NRM better than Obote, Amin regimes - Mayiga

KAMPALA- Buganda Katikkiro (premier) Charles Peter Mayiga has said President Museveni’s government is better than Idi Amin and Milton Obote’s regimes but added that it would be wrong to compare the different regimes because they represent different eras.

“The truth is that in many ways, NRM is far better than Amin and Obote. If one doesn’t know, he has not studied history,” Mr Mayiga told Buganda Kingdom Lukiiko (Parliament) yesterday.

However, he said that in assessing the NRM leadership, Ugandans should not compare it with Obote and Amin regimes but rather with countries that were at the same development level with Uganda about 50 years ago. He said comparing the NRM with Amin and Obote would lead to wrong conclusions.
“When you want to make comparisons, compare with better people. Obote was a failure. We have to compare with better people, not Obote and Amin. Uganda must be compared to nations with which it matched economically (in the 1960s and 1970s) such as South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia or Vietnam,” he said.

Statistics
World Bank figures show the Gross Domestic Product of the said nations by 2017 as: South Korea $531 trillion; Singapore $323.9 billion; Malaysia $314.5 billion; Vietnam $223.9 billion and Uganda $25.89 billion.
Mr Mayiga said despite some achievements, the NRM must do more to uplift the country’s standard.

“NRM still has a long way to go, fighting poverty among grassroots communities, job creation,” he said.

He said when the economy is sound, people will be employed.
“NRM must improve education, its human rights record, fighting crime,” he added.

He reiterated Kabaka Mutebi’s End of Year message which castigated corruption and called for independence and full power to anti-corruption units.

“The Kabaka wants corruption culpable individuals to be prosecuted,” he said.

Mr Mayiga praised three youths: Mr Steven Katende, Ms Nakabuye Kasujja and Mr Basil Tasubi who recently met the Queen of England for the Queens Young Leaders awards.

“Youths who achieved accolades from Queen Elizabeth gave us pride; meeting the queen is not an easy thing,” he added.

The premier also warned the public to be wary and sieve information published on different social media platforms.

“They [some groups] are specially targeting those in high profile positions. People in high positions are being witch-hunted and blackmailed,” Mr Mayiga said at the opening of the Lukiiko at Bulange, Mengo.

He also expressed sadness over allegations about the victims of MV Templar boat that sank last year in Lake Victoria killing more than 20 people.
“Can you imagine some people went on social media and alleged that some people had gone to the boat to sacrifice others?” he wondered.

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