Red berets shouldn’t be source of conflict
What you need to know:
- The issue: Red berets
- Our view: It is within the army’s right to choose the colours of their clothing but there are legitimate concerns from the People Power movement, who have vowed to continue wearing the red berets.
The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), has announced Uganda’s first-ever gazette of all military clothing, a move which the army spokesperson, Brig Richard Karemire, said manifests the commitment to define identity and outlook of a professional army, as well as adhering to East African Community (EAC) protocols.
The announcement effectively outlawed the sale or wearing of attire, which resemble uniforms of the army. That includes the red berets, side caps, bush hats, ceremonial forage caps and camouflaged baseball caps. Any member of the public found in possession of the items is now liable on conviction to imprisonment for life under Section 160 of the UPDF Act 2005.
Brig Karemire said the move had been endorsed by the top organs of the army, which also commended the dress committee for concluding the task assigned to it years back. He also said the move had nothing to do with politics.
We have no issues with having the army’s uniforms gazetted. We also have no qualms with visiting punishments upon those that violate the laws. But there have been concerns from certain members of the Opposition and sections of the public given the recent rise in use of red berets by People Power political movement.
Sections of the public have expressed mixed reactions on social media, pointing to the fact that this was done at a time when the red beret has emerged as one of the symbols of resistance against the NRM and President Museveni’s rule. The beret is increasingly associated with Kyadondo East MP, Mr Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine and his People Power movement.
In some countries where similar bans have been slapped on specific pieces of clothing, it has been because they are associated with a real and present danger, even though the circumstance may be different from that of the red beret ban in Uganda.
It is within the army’s right to choose the colours of their clothing but there are legitimate concerns from the People Power movement, who have vowed to continue wearing the red berets. Mr Joel Ssenyonyi, the People Power spokesperson yesterday told this newspaper that they will not yield to the move by the UPDF to monopolise the red beret.
This points to potential confrontation. As Gen Mugisha Muntu, who commanded the UPDF for nine years said, there is no way Ugandans can fail to differentiate between the red beret of the army, which is won on top of a military green or combat which is well known, and, a red beret won on top of a red overall or civilian clothes by People Power supporters. In our view, red berets should not be a source of conflict.
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