| Uganda corruption alarms US |
| CHARLES MWANGUHYA MPAGI |
| KAMPALA
The American government has called on Ugandan politicians to guard against corruption and political intolerance as the country amends the Constitution to open up its politics. "...we must be alert to some red warning lights that are flashing" as Uganda works to become more democratic, said Ambassador Jimmy Kolker on Friday evening to mark the 229th independence anniversary of the United States. "One warning signal is that in privatisations, procurement decisions and budget allocations, politicians too often put personal and political advantage, including outright greed, ahead of the national interest," said Mr Kolker at the function held at his home in Kololo and attended by ministers, MPs, and diplomats, among others. The Minister of Works, Housing and Communications, Mr John Nasasira, represented the government of Uganda. The ambassador also criticised government and opposition politicians for not telling voters the importance of pluralistic politics as they campaign to have people vote for a return to multipartyism in the July 28 referendum. He said that while the government was portraying the referendum on change of political system as "a chance to remove critical politicians from the institutions of government, so that their influence can be diminished further", the opposition is "pretending that Uganda's decision whether to adopt a multi-party system is of no consequence at all..." Added Kolker: "In America, we believe that political competition improves government policies and gives citizens more voice. Sadly, no one is providing that positive vision of Uganda's political future." "I have been privileged to live in Uganda twice," said Kolker, who stayed at Makerere University for four months as a student in 1971 and returned as ambassador in 2003. "My country is not going to give me a third term. So this is my opportunity to urge Ugandans to put national interest ahead of personal advantage, respect for human rights and opinions of others, and to put to rest for good the nation's tragic history of political conflict." The ambassador, who said Uganda has been led well since 1986, also enumerated areas where his government is helping out: encouragement of the private sector and financial institutions, improving the quality of primary education, providing humanitarian assistance and upgrading professional skills of the military and police, among others. But the largely critical speech, reliable sources say, was first showed to Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa. Apparently, the ambassador wanted to say in public what he can say to the government in private. In his response, Minister Nasasira hailed the US government support to Uganda especially in the areas of health, debt relief, financial aid as well as the opening of the American market to African goods under the African Growth and Opportunity Act or Agoa. Mr Nasasira also said the government was committed to fighting corruption. "The launching of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy this year by... the President is a clear sign of government's commitment at the highest level." |
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