The NRM Day, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) day, the Liberation Day. The day that the National Resistance Army liberated Uganda. Are in the making and being prepared so that the President can hold his speech and be crowded by his soldiers, his Crime Preventers and who ever he has bought out from obscurity in the recent months.
So the news today, was rare or unique. It is more of the same. That other people are not allowed. It is just like when he hold the State of Nation Address, all channels and broadcast on TV and Radio had to send his speech. The same can surely also happen in this instance. Because the only man who is clearly free and can be opinionated is Museveni. The rest have to follow his suit and his orders. The State House commands. So that the President and his men, are now putting orders on how they are celebrating the 32nd Liberation Day isn’t surprising. It follows a pattern of control from above, from His Excellency, who cannot be that excellent, when he has to micro-manage every detail and get everyone in-line for every event. Every function and every order, has to be rubber-stamped by him. It’s just his despotic mind, who speaks democracy, but orders everyone around and wants everybody to accept his hollow mind. That is just the way it is, so when Daily Monitor says this today:
“The government has cautioned the opposition and any other groups against any plot to hold parallel liberation day celebrations. The caution was sounded by the minister for presidency Esther Mbayo during a press conference at media centre ahead of the celebrations slated for Friday January 26, 2018. She said every time government organizes a national function, there are groups that threaten to organized parallel arrangements. She said this will not be tolerated this time round. “I am just warning whoever is organizing to stage a parallel function to desist from it because the long arm of the law will catchup with him,” minister Mbayo said. She said there will be only one national function accepted that day and it will be held at Boma grounds in Arua Municipality. “So whoever wants to stage parallel arrangements should stand warned,” Mbayo said” (Jumbe, 2018).
This is the memo, the gist and the story. That the Minister Mbayo is warning and coming with stern signals of how to behave. The public can only have one key celebration, nothing in Kololo or on another field. The only one matter at Boma Ground in Arua. The rest has to cease, where the President is, is the only place to be liberated, the others have to follow orders and be under the spell of the President. No freedom, no celebration in Kampala, Jinja or Mbarara, no no, only celebrate in Arua at Boma Ground.
The Liberation Day celebration only matters at the function of the President. If he isn’t there, it doesn’t matter. It is not about liberation, if the supposed liberator isn’t there. The kingpin of the NRA has to be at the function if it supposed to have any value. President Museveni have to show up and be graceful, spill his beans and everyone got to listen to his wisdom. If not, they are not liberated. The liberation was for him and his men, not for the republic. The people was just tools for his liberation. Therefore, a party is only a party, if he started or joined the party. Peace.
Some days you wonder if the connections of the New York isn’t to strong for the moment. When the joys of their loot and their power is not making them lose their senses. The common sense is clearly gone, as the company formerly run by Rex Tillerson, the now State Secretary of United States. Who couldn’t care less about the relationship between the United States of America and the Russian Federation. As the illegal and not internationally accepted annexation of the Crimea from the Republic of Ukraine happen. Still, even as that was happening the former Standard Oil baby ExxonMobile decided to be a trading partner and create opportunities in the vast resources in Russia and Russian territories. Now today they we’re fined, but that was a little slap on their wrist, as the real wealth inside the deal shows how much they really could have earned. Therefore, the crime and the penalty doesn’t fit. The Company gets away with a heist, but has to pay small interests for doing so. Now they are waiting for the possible time for their giant payoff and this will be simple write-off in their results in the next quarterly estimates. This sort of fine isn’t that serious, as it can easily chop it off and continue to eat.
First we will look into what the Wall Street Journal wrote about the deal between Russia and ExxonMobile, the second and third are about today’s fine and you see why it insulting fine to give.
“A U.S. official said the new penalties would affect Exxon’s current drilling in the icy Kara Sea with its Kremlin-controlled partner, OAO Rosneft, though the extent of the impact was unclear Thursday. No other Western energy company has as much direct exposure to Russia as Exxon, thanks to a $3.2 billion deal giving the company access to a swath of the Arctic larger than Texas that could hold the equivalent of billions of barrels of oil and gas. Officials in Europe, which has extensive trade links to Russia, have insisted that Western nations share the fallout from sanctions against Moscow. Russia has said it would retaliate against additional sanctions with measures of its own, further heightening the risks to companies operating there, legal experts said. Exxon is “assessing the sanctions,” said Alan Jeffers, a company spokesman. “It’s our policy to comply with all laws.” (Gilbert, 2014)
“ExxonMobil Corporation Assessed a Penalty for Violating the Ukraine-Related Sanctions Regulations:ExxonMobil Corp., oflrving, Texas, including its U.S. subsidiaries ExxonMobil Development Company and ExxonMobil Oil Corp. (collectively, “ExxonMobil”), has been assessed a civil monetary penalty of $2,000,000 for violations of the Ukraine-Related Sanctions Regulations, 31 C.F.R. part 589 (Ukraine-Related Sanctions Regulations). Between on or about May 14, 2014 and on or about May 23, 2014, ExxonMobil violated§ 589.201 of the Ukraine Related Sanctions Regulations when the presidents of its U.S. subsidiaries dealt in services of an individual whose property and interests in property were blocked, namely, by signing eight legal documents related to oil and gas projects in Russia with Igor Sechin, the President of Rosneft OAO, 1 and an individual identified on OF AC’s List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (the “SDN List”) (referred to hereinafter as an “SDN”)” (U.S. Treasury, 20.07.2017).
“OF AC considered the following to be aggravating factors: (1) ExxonMobil demonstrated reckless disregard for U.S. sanctions requirements when it failed to consider warning signs associated with dealing in the blocked services of an SDN; (2) ExxonMobil’s senior-most executives knew of Sechin’ s status as an SDN when they dealt in the blocked services of Sechin; (3) ExxonMobil caused significant harm to the Ukraine-related sanctions program objectives by engaging the services of an SDN designated on the basis that he is an official of the Government of the Russian Federation contributing to the crisis in Ukraine; and (4) ExxonMobil is a sophisticated and experienced oil and gas company that has global operations and routinely deals in goods, services, and technology subject to U.S economic sanctions and U.S. export controls” (U.S. Treasury, 20.07.2017).
