, so as to prepare
themselves for the life they will lead when they grow up and shoulder the
responsibilities of governing themselves and to provide for their well-being.
5. Provision was made for a functional organisation structure for the
national service. At the helm would be a Ministry of National Service
responsible for policy, administration, training and maintenance of National
Service institutions and registers. The ministry would also be responsible for
the coordination of the involvement of other ministries in the programme and of
all activities and projects. There would be Medical Boards to determine whether
a person called up for national service is medically fit to do the service.
6. It was the UPC's proposal to establish National training camps at
Regional levels, those were Kyankwanzi for Buganda region, Kitumba in Bukoli
county, now Bugiri District for Eastern region, the area between Aswa and
Deng-Deng rivers in Anaka, Kilal County for Northern region, River Ruimi area,
South of the areas then occupied by the prison farm, group farm and refugee
areas in Bunyangabi county for Western region. Other centres would be
established at parliamentary constituency and sub-country levels. There would
also be state farms, and other technical or professional centres for training
and protection. Lastly there would be an inspectorate for purposes of close
administration, and discipline.
7. The basic focus of the various camps and centres to be established
under the scheme was to be training in increased production in all fields of
agriculture and animal husbandry. The participants would also attend courses in
national consciousness and the promotion and advancement of African culture.
The centres would have ample space for farming playing grounds, accommodation,
lecture facilities and technical workshops. The centres would aim at being self
sufficient.
8. Unlike the NRM'S Kyankwanzi type course, the national service
programme proposed by UPC was to be professional, gender sensitive, national,
pan-Africanist and productive and not parasitic or militarist. The lecturers
and staff would be drawn from persons called up for National Service and having
relevant knowledge in the various fields for the type of course conducted and
who had first undergone a course in national consciousness and advancement of
culture. Lectures and demonstration activities were proposed to be conducted in
English and appropriate vernacular and some African languages including
Swahili, Luganda and Lingala. The camps would have a women's and men's wings
and offer special courses in domestic science and child care. Facilities for
workshop would be provided at these facilities.
9. The UPC proposals for national service were broadly accepted by the
citizens of Uganda. It was a pro people and people centred proposals. The
proposals were reduced into a bill for discussion by parliament in 1970. This
is one of the legislative proposals that were wasted away by the rule of the
gun after the 1971 military coup.
10. The time is now ripe to open the debate on the issue of national
service. UPC presents its earlier proposals and calls upon the people of
Uganda to look at and adopt this more worthwhile programme instead of the
partisan NRM's Kyankwanzi militarization and indoctrination programmes.
FOR GOD AND MY COUNTRY
Mama Miria Kalule Obote
PARTY PRESIDENT
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Michael BWambuga wa Balongo
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