President Museveni Address to The Central Executive Committee and National Executive Council of NRM

His Excellency the Vice President,Rt. Hon. Speaker,NRM Vice Chairman,Secretary General,Members of CECMembers of the NEC,Ladies and gentlemen. DOWN WITH CAREERISM, DOWN WITH CORRUPTION, DOWN WITH OPPORTUNISM, DOWN WITH EGO-CENTRISM, DOWN WITH BRIBERY Esteemed Members of CEC and NEC, I greet you and congratulate you on your recent elections.  Yesterday, when I addressed the NRM Leagues, I pointed out that this is the right moment to get our bearings and re-acquire the NRM ideological, strategy and moral compass.  The NRM was and is still a great Party because of four reasons. First, it is a Party of correct ideology ─ uniting the people of Uganda and rejecting sectarianism of religion or tribe as well as being against gender chauvinism (discriminating against women, youth or disabled).  This is how the NRM healed the disunity of the people of Uganda.  When you hear the NRM garnering 75% in 1996, 69% in 2001, 60% in 2006 and 68% in 2011, it is because we healed those sicknesses.  We healed the sicknesses of sectarianism.  The people of Uganda are now more united than at any one time in the last 500 years.  This is because before colonialism, we were divided into small tribal states ─ Bunyoro, Buganda, Nkore, Bukiri, Gani, Busoga chiefdoms, etc.  During colonialism, in addition to tribal sectarianism, religious sectarianism added itself.  On account of sectarianism, the Ugandans could not build a capable State ─ Army, Judiciary, Civil Service, etc. One of the Chief Justices was actually murdered by the President of that time.  That meant that there was no peace.  Hence, this is the first time Uganda has got unity and peace for the first time in 500 years.  After Independence, the lack of unity and lack of peace got worse, until the NRM time. Secondly, it is a Party of selflessness and sacrifice.  Starting with we the pioneers,  we would walk on foot or bicycle to any distance in order to do Party work without pay and in spite of great dangers to ourselves.  That is how 27 people were able to, eventually, defeat the 60,000 Government soldiers we confronted. 

Thirdly, the NRM is a Party that does the Kukyenuura (solving people’s solvable needs, kugonjoola ebizibu by’abaantu ebisobola okukolebwako, Lugbara-obi ma azakozu afa eyini lele diyisi, Teso-loedaun-apiokicio, Luo-tyeko peko ajoo). What did we kukyenuura our people from?  We liberated our people from sectarianism as pointed out before.  You did not have to worry about your neighbour cutting down your banana plantation or poisoning your cow because of sectarianism.  We liberated our people from the indiscipline of the army ─ beating, raping, killing, etc. We kukyenuurad our people from shortages of consumer goods (so called essential commodities) such as salt, paraffin, soap, sugar, etc. etc.   Progressively, we are dealing with bigger issues such as education, health, poverty-eradication, infrastructure and job-creation.  In my address to the National Delegates Conference, tomorrow, I am going to address all these issues in detail. Fourthly, the NRM leaders always spoke the truth (amazima, Luo-adaa, Teso-abeit,).  Speaking the truth and not covering up the wrongs helped us to know what to do.  If a soldier or a civilian misbehaved, the truth would come out.  Nobody would attempt to cover him or her up.  It was, therefore, easy to correct mistakes. As you will see from my speech to the National Delegates Conference, we are making very good progress and Uganda is about to take off and become a middle-income country.  We only need to deal with the issue of exports.  The shilling has been depreciating because we import more than we export.  We need to export more and export processed and manufactured goods rather than exporting raw materials like we are doing today.  We are exporting unprocessed coffee, unprocessed maize, unprocessed cotton, etc. etc.  We are, therefore, earning much less money than we would earn, if we exported processed products. I will say more on this in the National Delegates Conference tomorrow. Certainly, number three, kukyenuura, is moving very well and systematically.  The army has kukyenuura our people from insecurity, killings by the army, terrorism by the terrorist, cattle-rustling by the Karimojong warriors, etc, etc.  However, recently, I have heard of incidents of Army or Police beating wanainchi.  This is not acceptable to the NRM.  The commanders should not tolerate this.  Even okubogolera (barking) at wanainchi is not acceptable.  The other three, however, have suffered a setback, from my observation.  Ideology, for instance; I have heard some elements trying to revive sectarianism.  The reason for that, however, is selfishness.  It is not for the interest of any sects but for the interest of individuals who are, mainly, looking for office.  If one person is elected to a position, how will that help the tribe or a religious sect?  A useful person or a useful Party helps all Ugandans because they have the same needs only influenced by the differing local circumstances.  When we disciplined the army, we did it for the benefit, not only of all