So it’s okay, the company ExxonMobile was fined for intervening in a Republic and inside a state where there was clear sanctions against trade. That was something Rex Tillerson knew and also the Russian counterparts, but ExxonMobile didn’t care. They just wanted the profits and earn on the fragile arctic and also into areas like the annexed Crimea. This shows the intent of profiting while being under sanctions and not respecting the laws of the United States and being a registered company residing in the United States.
This show the ethical backdrop of the New York Gang and the Administration of today, we cannot know how much the company earned before the stop between Rosneft and ExxonMobile. The suspension of activity between them. What we can imagine is that it was vastly more than the little they paid for breaking the law. Peace.
Reference:
Gilbert, Daniel – ‘Sanctions Over Ukraine Put Exxon at Risk’ (11.09.2014) – Wall Street Journal
“Whether I choose him or not for “State”- Rex Tillerson, the Chairman & CEO of ExxonMobil, is a world class player and dealmaker. Stay tuned!” – Donald J. Trump on Twitter 11.12.2016.
We have to scrutinize and look over the men that possibly will be the most powerful men and woman in the Trump Administration, as they should not be forgotten what they did in the past. Especially when Trump himself has branded Obama Administration as ‘hopeless’ and ‘bad’; therefore his Administration should be better, though by the men and woman who is already picked his stature for military and rich-men is staggering, more than the qualifications for each role in Government. That is what is worrying. This time around it is the current Chairman of ExxonMobile, a negotiator and deal-maker for the grand-oil empire from Texas, the Rex Tillerson who is connected in Venezuela, Russia and Kazakhstan. He is the next in line for the possible task of Secretary of State!
“If you ask the average person on the street about U.S. energy and U.S. oil in particular, our situation, most Americans would say, ‘Oh, we’re energy poor; we don’t have enough oil; we don’t have enough natural gas.’” – Rex Tillerman
What he even wished to happen inside the US in the midst of the Obama Administration:
“Q: President Obama has outlined a plan to cut oil imports by one-third over the next 10 years. Is this feasible?
A: We expect gasoline demand in the U.S. to decline about 17% over the next 20 years. And that’s a function of both efficiency standards that have been put in place for automobiles, but also an ongoing penetration of hybrid and hybrid-electric vehicles. There’s going to be a natural decline in demand for motor fuels from that. That will be partially offset by increasing demand for heavy-duty fuels like diesel. That, along with the penetration of bio fuels, is going to result in a mitigation of imports. Whether we eliminate a third of the imports is hard to say. Another piece of our success will rest on whether the U.S. government decides to make available the lands that it controls, because 60% of the remaining oil resource in the U.S. is on federal lands and 40% of the remaining gas resource. It’s up to the federal government to allow the industry to explore those lands and develop those resources that could have a big impact on supply in the future” (Bartiromo, 2011).
Secretary of State does: “The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service, and U.S. Agency for International Development” (Secretary of State, link: http://www.state.gov/secretary/).
So as the foreign affairs job has lots of responsibility to be the face of the nation when the President self cannot travel or negotiate, even do diplomatic missions to keep up with alliances and treaties that the US Government have or currently in the works. So the position should be done by somebody with tact and courtesy for the will of the US Government and the foreign dignitaries so that the person doesn’t offend either party while working for the common good. That is something that the possible former ExxonMobile chairman Tillerson has to do.
Negotiations in Venezuela:
“According to the XM executives, the last significant contact XM had with the BRV or PDVSA was XM Chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson’s May 16 meeting with Ambassador Bernardo Alvarez. During the meeting, Tillerson told Alvarez that XM must have a confidentiality agreement before it could begin negotiations on the remaining migration issues. In addition, he stated book value was not an acceptable basis for compensation for lost value. Finally, Tillerson said XM was looking for a win-win solution but warned that XM was willing to go to arbitration if it had to do so. The executives later mentioned that PDVSA’s stake in the Chalmette refinery was mentioned as a possible component in a compensation package. They did not specify who raised the topic” (…) “When asked if other IOCs had entered into negotiations with the BRV, XM executives replied they did not believe any companies had entered into meaningful negotiations. They stated they met with Total executives on May 22 to discuss the general situation. The Total executives stated their company has also rejected book value as a basis for compensation for lost value. In addition, they told the XM executives they believe the Sincor strategic association will be hit with a large tax assessment in the near future. Seniat, the BRV tax authority, presented CP and Chevron earlier this month with tax bills for close to USD 550 million for back taxes for the Petrozuata and Hamaca strategic associations for the years 2003 to 2005” (WikiLeaks, 2007).
In 2008 – Trading oil in Kazakstan:
“(Note: The one exception was a threat by President Nazarbayev in a December meeting with Tillerson’s deputy to use the subsoil legislation. Nazarbayev, however, reverted to his previous public line when he reassured the Ambassador privately the next day that the legislation would not/not be used against any existing contract. End Note.) In the end, both ExxonMobil and ConocoPhilips confirmed that the GOK used tough, but legitimate business pressures to pursue their case” (…) “ExxonMobil told us that CEO Rex Tillerson had decided that Exxon was going to hold the line on this issue. However, all our sources indidated that Tillerson was subjected to very strong pressure in the final negotiations, both by the other CEOs and by the Kazakhstani side. According to our in-country ExxonMobil contact (who was not in the meetings but who was extensively debriefed about them), it was the lure of future business in Kazakhstan that eventually led Tillerson to reverse course, and to agree to a “below market price” figure of $1.8 billion as the valuation of KMG’s increased share. (Note: Determining the “market price” for this share is essentially impossible, as different financial models will yield wildly varying results depending on the assumptions used. That said, all parties involved agree that $1.8 billion is a “below market price,” even if they can not tell you how much below market. End Note.)” (WikiLeaks, 2008). In 2011: “0100 Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev meets Rex Tillerson, the CEO of ExxonMobile corporation, and Dhimitrios Khristofias, the president of Cyprus, within the framework of his visit to New York to attend 66th session of the UN General Assembly. Video shows meetings; Rex Tillerson and Dhimitrios Khristofias, speaking to camera” (WikiLeaks, 2011).
