President Yoweri Museveni has strongly criticised the Daily Monitor newspaper for always portraying negatively the economic performance of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Government and yet the World Bank has indicated that Uganda’s economy is growing at 6% per annum.
The President assured the nation that the economy of Uganda is going to grow faster despite some of the bottlenecks still impinging it.
“Let us consolidate here and produce more patriots. The economy is going to grow faster and faster. Monitor doesn’t know that we shall succeed because we know what we are doing,” he said.
The President was today addressing Officers and men of the Military Police Brigade at the their Makindye-based headquarters in Makindye Division in Kampala.
Gen. Museveni who has been on a country-wide tour of UPDF barracks addressing soldiers urged Senior Officers of the UPDF to internalise the four basic principles of a Liberation Army which UPDF is and explain those principles to their juniors so as to avoid dangerous mistakes made by the traditional, colonial and post colonial Armies. He spelt out the four principles as Patriotism, Pan-Africanism, Social Economic Transformation and Democracy.
“You officers are supposed to be the priests of the four cardinal principles of the liberation army and explain the gospel (principles) to your juniors,” he emphasised.
He informed the Officers that the traditional Armies of kings was tribal and anti-people, believed in superstition and was ignorant about science. He added that that the traditional Armies were easily defeated because of their tribal ideology.
The President also noted that the colonial Army had a mission of economically exploiting the people of Uganda by making them grow cotton and coffee, among others, whose value addition was undertaken abroad thereby making Ugandans loose both jobs and wealth.
He advised the Officers to read extensively and be knowledgeable about people’s needs that are hinged on such development programmess like Wealth Creation and Socio-Economic Transformation that must form their mission.
Gen. Museveni pledged Shs.100 million towards supporting soldiers’ spouses’ Savings and Credit Cooperative Organization (SACCO) with a view to boosting the income generating activities of the spouses of soldiers.
The President was accompanied by the Chief of the Defence Forces, Gen. David Muhoozi, the Commander of Land Forces, Lt. Gen. Peter Elwelu and Special Presidential Advisor on Defence and Security, Lt. Gen. Proscovia Nalweyiso among other Senior Officers.