Museveni’s 10-Point Programme vs Mbabazi’s eight
President Museveni
KAMPALA- The broad policy goals that former prime minister Amama Mbabazi released yesterday differ in substantial ways from what President Museveni says are the key areas of focus, offering a glimpse into how the election battle between the former close friends will be waged.
Mr Mbabazi was a key figure in the external wing of the National Resistance/Army Movement, which Mr Museveni led to power in 1986 after a bush war.
The Movement designed a ten-point programme along which it said it would transform the country but Mr Museveni has since been accused of diverting from it.
This line is what informed Dr Kizza Besigye’s critique of Mr Museveni’s leadership issued in 1999, titled An insider’s view of how the movement lost the broad base.
A close reading of Mr Mbabazi’s 8-Point Programme issued yesterday shows an attempt to blend the original 10-Point Programme with the challenges of modern times, with Mr Mbabazi keen to sell himself as the candidate of the future.
Mr Mbabazi maintains point one of the 10-Point Programme – democracy – at number one, while Mr Museveni’s order of priorities now has it at number 10. Mr Museveni’s new 10-Point Programme was released at Kololo on October 9, 2012, as the country marked 50 years of independence, when Mr Mbabazi was still prime minister.
Mr Museveni named fighting ideological dis-orientation and eliminating sectarianism as the two key priorities of the government. Fighting sectarianism was point three on the original 10-Point Programme. None of these two features on Mr Mbabazi’s list.
Mr Mbabazi delves into issues of equitable distribution of benefits and services across regions, in addition to “enforcing observance of and the respect for the rule of law while ensuring security for all.”
Mbabazi's 8 points
1. Reviving Uganda’s democracy and institutions.
2. Transforming the economy and attracting heavy local and foreign investment.
3. Promoting equitable development where all communities and all regions equally benefit from the decisions made by the government.
4. Providing jobs that are fit for the 21 century.
5. Ensuring a greater level of accountability on the part of the leaders and making a stronger effort at fighting corruption at all levels.
6. Enforcing observance of and the respect for the rule of law while ensuring security for all.
7. Providing good quality healthcare, enhancing the quality of education.
8. Addressing the skills gap.
Museveni’s new 10-point plan
1. Fighting ideological dis-orientation
2. Eliminating sectarianism
3. Improving education to refine human resource
4. Facilitating private sector-led economic growth
5. Developing road, rail and electricity infrastructure
6. Market expansion through regional integration
7. Pursue industrialization for exports’ value addition
8. Develop the service sector to create jobs
9. Modernise agriculture to increase household incomes
10. Deepen democratic governance
Original 10-point programme
1. Democracy
2. Security
3. Consolidation of National security and elimination of all forms of sectarianism
4. Defending and consolidating National Independence
5. Building an independent, integrated and self-sustaining national economy
6. Restoration and improvement of Social services and the rehabilitation of the war ravaged areas
7. Elimination of corruption and misuse of power
8. Redressing errors that have resulted in the dislocation of sections of the population and improvement of others
9. Co-operation with other African countries in defending human and democratic rights of our brothers in other parts of Africa
10. Following an economic strategy of mixed economy
