By David Kibirige
Oct 30, 2003 - Monitor
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KAMPALA � Col. Kasirye Ggwanga has scoffed at the Agoa idea. He said he doubts Uganda can benefit from Apparels Tri-Star, the company that exports textiles to the United States. �How can a country like Uganda think of exporting clothes to the US [when] you cannot compete with countries like Pakistan?� the soldier said in an interview with The Monitor on Tuesday. �That is a big joke and Uganda will not benefit much. The way forward is organic foods. If you talk of exporting organic foods that makes sense.� Tri-Star, located in Bugolobi in Kampala, exports apparels to the United States under the African Growth and Opportunity Act. The company sacked more than 200 of its employees last week after they went on strike. The sacked employees are young women, popularly called Agoa girls, who have since camped at Parliament demanding redress. Government injected about Shs 5.4 billion into the company ran by a Sri Lankan businessman, Mr V. Kananathan. Ggwanga, a former chairman of Mubende district, said corruption in Uganda was introduced by exiles who returned after the ouster of Idi Amin in 1979. �They gave themselves dollars saying it was for rehabilitation. Who had told them to go to exile? Amin did not leave dollars behind so it means they borrowed the money to pay themselves. Whoever got this money should know he or she is corrupt,� he said. Ggwanga is also angry that the Ministry of Agriculture has failed to persuade farmers that vanilla is marketable abroad. He said the ministry is instead holding expensive seminars. The colonel talked about a wide range of issues including his childhood and his military exploits since 1972. READ THE FULL STORY IN THIS WEEKS Sunday Monitor |
� 2003 The Monitor Publications
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