“Experience tells us that a good foundation is critical for success in the Arctic and elsewhere. ExxonMobil’s Sakhalin-1 project with Rosneft is an example where we have put this experience to work.” – Rex Tillerson
On Russia:
“Tillerson said he valued the efforts of the Russian government to improve the tax regime and that it would have a positive effect on Russian and foreign investors.The moves will help expand cooperation in the complex situation in Russia, he said. Tillerson said he was encouraged to see Russia move to create a competitive environment, taking into account the experiences of other tax regimes in other countries” (WikiLeaks, 2011). “Prime Minister Vladimir Putin yesterday put the total of direct investment in joint projects by Rosneft and ExxonMobil at 200-300 billion dollars, but “if we are talking about infrastructure, the construction of the necessary buildings, and surface facilities, the investment could reach 500 billion dollars”. However, ExxonMobil expects its agreement with Rosneft to encourage the Russian authorities to ease the tax regime for the industry. “Such steps will help the government to expand cooperation in the difficult situation that is taking shape in Russia,” the head of ExxonMobil, Rex Tillerson, explained” (WikiLeaks, 2011).
On Fracking:
“Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson speaking at a January 2010 congressional hearing concerning the $41 billion merger of Exxon with XTO Energy (one of the worlda**s biggest natural gas drilling companies), said he could support revealing toxic frack mixes. He added that, by combining the hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling processes a**we can now find and produce unconventional natural gas supplies miles below the surface in a safe, efficient and environmentally responsible manner.a** Exxon has threatened to nix its XTO acquisition if Congress makes fracking a**illegal or commercially impractical.a**” (WikiLeaks, 2010).
Article about Tillerson faith in Global Warming:
“They’re clearly cognizant of global warming – they employ some of the world’s best scientists, after all, and they’re bidding on all those oil leases made possible by the staggering melt of Arctic ice. And yet they relentlessly search for more hydrocarbons – in early March, Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson told Wall Street analysts that the company plans to spend $37 billion a year through 2016 (about $100 million a day) searching for yet more oil and gas.
There’s not a more reckless man on the planet than Tillerson. Late last month, on the same day the Colorado fires reached their height, he told a New York audience that global warming is real, but dismissed it as an “engineering problem” that has “engineering solutions.” Such as?” (Bill McKibben – ‘Global Warming’s Terrifying New Math’ 09.07.2012).
David Fenton sent an E-Mail titled: “Murdoch climate campaign” on the 19.02.2015 to Clinton Campaign Manager John Podesta that said: “Hi again. Here is the plan to go after WSJ and FOX on climate. I have 500,000 of this pledged if I can raise another million. It’s a real pledge from Graeme Wood in Australia. I sure hope something like this can happen it’s long overdue. Thanks again, David”. This E-Mail had an attachment where this we’re said:
“1) A climate science ad series (surprisingly affordable) on the Wall Street Journal’s opinion page, sponsored by a mainstream institution like Columbia University’s Earth Institute or the Union of Concerned Scientists. These would be unassailably factual and scientific but also compelling, memorable and clear. They would show the facts the Journal denies — Co2 from fossil fuels traps heat, the earth has warmed, the CEO of EXXON believes it why not this paper? This series would stress consequences for the economy and mainstream support from groups like the World Bank, International Energy Agency, PWC, NAS, the Royal Society, etc. Of course the Journal would attack the series in editorials, which will help it get more attention” (WikiLeaks, 2015).
This here shows some of the stories of the man in the past, Rex Tillerson who has apparently massive faith in fracking and negotiation with Putin for the business he was running ExxonMobile. The WikiLeaks stories are special in themselves, but there other lost tales that needs to show the character of the man.
Like the Kurdistan adventure:
“Exxon Mobil Chief Executive Rex Tillerson refused Tuesday to answer questions about a controversial deal the oil company has signed with the Kurdish government in northern Iraq” (…) “Exxon, (XOM, Fortune 500) which holds big contracts with the Iraqi government to develop oil fields in the southern part of the country, was sharply criticized by Iraqi government ministers last month over the deal. The Iraqis suggested Exxon might be sanctioned over the move, possibly putting their deals in the southern part of the country in jeopardy” (…) “Iraqis in Baghdad are loathe to see oil companies sign separate deals with the semi-autonomous government in the Kurdish north, preferring instead that all deals go though the central government” (Hargreaves, 2011). So the next Secretary of State is ruthless in trade for fortunes that he picked deals with Kurdistan government over the Southern Iraqi Central Government that counters the diplomatic way that the governments do with Iraq. So Rex Tillerman could surely do the same in charge of the State Department under the Trump Administration.
Here is a story in the inner workings in Chad:
“There was Exxon’s meddling in a 2006 standoff between Idriss Déby, the authoritarian leader of Chad — a Central African country with rich oil reserves — and Paul Wolfowitz, then the leader of the World Bank. Déby wanted weapons to fight rebels supported by nearby Sudan, but good-governance clauses in loans Chad had received from the World Bank restricted the country’s ability to purchase arms. Wolfowitz was ready to freeze some of Sudan’s bank accounts, prompting Déby to threaten to effectively kick Exxon out of Chad. That could have cost the company billions of dollars. So Exxon lobbied the U.S. ambassador to Chad to fix the problem, which led to Déby getting his weapons and Exxon its oil” (…) “By now ExxonMobil had made its own choice clear,” Coll writes. “It was more interested in the survival of Chad’s oil production than it was in the World Bank’s experiment in nation building.” (Walsh, 2012). So he would use World Bank loans to trade weapons to make sure that the ExxonMobil get the possibility to the Oil Reserves in Chad. That proves how far the man will go for profit, that the authoritarian leaders needs for arms can be meet, if he get the oil as long as he makes a killing.
