Museveni reveals factors that have helped him overstay in power
President Museveni also reiterated the need for Ugandans to create wealth by engaging in money making ventures with ekibaro (calculation), before assuring them that what eradicates poverty is wealth.
For 37 years now, President Yoweri Museveni, and the National Resistance Army (Movement) have ruled Uganda making him one of the longest-serving presidents in the world.
The military man leads the National Resistance Movement (NRM), a political party that transitioned from the National Resistance Army (NRA), a rebel group that he used to capture power in 1986.
Speaking during the celebrations to mark the 37th NRM Victory Anniversary held at Kakumiro District, Gen Museveni revealed that the NRM government has managed to successfully stay in power due to the party’s four core principles.
The President said these principles enabled Uganda to build strong institutions such as the Patriotic Political Parties, the Army and the Judiciary, among others, that have guaranteed peace, up to date.
“Congratulations to all of you on this occasion of the 37th Anniversary of the NRM victory in 1986. That victory came about because of the NRM’s four principles that we had distilled out of the chaotic politics and governance that had bedevilled Uganda for almost 556 years, ever since the rule of the last Muchwezi King, Wamala – Ruhaanja, Njoojo ebuunga,” he said.
He noted that the bankrupt politics of identity chauvinism (ethnicity and religion), could not allow the young State of Uganda, following Independence, in 1962, or its democratic institutions, to survive.
“The crisises between Mutesa and Obote in 1966 and between Obote and Amin in 1971, forced the student revolutionaries to take up arms and lead the masses in the effort to destroy the Colonial Army, the Uganda Army, as well as putting forward the four principles of the NRM that, we had distilled out of watching the chaos between 1960 and 1986.”
The four principles include Patriotism, Pan-Africanism, Socioeconomic transformation and democracy.
“That is why we are celebrating now. Patriotism (loving Uganda) and Pan-Africanism (loving Africa) re-oriented the Ugandans from following the politics of identity (tribes, religion, gender, etc.), to follow the politics of the legitimate needs (interests) of the People (peace, consumer goods, health, development, education, wealth creation, markets for our products, among others,” The President added.
Gen. Museveni also disclosed that due to such attributes, Uganda’s economy has also since grown from a miserable US$1.5 billion in 1986 to US$48 billion by end of June 2023 and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita will be USD 1,067.
