By Mwanguhya Charles Mpagi
Oct 10, 2003
KAMPALA - President Museveni said yesterday he has not given up on talking to rebels fighting his government in the north and northeast.
Mr Museveni made the remarks at the 41st Independence Day anniversary celebrations at Kololo Airstrip.
Museveni described the Joseph Kony-led Lord’s Resistance Army rebels as “mere empty headed criminal killers”.
“Nevertheless I am still ready to talk to them,” he said.
Clad in a grey suit and his trademark kufia (round hat), Museveni arrived at Kololo at 11.20 a.m. accompanied by his wife Janet.
This year’s celebrations had less pomp, save for a grand guard of honour mounted by 38 UPDF guards (about 1,520 soldiers), four guards from the police and three from the prisons service.
There were also many school children, private organisations and NGOs.
In a brief speech, Museveni warned terrorists against trying to destabilise the country.
“The terrorists have got only one choice, to come out,” he said warning that if they do not abandon their evil mission they will be made to pay. Museveni also took a swipe at the Western powers.
Without mentioning any particular country, Museveni urged Africans to work together and resist attempts by European powers to continue exploiting them.
He particularly attacked the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) being advanced by the Western powers.
The President spent much time talking about the economic situation in the country.
He said a lot remains to be done, much as progress has been made since 1986 when he first captured state power.
He said the country has made progress in four areas since 1986: minimum economic recovery, diversification of the export sector and expansion of some sectors of the economy.
The fourth is the “qualitative leap” in some social sectors like health and education.
He said, however, that efforts are being sabotaged by colonial and neo-colonial policies of exporting raw materials instead of processed goods. He said coffee, cotton, hides and skins, and minerals would earn 10 times more if they were processed.
He acknowledged the contribution made by Ugandans working abroad. He said these Ugandans are pumping more money into the economy than the entire national exports.
He said while total exports brought in only $475million last year, Ugandans abroad brought into the economy $661 million.
Museveni said that the developed countries have a scheme to destroy Africa through the greenhouse gases, which destroy the Ozone layer.
He said the West wants to reclaim the Polar regions of Iceland to start farming.
Museveni said someone told him that if there were global warming, ice in Iceland would melt giving way to agriculture.
He said, however, with global warming, the tropics (Africa) would turn into a desert.
“This morning I called someone at meteorology [department] and he said he was aware but they are just quiet about it,” he said.
Foreign guests turn up
Contrary to earlier government pronouncements that no foreign guests would be invited, several of them turned up.
Rwanda sent a big delegation, which was given special recognition by the Presidency minister Kirunda Kivejinja.
The delegation of four senior government officials included Dr Emmanuel Ndahiro, President Paul Kagame’s senior advisor on security; Mr Protaz Musoni, the minister for good governance and local government; Mr Frank Mugambagye, the commissioner for police and Mr Tarsis Karagarama, the vice president of Rwanda’s supreme court.
Rwandan Ambassador Christine Umutoni said their coming was an indication that Uganda’s independence is good for her neighbours.
“It’s very positive that they were invited and have been able to come and attend Uganda’s independence [celebrations],” she told The Monitor after the ceremonies.
There has been speculation that relations between the two countries dampened after President Museveni skipped lunch in Kigali during the inauguration of President Kagame on September 12.
Another outstanding guest was South Africa’s anti-apartheid fighter and Minister of Defence Patrick Lekota and the Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly, Hon. Abdulrahman Kinana.
© 2003 The Monitor Publications
