MUSEVENI 24 YEARS LATER: VERBATIM: A fundamental change of guard

"There is nothing African about backwardness but tribalism, nepotism, rampant corruption and the disrespect for human rights are products of this situation." At the beginning of the liberation war in 1981

"In the not so distant future, our army will be in a position to launch strategic offensives to remove Obote from office and ensure the elimination of his gangs from every inch of Ugandan soil." Addressing members of the NRM in March 1985 on the state of war

"There was a lot of nonsense in political science as well. I disliked constructing models: ‘Let us assume this, let us assume that, and so on’. My question was: ‘But why do you assume? Why don’t you study the reality?" Commenting on university education in his book Sowing The Mustard Seed

"While we accept and recognise the validity of the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of a member state, we strongly hold that this should not be used as a cloak to shield genocide from censure. African silence in face of such gross abuses...produces results prejudicial to our just goals." To the OAU summit in Addis Ababa, 1986

"If someone suffers from malaria, instead of treating it, some people say he has been bewitched--even those are welcome in our Movement. It means that we welcome people who are ignorant but who are not fundamentally harmful to society." Speaking at conference of then Zambia’s ruling party, UNIP, in August 1988

"Originally when we came into government, there was rampant corruption in the Civil Service. I am now, however, beginning to get persistent reports that there is corruption amongst our political leaders... "While opening the 4th session of the National Resistance Council in April, 1990

"We should not practice dictatorship under the guise of independence. The people of Africa are entitled to democracy. All governments in Africa should derive their authority from the people." Speaking at the OAU summit in Addis Ababa, July 1990

"Why is it that AIDS in Africa seems to be travelling on a good macadamised road? AIDS is fast becoming one of the many developmentally linked infectious diseases. It is becoming a disease of backwardness." Officiating at the first East and Central Africa AIDS Congress in Kampala, November 1991

"When the British were in our country, they were aware, for instance, that we had petroleum in the soil. But at that time, they rightly decided not to pursue the petroleum of Uganda, because Uganda is 1,000 miles from the sea." On the need for investor attraction, speech delivered in 1998

"I would telephone His Highness the Kabaka; he would, however, not answer my telephones as usual. When the controversy over Buruuli came up, I telephoned him; but he refused to answer my telephone. I referred the matter to the National Security Council which contacted the Katikkiro and advised him to have a dialogue with the Baruuli cultural leaders or postpone the visit. They treated our advice with contempt." Address to nation after the September 2009 riots in Kampala

"With regard to international cooperation, our view is that the western countries in particular have a moral obligation to help the Third World economy because in the past they expropriated a lot of resources from Africa...Out of morality therefore, the west ought to compensate us." In his book, What is Africa’s Problem?