President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has warned that the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) is determined to uproot any disruptive and negative forces inside or outside Uganda.
Museveni made this warning in his speech during the 7th Janani Luwum Day celebrations on Wednesday at Kololo Independence Grounds. He said Africa has its roots in the distorted structure of political power, which was unfortunately inherited from the colonial government.
And it’s this structure that birthed a phenomenon of bankrupt leadership, which bedevilled Uganda and other African countries.
“The African sergeants, who were semi-literate, became field marshals overnight: Idi Amin, Mobutu, Bokassa, and many others overthrew the political leadership soon after independence and took over the whole society. They did not know how to go about managing a country because they had little education. With such crop of leaders, it was obvious that the country would drift into a state of anarchy and instability,”Museveni said.
He however assured Uganda that such types of leaders will never rule Uganda again since the bush war liberated Uganda for good. He added that Uganda is safe and anybody who will ever attempt to overthrow the legitimate government will always face it rough.
“The fruits of liberation are now ripe in every sector of our society. Uganda enjoys unprecedented peace and stability. There are a few evildoers, like the ADF, who are puzzled by this great achievement. Their attempts to distract us from the work of building Uganda into a modern middle-income Country have been decisively defeated.”
“The UPDF is determined to uproot any disruptive and negative forces inside or outside Uganda. Uganda’s rapid march towards the goal of socio-economic transformation cannot be stopped by anyone.”
In the same way, he said Ugandans should always be thankful because the country was liberated again from hostile past regimes.
“Therefore, as you reflect on our tragic past, you should also thank the Almighty God for enabling us to correct the mistakes which stalled Uganda’s progress. Some Countries have failed to emerge from the mistakes of bad leadership. They got severely torn apart and have remained in an ungovernable condition as a result of the bad decisions of their leaders.”
Meanwhile, Archbishop Janani Luwum, the former archbishop of the Anglican Church of Uganda, was murdered on 16 February in 1977 on the orders of then-President Idi Amin.
Seven years ago, the government gazetted 16th February as a public holiday, to commemorate Archbishop Luwum’s legacy and martyrdom. The day is also an opportunity to reflect on the valour and courage displayed by Ugandans in the fight against bad leadership and dictatorship.
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