Museveni rallies Eala on security

Kampala.

President Museveni yesterday warned the East Africa Legislative Assembly (Eala) that East African integration must be shielded by strong security, saying that former Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi was toppled by Nato forces because Africa was too “weak” to come to his defence.

Addressing the regional parliament, sitting in Kampala , Mr Museveni recounted that he, backed by Tanzania under President Julius Nyerere, fought the late Gaddafi who was backing Idi Amin in 1972 and 1979 and had “managed” him by the time he was toppled and killed in 2011.

Col Gaddafi was killed by rebel fighters backed by Nato forces after an assault on his birthplace of Sirte in October 2011.

Mr Museveni was referencing the killing of Gaddafi to back up his pronouncements that East Africa and Africa cannot start on the process of political integration before member countries ensure that they can ably to defend their territories.

“We had fought Gaddafi two times in 1972 and 1979 and managed him. But these people[America and West] come and messed up that place because Africa is weak. This structure[of Africa] is not enough for our security. You cannot be secure if you are a small unit,” he said.

Referring to Nato, Mr Museveni said even the small countries like Denmark, Luxembourg are protected by powerful alliances.

On the economy, Mr Museveni rallied Eala MPs to kick-start a regional common industrialisation policy that would ultimately led to a uniform ban on second-hand clothes across the region.

Uganda imports at least 1,500 tons of second-hand clothing annually but there have been calls across East Africa to ban the importation of used clothes to promote the local textile in the five-member states.
The government had proposed a tax increment on used clothes and shoes, diapers (mivumba) from 15 per cent to 20 per cent in the 2016/17 budget but it was rejected by MPs on grounds that Uganda is “a second-hand economy.”

But Mr Museveni argued that East Africa’s population of more than 162 million people was not being used to develope the region, quoting figures indicating that East Africa imports more from India, China, Japan and Dubai than intra-E. Africa imports.

“When you put on a second-hand cloth from somebody who died, you are not only donating money to those outsiders but you are also donating five or six labels of jobs,” he said.

The growing, tinning, weaving.Our textile industry had dies. If you do not make your own cars, textiles, cars, what do you make?” Mr Museveni asked.

Mr Museveni estimated that the five East Africa member states spend between $10.000m-$15,000m in importation of goods and services from other countries, with far less money used to do intra-East Africa trade.