By William Tayeebwa
Feb 6, 2004
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Survey shows surprising results KAMPALA � President Museveni may be unpopular to a cross-section of people for his supposed third term project, but 44 percent of Ugandans consider him their living national hero. The Monitor commissioned the survey to coincide with activities to mark the 23rd anniversary of the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces today. Some 460 respondents participated in the survey, carried out between January 29 and February 1, in the four traditional regions of the country. Out of these, 204 respondents (44.3 percent) said they regard Museveni as a national hero for several achievements during his 18-year reign. Apart from restoring the rule of law in Uganda, Museveni is credited for improving the welfare of special interest groups such as women, the youth and people living with disabilities. President Museveni�s heroism is also drawn from his leadership in the fight against HIV/Aids, as well as in fighting illiteracy. Exiled politician and retired colonel Kizza Besigye comes in at a surprising number two on the list. His inclusion has less to do with his role in the guerrilla war that brought Museveni to power in 1986 and more to do with his bravery and determination to stand up to Museveni and run against him in the 2001 presidential election. Some 78 respondents gave the nod to Besigye � giving him the equivalent of 17 percent. He is followed by another exiled politician, two-time former President Milton Obote, who polled 69 votes or 15 percent. When asked to defend the choice of Obote, the majority of respondents said that he initiated most of the policies that the NRM government is currently being credited for. The survey also sought to determine our heroes amongst Ugandans who have died. Former President Idi Amin who died on August 16, 2003 in a Jeddah hospital, Saudi Arabia, heads the list of departed national heroes. The late dictator was chosen by 105 respondents (22.8 percent) for his nationalisation programme. It was under this scheme that Amin expelled foreigners, mainly Ugandan of Asian descent in 1972, with the intention of putting the economy into the hands of black Ugandans. However, most of those businesses were mismanaged and the move not only slowed the economy but also earned Uganda and Amin pariah status worldwide. Dr Matthew Lukwiya, the medical doctor who contracted the deadly Ebola virus and died on December 5, 2000 in Lacor Hospital, Gulu, is next on the list with 17 percent of the score, for having sacrificed his own life to save others. Similarly, some 16.5 percent of the respondents gave the nod to the late musician, Philly Lutaaya � the first prominent Ugandan to publicly declare he was living with HIV/Aids � and for the inspiration that declaration gave to later efforts to fight the disease. |
� 2004 The Monitor Publications
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