Uganda Peoples Congress
National Secretariat
Plot 8-10 Kampala Road, Uganda House,
P. O. Box 9206, Kampala
phone/Fax:+256-41-236748

Political Indoctrination Bad For Democarcy And Prosperity For All

03 January 2007

1. Uganda peoples Congress would like to sincerely appreciate and thank the thousands of Ugandans, particularly Congress Men and Women who turned up to bestow special honors and celebrate the life of the founder of our Nation, Dr. Apollo Milton Obote, during his last funeral rites held in Akokoro village, Apac District, last week.
2. We are appreciating you for demonstrating Nationalism and Patriotism due to the fact that we were in a festive season and despite the strategy designed by the NRM government to derail the occasion through:-
1. Convening Parliament on the same day well a ware that all the legislators were invited to the occasion
2. President Museveni had invited LCV Chairmen and some MPS from Northern Uganda for a meeting at his country home in Rwakitura on the same day.
3. The Electoral Commission in its Christmas message to Ugandans is set to organize the LC1 elections this year upon the disposal of the case before the courts of laws. This message comes at a time when the other structure of the local governments such as the LC111 Chairmen and Sub-County Chiefs have been undergoing training in Kyankwanzi leadership institute and consequently passed out by President Museveni as "Bonna Bagaggawale cadres".
4. The training of the LCIII Chairmen and Sub-County Chiefs to implement the Bonna Bagaggawale programme is not only an economic disaster but the worst form of political indoctrination since it directly attacks the roots of the new multiparty political dispensation. These local administrative civic leaders and civil servants ideologically belong to different political organizations and are not only NRM party cadres.
5. The trainers in Kyankwanzi are NRA soldiers (now called UPDF) who are NRM historical political cadres with no track record in carrying out successful business enterprise. The businesses carried out by the NRA/UPDF through the National Enterprises Corporations have either collapsed or been loss making ventures. Therefore, an institution that is known for bad management of its resources cannot be the lead agency in the implementation of prosperity for all programme.
6. The Uganda Peoples Congress believes in capacity building of the implementers and other agencies for the success of the rather ill-conceived project and enforcement of financial discipline. We are however opposed to the politicization and militarization of the programme owing to the bitter lesson learnt in the implementation of the Etandikwa, the Rural Farmers Scheme, Tri Star Apparel project and Global Fund that miserably failed because it was approached in a political and military manner as opposed to business procedures.
7. Uganda Peoples Congress ran a well planned government that tackled poverty as a priority and cared for the welfare of Ugandans. Owing to our experience in managing the affairs of this country and because we are interested in averting the looming crisis that may befall the poorly conceived, poorly prepared and poorly administered Bonna Baggagawale Scheme, we propose the following solutions for successful implementation:-
1. Employ experts who have knowledge in Rural Economy especially those who have gone through co-operative colleges to do capacity building for the SACCO'S.
2. Engage successful micro finance institutions that have a track record in managing small business enterprises to manage the scheme.
3. Revive and strengthen the District farm institutes to act as a training ground for farmers who want to engage in medium or large scale agriculture.
4. Hasty expansion of Post Bank to implement the programme is a big gamble and not realistic in the short run. The government may have to do with proven micro finance institutions.
5. It is critical for government to help rural farmers to organize the marketing of their produce and sourcing of inputs. Short of these the Bonna Baggagawale scheme will be a big disaster just like many that the NRM governments have gambled with.

For God and My Country

Mama Miria Kalule Obote

President Uganda Peoples Congress