Than you have the story of how he worked in Guyana:
“US oil giant ExxonMobil made waves in Guyana last Thursday by announcing it had confirmed a “world-class discovery” of oil offshore. The company said results from its exploration well in the Stabroek block, about 120 miles (193 kilometres) offshore Guyana, found between 800 million and 1.4 billion oil-equivalent barrels” (…) “The waters around Guyana are largely unexplored. According to a Forbes story quoting Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson, the 3-D seismic survey that Exxon conducted in the area was its largest in history — “the equivalent of 1,400 Gulf of Mexico blocks” (…) “In November 2015, Guyana’s government faced accusations that the state didn’t have the capacity to independently monitor ExxonMobil’s compliance with environmental regulations. The worry arose after it was alleged that ExxonMobil was promoting and funding climate change denials” (Abdelwahab, 2016).
So now that he is peculiar connected into the oil developments outside Guyana, as it was profitable for the company without considering the environment of the ocean and the sea as the we’re even paying climate change deniers in Guyana. That the billions of barrel is more important that the effect that oil drilling will have on the nation.
This from the guy that are key part of the former Standard Oil companies that we’re re-merged from Exxon and Mobil Oil Companies, that we’re too powerful in the United States. The US Company now are now so big Multi-National that they can secure the World Bank to fund Chad Government loans so they can buy weapons, and exchange give possible oil fields to the ExxonMobil. If that doesn’t say anything nothing does. This sort of fellow will now run the Secretary of State, not to talk about the Foreign Affairs of the United States. The diplomatic correspondence and according to due procedure of the Trump Administration; that will be interesting as the CEO Tillerman has been focused on profits and not on anything else. We can wonder what will be his Modus Operandi as a Secretary of State, what his policies and foreign affairs chief under Trump. Peace.
Today is the Liberation day after the Bush-War in 1986. That led to the fall of Milton Obote, Yusuf Lule and Tito Okello. After years in the bush and using the guns and being armed to their teeth and after that actually run Uganda; that happens after losing the election in 1980 as a independent with the Uganda Patriotic Movement. He lost to Sam Kutesa his now Foreign Affairs Minister and loyal ally. Because he claimed the 1980s elections where UPC and Milton Obote won, he went to the bush because the system could not be fixed in peaceful ways. Today is the 26th January in remembrance of this and show respect to the start of 30 year reign of power. Here is a transcript of the speech he had that day. If that is to long I have the cut video clip first that can show the glimpse of what he was trying to say. Take a look and read if you will!
Here is the speech he held on the NRA/M liberation and after the bush-war in front of the Parliament on the 26th January 1986:
NO ONE should think that what is happening today is a mere change of guard: it is a fundamental change in the politics of our country. In Africa, we have seen so many changes that change, as such, is nothing short of mere turmoil. We have had one group getting rid of another one, only for it to turn out to be worse than the group it displaced. Please do not count us in that group of people: the National Resistance Movement is a clear-headed movement with clear objectives and a good membership.
Of course, we may have some bad elements amongst us – this is because we are part and parcel to Ugandan society as it is, and we may, therefore, not be able completely to guard against infiltration by wrong elements.
It is, however, our deliberate policy to ensure that we uplift the quality of politics in our country. We are quite different from the previous people in power who encouraged evil instead of trying to fight it.
You may not be familiar with our program, since you did not have access to it while we were in the bush so I shall outline a few of its salient points;
The first point in our program is the restoration of democracy. The people of Africa-the people of Uganda-are entitled to democratic government. It is not a favour from any government: it is the right of the people of Africa to have democratic government. The sovereign power in the land must be the population, not the government. The government should not be the master, but the servant of the people.
In our liberated zones, the first thing we started with was the election of village Resistance Committees. My mother, for instance, cannot go to parliament; but she can, surely, become a member of a committee so that she, too, can make her views heard. We have, therefore, set up village, muluka, gombolola and district committees.
Later we shall set up a national parliament directly elected by the people. This way we shall have both committee and parliamentary democracy. We don’t want to elect people who will change sides once they are in parliament. If you want to change sides, you must go back and seek the mandate of the people who elected you.
Democracy
Some of these points are for the future, but right now I want to emphasis that the first point in our political program is democracy for the people of Uganda. It is a birthright to which all the people of Uganda are entitled.
The committees we have set up in these zones have a lot of power. You cannot, for instance, join the army or the police without being cleared by the village committee.
You must get a recommendation from the people in your village to say that you are not a rogue. Hence, the soldiers who are joining us from other armies will have to be referred back to their villages for recommendation. The same applies to the police.
Suppose, for instance, that we want to recruit some 500 soldiers from the District of Rakai and say 10,000 youths in the area apply to join. If 5,000 of those are cleared by their area committees as people of good character, the selecting military team will choose the most physically fit from among those, and we shall end up with an army that is both of good character and in good physical condition. This is an example of some of the work to be done by the village committees.
Another important aspect of the committees is that they should serve as a citizens’ intelligence system. If I go to address a rally in Semuto, Rape-ka or Nakaseke, I shall first meet the muluka and gombolola committees in the area. They will tell me whether the muluka chiefs are thieves, or the hospital personnel are selling drugs, or whether there are soldiers in the area who are misbehaving. They are thus able to act as watchdogs for the population and guard against the misuse of power.
The second point in our program is the security of person and property. Every person in Uganda must be absolutely secure to live wherever he or she wishes. Any individual or any group of persons who threatens the security of our people must be smashed without mercy.
