President Museveni has said that the East African bloc is a potential superpower of the League of superpowers like India or China.
“If we integrate economically and politically, assisted, fortunately, by the Swahili language, which is part of the heritage of this area,” Museveni said on Sunday October 9, 2022 during Uganda’s 6oth Independence Day celebrations held at Kololo ceremonial grounds in the capital Kampala.
He said in spite of the numerous problems over these 60 years, Uganda is now standing and marching forward and that it is not only Uganda that faced problems; so did many African countries.
“That is why, on this occasion, I would like to ask the African political class the following two questions. Two historical questions are: “Are there Professors of Economics in Africa? Is the African Political Class determined to build a Latin America in Africa Instead of the United States of Africa in Africa?”” he wondered.
“Even by the time we defeated Idi Amin in 1979, our thinking on the philosophical, ideological and strategic issues, was well crystalized. Philosophy tries to understand man and his motivations. Ideology deals with ideas about the management of Society and strategy deals with the methods, used to implement whatever plans you have for society.”
On the side of philosophy, Museveni said they had discovered that while there may be some ultruistic actors in Society, the majority of people were ego-centric hence, the wisdom of using the private sector in the economy, without banishing completely the use of parastatals.
“On the side of ideology, we discovered that in order to create prosperity for our people through the production and sell of goods and services, we need to emphasize the four principles of: patriotism (loving Uganda), pan- Africanism (loving va Africa), socio-economic transformation and democracy.”
By that time, he said, they had already discovered that one of Africa’s problems has been the curse of confining itself to the export of raw-materials “where we always get less than 10% of the actual value of the end product out of those raw-materials and the resultant loss of jobs to the cleverer-led outsiders”.
Museveni said the “external parasite groups” are always interested in perpetuating that haemorrhage of resources and development energies from Africa to other places.
“What is most infuriating, however, are the comprador bourgeoisie (agents of foreign interests) in Africa, who do two things. First of all, they oppose our value addition efforts, so as to frustrate our industrialization efforts. Secondly, they are always importing everything from outside, including trivialities like dead people’s hair. It is these processes that have stunted Africa’s growth.”
“…It is this, that prompts me to ask the Question: “Are there professors of economics in Africa?” Of course, it should be the political leaders that should evolve policies about these issues. The question, however, is: “If the political actors do not see this haemorrhage, why should the academicians not see it? Are they not supposed to scan the global system as to what is going on where and why?” Are professors and academicians, not supposed to use their knowledge to see what is good or bad for their people? It is a tragedy.”
Museveni said in Uganda, he had to fight the neo-colonial politicians, civil servants, parasitic importing merchants, on account of this haemorrhage.
“The second question I want to pose, again, is: “Is the political class in Africa determined to build a Latin America in Africa or a United States of Africa in Africa?””
He said this question should have been answered at Independence.
According to him, the best formula, if possible, so as to create a framework for guaranteeing the prosperity of People, is the USA formula – which entails both political and economic integration.
“Here, in Africa, it points to the creation of political federations, like the one of East Africa. Such a Federation would guarantee, not only the prosperity of the People through a big market that would guarantee off-take for the producers of goods and services, but it would also ensure strategic security of People. Nobody would dare to threaten their security. They would ensure their four dimensional strategic security – on land, in the air, at sea and in space. It would also deal with the problem of the suppressed fraternity of the African Peoples.”
“It has, therefore, been long, ever since the NRM and its pre-cursors, started supporting the struggle for the realization of the dream of the East African Federation. If we had achieved that by 1963 as the elders had intended, this part of the World would be very far.”
According to the president, some of the political elite let down Africa in 1963 by frustrating the effort.
“In my opinion, East Africans will be better off, if the most efficient East African producers are encouraged so that the whole of the region benefits,” he pointed out, adding:
“If our Economics Professors wake up and see the haemorrhage the NRM revolutionaries have been seeing ever since the 1960s on account of only producing raw-materials and the political class determines not to build a Latin America in Africa but instead build a United States of Africa in Africa, a very prosperous and secure future for Africa will be ensured.”
