UGANDA PEOPLES CONGRESS NATIONAL SECRETARIAT
Plot 8-10, Kampala Road, Uganda House, P.O Box 37047, Kampala. Phone/Fax:
+256-41-236748
PRESS STATEMENT
(Embargoed for release at 11.00 am, 18TH JULY, 2007)
NRM HAS REMAINED AN ARMY
1. The concluded NRM Parliamentary Caucus Kyankwanzi meeting confirms
the UPC long-term held view that the NRM stripped to its bare essentials has
never been a political organization or a party but has always been and shall
remain a ruthless undemocratic army under the firm grip of president Museveni
whose policy decisions are first vetted by the High Command of UPDF and
ratified by a caucus contrary to the NRM Party Constitution that stipulates
which organs are supposed to initiate, debate and implement policy decisions.
2. It is this Army that captured power on 25th of January 1986 and
established a one party State cum Military dictatorship where political
parties' activities were proscribed. Even with the new political dispensation
under the multiparty system of governance, the space for democratic political
action is fast shrinking as the NRM practical reliance on the military was
symbolically manifested in the dress code of its MP'S at Kyankwanzi. This act
is a total violation of the constitution as the army is supposed to be
subordinate to civilian authority but the image being created by the NRM
government makes them superior to all civilian democratic institutions in the
country.
3. The military High Command in 1989 took a decision to extend the NRA/M
lifespan for 5years.The NRC which was a pseudo parliament rubberstamped the
decision under the watchful eye of its Chairman President Yoweri Museveni.
Remember most of the legislations endorsed and passed by the NRC never
attracted any robust and vibrant debates apart from 'AYES'.
4. The same NRA High Command in 1993 sat in Gulu and took a decision to
amend the 1967 Constitution and provide for the restoration of traditional
rulers and return of the assets hitherto held by the Kingdom governments.
Although the NRM government has refused to return some of these assets to the
kingdoms.
5. After the promulgation of the 1995 Constitution, it has largely been
through the military force that NRM has suppressed opposition political parties
and cheated them of electoral victory. Actually before the Constitutional
amendments leading to provisions for life presidency, popularly called the
third term, the army top brass was summoned to Gulu by the commander in chief
to endorse his life long dream of being president for life.
6. Through out the two decades of NRM'S military rule, President Museveni
true character as a militarist has been exposed. There has been an endless
effort on the part of the NRM leader to regiment every Ugandan into the
military. Under the guise of demystifying the gun and politicizing Ugandans,
thousands of our citizens were enrolled for mchaka-mchaka courses and passed
out as NRM cadres. And in the same guise of training Administrators of
Bonna-Baggawale scheme, all sub-county LC3 Chairmen through out Uganda were
equally regimented. All these categories of our civil servants and the entire
public sector now belongs to UPDF reserve force and are subject to military law
at the call of the commander in chief.
7. Having subordinated the entire executive to NRA/UPDF, Gen. Museveni
has now turned his guns to Parliament. At the recent NRM MP'S retreat, Members
of Parliament who are supposed to enjoy Constitutional separation from the
executive under the principles of separation of powers have now been regimented
into the army and are now the subject of military laws and directives.
Effectively the institution of Parliament has been merged with and into the
UPDF led executive.
8. UPC fears for that day when the judiciary will be regimented into UPDF
since it has always been President Museveni desires to stock the judiciary with
NRM cadres. Our worst fears are that President Museveni intention and motive of
militarizing all institutions in Uganda are not clearly being seen by Ugandans
and the International Community. In case of a showdown between the long
oppressed citizens of our motherland and the military machines in place, the
terrible consequences may likely be genocide.
9. UPC calls upon the people of Uganda and their friends in International
Community to take any available lawful action to prevent the NRM military
machine from dragging Uganda into bloodbath.
For God and My Country
Haji Badru Kendo Wegulo
National Chairman, Uganda Peoples Congress
---------------------------------
Got a little couch potato?
Check out fun summer activities for kids._______________________________________________
Ugandanet mailing list
[email protected]
http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/ugandanet
% UGANDANET is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/
The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including
attachments if any). The List's Host is not responsible for them in any way.
---------------------------------------