Security The people of Uganda should only die from natural causes that are beyond our control, but not at the hands of fellow citizens who continue to walk the length and breadth of our land freely. When we were in Nairobi during the peace talks, it was a very painful experience sitting in a room with criminals across the table. 1 was advised that being a leader, you have to be diplomatic.
This prompted me to ask: “But does diplomacy apply to criminals as well?” to which the answer was, “Yes”. I saw then that the whole process was a farce. We tried peacefully to push the case that the Amin elements, and people like Bazilio Okello, who had killed people in broad daylight, must be excluded from government.
Our voice, however, was a lonely one because there were so many pressures from the International community which is interested only in trade. They do not care how many skeletons we have in Uganda: all they care about is for the road to be opened so that their goods can have free passage. We, therefore, made our position very clear: we were not going to take part in any government which included and Involved criminals. Unfortunately these people believed they had tricked us. Tito Okello, for instance, came back saying that my signing the agreement showed that they had removed the teeth from the salambwa (poisonous snake).
Our position, however, has always been very clear. If you play tricks with us, we shall play tricks with you; if you are honest with us, we shall be honest with you; if you are violent against us, we shall be violent against you. We are people who pay others in their own currency and we never use cowardly tactics. When I was in the bush, I had a lot of pressure from people who said that we should assassinate people like Obote, Muwanga and Bazilio.
Against assassination
I disagreed because I argued that when you assassinate people like that, you turn them into martyrs and heroes. What you need is to develop enough strength to enable you to sweep that kind of garbage to where it belongs: on the dung-heap of history. Why should anybody bother to kill small people like Bazilio? You may kill Bazilio Okello but you will be left with many other Bazilios.
Therefore, the security of the people of Uganda is their right and not a favour bestowed by any regime. No regime has a right to kill any citizen of this country, or to beat any citizen at a road block. We make it clear to our soldiers that if they abuse any citizen, the punishment they will receive will teach them a lesson. As for killing people – if you kill a citizen, you yourself will be killed.
During our struggle, we executed five soldiers of the National Resistance Army for killing people in Bulemezi, Ngoma and Fort Portal. One of these soldiers had killed a doctor in order to steal his money.
What, on the other hand, has been happening in Kampala? Recently, people were massacred in Luwero and a high-powered delegation was sent there: you know these so-called high-powered delegations led by Excellency’s and honorables, etc. Personally, I do not like being called ‘Excellency’.
People in Bulemezi call me Yoweri or Mzee wa Kazi. Now, these Excellency’s, and honorable ministers and high-ranking military personnel, and what-have-you went to Luwero. Can you imagine what they did? We were told that they had transferred the person who had killed the people in Luwero to another station! Can you imagine? Someone kills 100, 50 or even two people and you say you have transferred him to another area? It was suggested that the solution to some of our problems would be for Kampala to be completely demilitarized.
Disciplining soldiers
So I asked: “Where are you going to take these criminal soldiers? Even if you take them to a national park they will kill the animals there!” The solution, therefore, is to put criminal soldiers where they belong: in prison.
The third point in our program is the question of the unity of our country. Past regimes have used sectarianism to divide people along religious and tribal lines. But why should religion be considered a political matter? Religious matters are between you and your god. Politics is about the provision of roads, water, drugs, in hospitals and schools for children.
Case for unity
Take the road from here, Parliament Buildings, to Republic House. This road is so bad that if a pregnant woman travels on it, I am sure she will have a miscarriage! Now, does that road harm only Catholics and spare Protestants? Is it a bad road only for Moslems and not for Christians, or for Acholis and not for Baganda? That road is bad and it is bad for everyone.
All the users of that road should have one common aspiration: to have it repaired. How do you become divided on the basis of religion or tribe if your interests, problems and aspirations are similar? Don’t you see that people who divide you are only using you for their own interests not connected with that road? They are simply opportunists who have no program and all they do is work on cheap platforms of division because they have nothing constructive to offer the people.
Our Movement is strong because it has solved the problem of division: we do not tolerate religious and tribal divisions in our Movement, or divisions along party lines such as UPC, DP, UPM and the like. Everyone is welcome on an equal basis. That is why you find that when our army goes to Buganda, the people there call it:” amagye gaffe, abaana baffe”. When it goes to the West, it is: “amahe gaitu, abaana baitu”: which means that wherever the NRA goes, it is called ‘our army, our children’. Recently, Buloba was captured by our army, and the commander in charge of the group was an officer called Okecho. He comes from Pakwach in West Nile.
Therefore, the so-called division between the north and south is only in people’s heads. Those who are still hoping to use it are going to be disappointed. They ought to dig a large grave for such aspirations and bury them. Ma-sindi was captured by our soldiers led by Peter Kerim: he, too, is from West Nile. Dr. Ronald Batta here, who is from Madi, has been our Director of Medical Services for all these years in the bush.
‘Angry’ Obote
Obote tried to propagate the idea that there was a division between the Bantus and the Nilotics and that if the Bantus took over, the Nilotics would be wiped out. We have, however exposed him. Whenever, we captured soldiers from Ac noli, Lango and elsewhere, we would treat them well and then release them.
Obote would be surprised and he would ask: “Were you really captured? Did you see Museveni? Were you really not beaten?” Once we captured the police commander of Masindi, a man called Gala.
I talked to him and another man called Epigo, also from Masindi. When we released them and Epigo got back to Obote, Obote did not like what Epigo had to say: that the National Resistance Army was not a tribal army as the Obote government had been trying to make out. So Obote locked Epigo up in Luzira Maximum Security Prison because he did not want to hear the truth about our Movement and Army.
There is, in philosophy, something called obscurantism, a phenomenon where ideas are deliberately obscured so that what is false appears to be true and vice versa. We in the NRM are not interested in the politics of obscurantism: we want to get to the heart of the matter and find out what the problem is. Being a leader is like being a medical doctor. A medical doctor must diagnose his patient’s disease before he can prescribe treatment.