Ugandans, but also for the foreigners that stay here.  If somebody is useless for the Ugandans in general, he/she is useless even to the sub-group he/she comes from (cultural, religious, gender, etc).  Therefore, this pseudo-ideology (endowooza ezobulimba, Luo-goba, Teso-esabit, Lugbara-lokiri) is put forward by the false prophets (banabi abebishuba, banabi abobulimba, Lugbara-ba e’yo odripi e’nzo ru’diyi, Luo-onebi agoba) for selfish reasons ─ mainly to benefit individuals, using wrong methods.  This needs to be stopped.  The religious leaders and the cultural leaders need to strictly discipline their workers on this issue.  I do not want to hear that any of these elements are even whispering sectarianism of any type.  This is an ideology that failed tragically in the past. The spirit of sacrifice has been killed.  Any little assignment for the Party must be followed by “facilitation” (meaning money).  Where does this money come from?  Even a Government, let alone a Party, cannot pay 15 million people.  Who was paying us when we were fighting with guns? The question is being asked: “nfunyemu ki nze ngomuntu?” “What have I benefitted as an individual?”  Meaning: “What have I gained as a person by working for the Party for a long time?” After all, even the opposition members are enjoying peace, their children are going to UPE schools, etc. etc.  Those are benefits that everybody is getting, even the one that does not support the Party.  The mistake here is that if you do not support a capable Party, those benefits and improvements may not be there for everybody ─ yourself included.  Will that be good for you?  If the Opposition Members do not see the benefits or do not appreciate the improvements, that is a weakness on their part.  In the Bible, in the Book of Mathew Chap: 13:13-15: It says; This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand”.  In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving”. For this people’s heart has become callused; “they hardly hear with their ears and they have closed their eyes.  Otherwise they might see with eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn and, I would heal them”.   The fact that the opposition do not appreciate should not make us forget our usefulness to the country.  If the opposition members “have eyes but do not see”, “have ears but do not hear”, it should not make us regret (kwejusa, kwefuuza, Luo-pe-ataro, Teso-aiturur, Lugbara-mazini mati ku) as to why we, who have eyes and ears that see and hear, are supporting the NRM.  In theBook of Genesis Chap: 18:32, it says: If I find “ten righteous people in the city, I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten”.  This was in a conversation between God and Ibrahim when God wanted to destroy Sodom and Gommorah.  The wicked or the ones in the wrong should not divert us from our mission nor should we covet their wrong ways.  The few that are righteous, that are selfless, can save the many that are in the wrong.

 When I was growing up some members of my clan were fond of drinking alcohol (amaarwa, omwenge, ewa, kongo, ajon).  I could see that that alcohol was not good for them as individuals or for all of us as a group.  Some of them could not see the problem but some of us could.  What, then, was the way forward?  Should I have said that since nobody is remunerating me for being a teetotaler, nobody was facilitating me in that effort, I should also convert to alcoholism after all there was no direct monetary benefit to me in my being disciplined?  That argument is, obviously, wrong.  While there is no immediate and direct personal monetary benefit, indirectly there are alot of benefits ─ health, discipline and even money because I save, I do not squander money on alcohol, I have the health to work for my benefit as an individual and for the society as a whole, etc. etc.  Alcoholism versus a disciplined way of life is, therefore, a debate on strategy as to the better way of life.   Many people in my clan came to appreciate my unswerving commitment to discipline and they showered me with cattle gifts, only that I do not accept them.  The same goes with Political Parties.  That debate on ideology, strategy and collective plans, in the end, affects even the individual. Nevertheless, there is reason for the cynism of the people who say: “Why should I sacrifice while others are enjoying?”  It is those leaders who have come into positions with a careerist mentality, to be in leadership so as to gain individually, that have triggered this confusion among the people.  The leaders should be examples.  If you, as a leader, look for personal benefits, everybody looks for personal benefits. The Banyankore have a saying that: “Nyineeka kwagyenda ainami, eka emarwa amayonjo” (curved in shoulders).  It means that when the head of the family walks while looking down, then the whole family develops bent-in shoulders.  In otherwords, a bad habit multiplies itself.  If the leaders are selfish, then everybody becomes selfish.  If the leaders are patriotic, everybody will be patriotic.  The NRM leaders and members must be examples in patriotism, in selflessness, in speaking the truth, in humility, etc.  The leaders should not involve themselves in taking sides among our followers.  You have not heard me campaigning for anybody in our structures ─ either quietly or publically.  Anybody that NRM members send, I will work with them. Yet, through Operation Wealth Creation, I have demonstrated to all of you that, apart from the general benefits, the NRM Government can target the individuals that have worked for the patriotic cause for a long time and assist them.  OWC targeted the families of our supporters in the bush war and gave them, coffee seedlings, tea seedlings, fruit seedlings, etc., before moving to the wider society. If you see the tensions and the bad blood generated by the recent primaries, you notice that the main problem is that, apart from selfishness, some of the NRM Members do not say the truth.  If you stuck to the truth, things would be simplified and easily corrected. 