Similarly, a political leader must diagnose correctly the ills of society. A doctor who does not diagnose his patient’s disease adequately is nothing but a quack.
In politics we have also got quacks – and Uganda has had a lot of political quacks over the past two decades or so. I also want to talk about co-operation with other countries, especially in our region. One of our weaknesses in Africa is a small market because we don’t have enough people to consume what we produce.
Regional cooperation
Originally we had an East African market but it was messed up by the Excellency’s and Honorable ministers. It will be a cardinal point in our program to ensure that we encourage co-operation in economic matters, especially in transport and communication within the East African region.
This will enable us to develop this area. We want our people to be able to afford shoes. The Honorable Excellency who is going to the United Nations in executive jets, but has a population at home of 90 per cent walking barefoot, is nothing but a pathetic spectacle. Yet this Excellency may be busy trying to compete with Reagan and Gorbachev to show them that he, too, is an Excellency. These are some of the points in our political program. As time goes on, we shall expand more on them.
Last appeal
To conclude, I am appealing to those people who are trying to resist us to come and join us because they will be integrated. They should not waste their time trying to fight us because they cannot defeat us.
If they could not defeat us when there were just 27 of us with 27 guns, how can they defeat this army which you saw here? They cannot defeat us, first of all, because we have a correct line in politics which attracts everyone. Secondly, we have a correct line of organization. Thirdly, our tactics are correct.
We have never made a mistake either in strategy or tactical calculation. I am, therefore, appealing to these people not to spill more blood, especially of the young men who are being misled by older people who should know better.
Afterthought:
I think this is enough. And it is celebration of 30 years. I will not be smooth, but rather silent. Because it seems like President Museveni forget his cause, if it ever was his cause and to make a democratic change. Even if he used a long time to give a multi-party system. Still his rigging turns as bad or worse then Obote II. That means that after 30 years they are doing the same thing they fought against. Which must be an ironic way of celebrating 30 years of power, with the same leader that held this speech. A speech that was powerful and if truthful and the power ate the man. Then he forgot why he came to power. There are many theories, but the man who took power talked a way of democratic behaviour, but now is more totalitarian and police-state then the state he wished to build in 1986. Peace.
There is a dream of TV-Debate between the three main candidates in Uganda: the NRM with Museveni, the Go-Forward Amama Mbabazi and the FDC Dr. Kizza Besigye! So what will that be, it should be sent on NBS, NTV and WBS at the same time. So that nobody can watch dubbed South American TV-shows for those who don’t care about the politics or elections.
I can’t expect the now gone away Maureen Faith Kyala or Joseph Mabirizi being a part of this. The same with Gen. Benon Biraaro or Abed Bwanika and Professor Bayramureeba; I am sure some people wont to see this candidates to! But, we know that they don’t have the suction yet to be viable combined with the trio who are really fighting to become the President. Even if the Electoral Commission (Now the Independent Electoral Commission), surely will work towards another term for the Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and his NRM! Still, would be fun to have him on the spot together with his arch-nemesis Besigye and new enemy Amama Mbabazi!
Why I discuss it:
“President Yoweri Museveni, also NRM flag bearer, says “he is ready to take on any of his fellow 2016 presidential candidates in a public debate” (…)”While addressing a press conference early Monday in Gulu at the State Lodge, Museveni said: “If Besigye or any other candidate wants to debate with me, I am ready. I don’t move without my mouth or brain…” (…)”The president’s comments today come days after Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) presidential candidate Dr. Kizza Besigye challenged him to a debate ‘to discuss issues affecting Ugandans’” (…)”Besigye became the second candidate to dare the president to a live televised debate after Venansius Baryamureeba” (NBS TV, 23.11.2015).
Though the Professor Barya we’re first touched it and Dr. Besigye we’re second. And then the President answered them. It’s a reason why he didn’t answer the Professor, he doesn’t see he as threat. That he do by Dr. Besigye. So that he sent shots and questioned in the public with other candidates. That is something new, because the NRM-Regime can’t control it or really stare the conversation, they can’t rule it. They can’t script it all. Neither can the other candidates. If it will happen there will be banter and change, even if they set certain terms for the discussion and the general debate between them.
Then the candidates can recharge their words they will stay in memory. Certain facts will be tested. The numbers they drop to each other will be discussed like they also are on the manifestos and speeches. The difference with speeches in campaigns is that the candidate can write it himself and conduct it himself. He will say his own words on the debate, but the forum and space will be different. It’s a place where you need your tongue check and in order. If you don’t do it well you will be political daft or naked by your own words. You can be praised if you have said and conducted yourself accordingly. That is an reaction that you can’t script in anyway, but they have to mobilize and anticipate accordingly to the debate. That will show if the politicians actually has any substance or is just some hot air.
The things that can be good about a debate is if the candidate really get tested. Touched and emotional and loses his cool. Even if many debates can end up in stale boring sadness, because none of candidates actually say something meaningful about the subjects at hand. Since there haven’t been in ages or ever been a presidential candidates debate there would be a breath of fresh air to the citizens. Might even see Mzee out of his comfort-zone! That is something that would be good. I think even Amama Mbabazi could be fired up. Dr. Kizza Besigye has been attacked so much that him I am sure would keep his composure in the debate.
A made up debate between:
Who is in the debate:
The Canidates are President Museveni, former PM Mbabazi and (rtd) Col. Dr. Besigye.
And an un-named TV-Host.
On security:
Museveni: “I and the NRM has ensured, secured and made this country safe, nobody except NRM and my government can keep UPDF under control. Then me and the NRM”.
Mbabazi: “You say you have kept the country safe, but not paid the veterans or made people safe, is that why you have hired crime preventers?”
Besigye: “There isn’t just one man who can control the UPDF; the people, the Government, the Parliament can hold the army under control!”
This is a segment we will show more time later in the debate! (the crowd clapping).
On media freedom:
Museveni: “I am revolutionary differs from Obote and Amin, we have given the freedom of the media, look at the Vision, the Monitors, the radios, they can speak their mind, unless it creates problems, they should not speak to much then they create problems for the country”
Mbabazi: “I will address that the media get more funding from the my new government, get digital and fresh new visions, not the secured media of the NRM that have secured in the past”
Besigye: “The media should be total free and not kept under surveillance from the NRM-Junta. There is too much Musveni-Media where his own propaganda get spread instead of the truth!”
TV Host:
“What are your thoughts on the balloting and election reforms? Are they ensuring the people of free and fair elections in Uganda?”
On Elections:
Museveni: “We have re-introduced free and fair elections, an independent Electoral Commission, that have delivered more than before 1986 when the government had fraudulent elections. If you see somebody who rigs the elections take it to the police and their will take care of it”.
Mbabazi: “After you have voted and not sure if the polls will matter and get the correct result. Ensure to stay at the polling station until they finish. So that the Election Officers can’t fix it! Don’t leave!”
Besigye: “We need a new Electoral Commission, now it is a Museveni-Commission. The culture is to rig for the NRM-Junta. There isn’t a way that this entity will give the will of the people. Until we reform it and change it, we will see that the will of the Ugandans will happen”.
On the Police:
Museveni: “The police are ensuring and securing the people, my people all of Ugandans which the revolutionary force that I have made since the 1980s. Obote or Amin never had the safety and security as the police is doing now. The police only acts, acts upon those forces in Uganda who works against the government, like ADF and LRA”
Mbabazi: “the Police under me and Go-Forward will be police for the Ugandans. The Police will not stop public gatherings and meetings. They will be going against criminals and fight corruption, will make a new commission to fight corrupt much better”
Besigye: “The Police needs reforms. They are not for the Ugandans, if not the Ugandans means the NRM and Museveni. They are a unit and ensure the regime to crackdown on anybody, anybody who speaks against them or acts towards them. We need a police reform that ensure that the IGP, DPP and Courts are independent and not loyal to Museveni, but according to laws to ensure safety for Ugandans”.
TV Host:
Now it’s time for a commercial break please don’t switch the channel, it’s more juicy quotes to come!”.
On Foreign Affairs:
Museveni: “We fought against sectarianism; we the NRM are a Pan-African Movement. We Move-Forward. We fight to liberate and have liberated Uganda and Ugandans. In the same way we will fight these guerillas, guerillas [who] will destroy the NRM and Uganda. We will continue to fight the LRA, the Al-Shabab and other force together with other African armies to secure Uganda and the movement”
Mbabazi: “We will continue to fight together with African Union in AMISOM and continue to have forces in C.A.R. to fight LRA. We in Go-Forward will re-evaluate the police to civic protection, not to fight Ugandans as they do now. The Armed forces will get better housing and better salaries”
Besigye: “We have to change the UPDF from a mercenary force which it has been in South Sudan, been hired to fight in C.A.R. but I will still continue to have forces in Somalia as part of the struggle of our fellow comrades in Somalia. But the NRM-Junta and have kept the UPDF to have seats in Parliament, that is something I will change!”
On the Economy:
Museveni: “We the NRM will continue to build a secure economy as we have done since 1980s. The NRM has built stability and we will over the next term, create a industrial economy, there will be more towns turned into city status, more villages turned into industrial towns, we will stop land grabbing and secure the development. We will focus on agriculture and cash-crops like coffee and tea. I myself as a farmer, a farmer knows the importance of cows and I got rich of agriculture myself! That is wealth creation which Ugandans can do himself. Parts of wealth creation that ensure our YOUTHS! Our Ugandan people we also will strengthen the NAADS and SACCO’s to assure that districts and counties get funding for their and our agricultural projects, agricultural projects who will ensure the Ugandan people and grow our economy”.
Mbabazi: “We will establish more of our economy to support our famers. Farmers are the main workforce. We will move forward to support our farmers. We will support growth with the cooperatives and ensure that districts get silos, follow up budget by the Mputo Declaration. That they get silos in every district and cheap fertilizers! Get more education on cash-crops and learn about more effective methods to earn more on their farm. We Go-Forward! ”
(Some guy in crowd scream: “WE GO FORWARD!”)
Besigye: ““This will be in recognition of the pivotal role of the Agricultural Sector in economic growth and development given the fact that the sector employs 70 percent of Uganda’s labour force. We boast that the backbone of our economy is agriculture yet the budget allocation is small, something that has curtailed the growth of the sector and poverty fight among the farmers. Once voted into power I will increase the budget allocation to agriculture to 15% Time to revive ourself from the NRM-theives”.
The host ends with asking:
“Does anybody in the crowd here have any questions for the candidates? Please grab the microphone so the candidate can try to answer you question, and please adress the one or who your asking the question!”
Afterthought:
Like this I could have continued. Don’t you think it would be interesting! What do you think? It would be special with a TV-Debate between three Presidential Candidates. Who can address the public on TV and can’t make switches and changes to their statements and can’t retract quotes. Their banter will stay and they can’t stop the filming and their mouths from blabbering! That can be beautiful. Peace.
Dear His Excellency (H.E.) President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni!
I write to you since in the recent day you got rejected to meet with the American President Barrack Obama who will visit Kenya on the 24. July 2015. This is today! And he wouldn’t meet you in Kenya!
It must be a slap on your face Mzee that your ally in America is saying “no to see you”. When he is in your neighborhood. When he steps on land in East African Community and will not see you. Your sending troops for them into Central African Republic on the goose hunt for your lost cause for so long in Northern Uganda. The famous LRA and Joseph Kony! The one man that even the American army want to get rid-off! Then they failed together with Ethiopia in Somalia where you have been charged together to fight Al-Shabab. The Americans are certainly happy that you do this and don’t cost them much compared to send their own troops.