There are two hundred voters in this village, why do you say they are 300?  That is where the problem starts from.  That is what has helped me all this time.  Sticking to the truth! As for the misbehaving in the Primaries, the NRM provided for this.   The problem is that you are not using the law.  It is illegal to inflate voters; if caught you will go to jail for a period not exceeding 5 years. It is criminal to assault another person, causing actual bodily harm; if you do so, you will go to jail for 5 years.  It is criminal to be sectarian, if you do so, you will go to jail for a period not more than 5 years.   It is criminal to malign somebody. The sanction for this is imprisonment not exceeding 6 months. Therefore, the RDCs, the Police, the ISOs should not kukonesa (incomplete cooking) these mistake makers by not getting the facts that should be used in their prosecution.  Such mistake makers will not only go to jail, they will be disqualified by the national laws, not to mention the NRM Constitution.  Let us go back to the basics of NRM, honourable delegates.  The army has done their part.  Do yours, do not let down your country.  The Government, the weaknesses of the individual players notwithstanding, has also done its part in the economic recovery and development.  I have also heard of some infiltration in the Party.  Who are these who send less ballot papers to a village?  Yet, the names are there on the register of voters?  I have already given orders to unearth them.   Just give detailed reports with facts.  Do not make generalized complaints.  Illustrate every fact.   Recently, I went to Bukaanga, Isingiro.  Although I had little time, I was able to discover two facts.  One fact was that Mr. Ruharo Charles who was arrested by the Police was rightly arrested because he was conducting organizational work beyond midnight.  I want the lawyers to confirm to me whether activities like meeting agents is illegal.   The second fact I heard of was the beating of Adam Muhumuza of Kashumba sub-county, Murema village by two Policemen.  Who beat Adam?  The Police in Isingiro must organize an identification parade for Adam to identify those who beat him.  If the Regional Police Commander (RPC) does not organize that parade, I will go and do it myself.  That is what I did in Namayingo when criminals were killing our people there.  I demand that the NRM leaders and members should be exemplary.  Let the others steal votes, bribe, fight if they want but not us.  It says in the Book of   Mathew Chap: 5:16:  “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise our Father in Heaven”.  Let our conduct so shine before the Ugandans, that they will praise us as they did in the past. I remember one singer praising the NRA/UPDF by saying: “Abaserikale abalinga Ababikira” ─ i.e. “soldiers who are as polite as nuns”.  That is what the NRM members should emulate.  In the past years, the NRM Secretariat was dormant.  That is why all these bad conducts have grown in the Party ─ pushed by selfish elements.  The new

Secretariat must rise to the occasion and educate our Party members.  I am even beginning to wonder at all these huge resources we squander by trying bureaucratic elections.  How about our original method of lining up behind candidates to stop all this circus?  Do we need to think about it again? On the issue of bribery for elections, you need to know that that you are a delegate (Omubaka, Omujwekyerwa, Lugbara-Omu, Teso-Agwoikinton, Luo-Lawang, Madi-Amu).  You came here representing the masses.  The bribe you will get will not and cannot be big enough to be shared, meaningfully, with the masses you represent.  Nevertheless, you are going to vote for individuals on the basis of the bribe but not on their capacity to kukyenuura (solve the collective problems) of the people.  That means you will have betrayed those people ─ the masses. On the issue of salaries for public servants, including MPs, there is already a proposal for a Harmonized Salaries Board so that the differentials are ironed out.  Making political jobs lucrative has attracted careerists into political competition.  This, plus a weak Secretariat, has opened the way for all these vices. The RDCs, the DPCs and the DISOs should not allow these vices to flourish.  They have the means to hold the culprits answerable.  Finally, I need to caution our members about branding each other ─ saying this, is “pro-Mbabazi” “pro-FDC”, etc.   Ugandans know how to speak for themselves.  Those who want to join Mr. Mbabazi can speak for themselves.  Nobody else should speak for them.  If they are acting as infiltrators, we shall discover them and deal with the infiltration. I thank you.