Mzee there many reasons why President Barrack Obama is saying no to see you. He is firstly meeting Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta. Who is turning into Americans ally in the area of late, even if you fight wars for them and use enormous levels of resources as well, still he doesn’t expect your courtesy call. You have been in charge of Uganda since October 1986. Obama is in his last term he has been lucky to only be Head of State in the country from 2009. He is not like you a true and tested leader like you! Even if he has Nobel Peace Prize. He got before really stepping into the office.
He has also been parts of wars. You have sent your own people and now they don’t even talk to you. I am not sure is because you have latest visits abroad to any great western powers. Was to Russia and then you started to buy army equipment from them instead of American. That is sure a slap to the face or the U.S. Arms producers, the cancelling of a planned military exercises on the 19. June of 2014, because of the “Anti-Gay Bill”! Since then it’s been cold from the American government and the White House. Then you’re buying expensive military equipment for your army from Mzee Putin of Russia. It’s okay that Obama had a burger with his predecessor Medvedev. Still with the Ukraine situation and Putin back in the hot-seat the turning relationship has also hit a snag. So don’t get the possibility to eat a burger in Nairobi with Obama.
So you’re now hurt by the almighty Obama. I am sure you wished yourself was directly mediating in Burundi, instead of the Defense Minister Crispus Kiyonga. You’re in Uganda dealing with your own election then being there looking good for the press. The sad thing for you is to see your former weapon brothers going against you like Jean Patrick Amama Mbabazi. Who is trying to take your candidacy in your own party the NRM! And even worse for you is that the man who has fought against you for so long Dr. Kizza Besigye has gotten crowds where-ever he steps and moves around in the country. And your methods of chasing the opposition like a headless chickens, don’t help you at all Mzee Museveni. You think it does, but up to the election, you just look foolish to all the pundits. You look like a weak man instead of the man who has been in power since the 80s. You have cut loose so many big men before going into power, like Gen. Oyite Ojok, Yusuf Lule, Tito Okello, Milton Obote and Idi Amin. Before that the country was in shambles and you have made in some kind of peace. You could have been a hero! If you had left after your two first terms then you have been left with a decent legacy. That’s would have been since you gave the country a constitution and peace nearly on all places. You struggled with the Northern Uganda. And still continue to pay back to SPLM and South Sudan because of their help in the area. This is not popular that for the U.S. that your involved there without an official mandate.
I am sure that there are more issues for why Barrack Obama isn’t in your presence right now Mzee Museveni. So you are not the poster-boy and future leaders of Africa in 80s and beginning of the 90s. Where you and Kagame your former allies was seen a breath of fresh air! Now you are not the one who the west looks for hope in the continent. And you wonder why? That is because history repeat itself and you have broken your own words time and time again.
I am sure it’s been fun to have over the President of Zambia Edgar Lungu. But that is no Barrack Obama and with the power of U.S. And he could help you with military equipment. Though they not doing business as the Russians and taking pieces of the future oil industry instead of money. So I am sure that hurt your pride Mr. President. But know that the party has still fractions that are loyal to you because you pay them. The leaders who showed you support after last election victory was President Mugabe of Zimbabwe, former Kenyan President Daniel Arap-Moi, the now former Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki, Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, President of South Sudan Salva Kiir and the Somali President Sheik Sharif Sheik.
But none of this can help you as the American President and honor your presence. You have run a country as long as I have lived. And to get turned down and spend time with newcomer from Zambia must be low-key moment for you. Since you have been so useful to the American government and fought the wars they don’t want to. I am sure you’re having a bad day. Though not saying it since your hurt and parts of you might wish you didn’t visit Russia last time. And you should have tried to mend up with Americans who has supported you through the 90s and 00s. That refinery has cost you and the pipeline for the oil has been dodgy as well. But you’re so close and just need another term to the Lake Albert becoming your black gold. Until then you just has to use the well-used methods of keeping people in order and follow the party line. Though this doesn’t help you with your relationship with the American Government unless you break your principle and rules. Which is sacred to you and that is understandable. The American president only has eight years to do his thing and then he is gone. You have sit eight years in power when it was 1994. By then you we’re support Kagame and the RPA in Rwanda. So the issues with America should go over. You have their old weapons and know how they call on you when they wars they don’t want to fight. So your not best buddies today, but maybe during next term if their getting a republican president in the White House he might support you, because he will only care about policy, not about who as long as he looks good during the whole deal. Tomorrow is another day Mr. President His Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni! You will shine again. Believe that and by now your mustard seed should be a big plant and give a good yield. Though Dr. Kizza Besigye is stealing your crops, don’t worry people will vote for you, even if they don’t know they do! The Electoral Commission is your people, you’re safe and good. You just have to wait until the U.S. need you again. Then you will get granted to meet with the Nobel man himself. Maybe even in your own Statehouse in Entebbe.
There is reports you get a courtesy call in Ethiopia, but for a great man like you that feels like you been snubbed twice already by the American President. I am sure your hurt and tried to patch up the hurt with a meeting with the Zambian President to be the big shot in East Africa. While your neighbors president get him directly for visits. Uhuru Kenyatta the Kenyan President and also meeting with Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe the Prime Minister of Ethiopia in their homelands. While you have travel to Addis Ababa to see him for a short time and not an official visit like they are getting. And you have been their ally for decades and when they’re in your area they don’t show you respect you deserve. For God and for country!
The Uganda Police Force has deployed at Ministry of Foreign Affairs today 20th November 2014 at 10:00am to prevent chaos from demonstrators.The demonstrators were led by Dr. Kizza Besigye, Mayor Munyagwa Mubarak, Hon. Mathias Mpuga and Ingrid Turinawe among others.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had not been given notice prior to the demonstration neither was the police. The demonstrators safely returned to the premises and calm has been restored at the Ministry. The police continue to encourage the public to desist from getting involved in any form of unlawful assembly.
MinBane 