Thread by @MathiasMpuuga

Pursuant to Rule 53 of our Rules of Procedure, I seize the opportunity to respond to the State of the Nation Address delivered by the President on June 4. #SOTN2021 #AccountabilityAndService

While the Article 101 of the Constitution doesn't prescribe the content of the Address, it is expected that President would use it as a performance report card of what has been undertaken by government since the last address. Unfortunately, this has never been the case. #SOTN2021

Specifically Objective I(ii) requires the President to report at least once a year the extent of realization of the policy objectives and principles. The provision does not deter the State of the Nation Address from being used as the reporting mechanism. #AccountabilityAndService

Otherwise without the clear benchmarks, the “State of Nation Addresses” tantamount to a mere speech. Going forward, for the subsequent years, the President shd conform, structure and deliver the State of Nation Address based on the National Objectives. #AccountabilityAndService

#COVID19 has become a cover-up for almost every government failure. Of late, the President and his government attribute to the pandemic the contraction of the economy, rising poverty levels, escalating public debt and poor service delivery among others. #AccountabilityAndService

Before the pandemic, these concerns were already manifest. The lifeline of the economy and indeed government has for long been borrowing. The tax revenues are insufficient to fund the government’s expenditures. #AccountabilityAndService

It is only natural that any sector will dwindle in productivity with continued deprivation. This has been the case for the agriculture, education, health, information, innovation, technology, public service and trade sectors. #AccountabilityAndService

Almost every sector of government hs been deprived except for security and physical infrastructure. it not surprising that the NRM regime is gambling in its response to the pandemic. Let there4 not the pandemic be used as a distraction frm gov't’s poor planning & prioritization.

It is clear that government has violated Article 189 of the Constitution by its decimal performance in the delivery of public services. #PlenaryUg #AccountabilityAndService

Entrenchment of Inequalities
The President has deliberately entrenched the stratification of the citizenry according to access to power into the rulers and the ruled. The rich and the paupers. The privileged and under privileged. #AccountabilityAndService #PlenaryUg

Instead of engaging the entire c'try in a dialogue on how to address the prevailing social and econ inequalities, the President assured us that the solution only lies in his chdn. The rest of the citizens have been reduced to a status of followers. #AccountabilityAndService

It is increasingly impossible for several chdn frm peasant h/holds to access tertiary educ that hs seemingly become a preserve of the affluent. Irrespective of levels of competencies, many people hv been granted jobs & appointments based on nepotism & sycophancy. #PlenaryUg

The recourse to the rest of the citizenry is to continue the struggle to free ourselves from captivity of political and economic vultures in gov't. Only then can we blossom in a #NewUganda in which every citizen is guaranteed successful future. #AccountabilityAndService

A new Uganda in which citizens are not discriminated agst based on their econ status, belief system, cultural inclination, political affiliation, proximity to rulers etc. A c'try in which opportunities will be accessed & granted based on merit. #AccountabilityAndService

Leaders will be appointed and jobs attained based on competence. #AccountabilityAndService #PlenaryUg #SOTN2021

UNEMPLOYMENT
While the President was silent on youth unemployment, it is rampant in the country. It is a security threat that requires urgent and deliberate attention. The educated youth are increasingly getting frustrated due to lack of employment opportunities. #PlenaryUg

Initiatives such as Youth Livelihood Programme, Youth Enterprise Scheme and Skilling Uganda and Youth Venture Capital Fund have failed to bear satisfactory fruits. They've failed to stimulate labour demand & uptake. #AccountabilityAndService

Unfortunately, no comprehensive evaluations of the initiatives have been undertaken to inform effective replacements. As consequence the scarce public funds continue to be spent with no satisfactory impact. #AccountabilityAndService #PlenaryUg

Gov't seems to have embraced externalization of labour as an escape route of dealing with the youth whose aspirations it failed to fulfill. Regrettably, it has failed to effectively regulate the labour externalization. #AccountabilityAndService

Cases of sexual harassment, trafficking, non-payment and underpayment are reported but not adequately addressed. As a result, there are many distressed Ugandan workers abroad. #AccountabilityAndService

CORRUPTION
The resolve by the President and his government to fight it is a mere rhetoric. The President indicated that he had established that corruption started from the Ministry of Finance through the development of bloated projects. #AccountabilityAndService

Unfortunately, almost all of the Ministers responsible for the bloated projects were never dropped in the newly appointed Cabinet. Instead, they were reappointed and some transferred to other dockets. These have joined others that were censored and convicted for corruption...

...Is this how corruption is fought? Surely not! In our absurd case corruption is rewarding. #AccountabilityAndService #PlenaryUg

President would like to share with the country if indeed his fight is not dispirited or indeed, he is not a captive of the corrupt! Anti-corruption agencies have domineered public posturing instead of curbing corruption. #AccountabilityAndService #PlenaryUg

... parades, press conferences and security convoys service the egos of those appointed to head the agencies. They never pursue their master and his colonies. #AccountabilityAndService #PlenaryUg

Notwithstanding the massive classified expenditures, there has been a spike of mysterious and unresolved murders of Muslim clerics, women, police officers and army officers among others. #AccountabilityAndService #PlenaryUg

Instead of lamenting, the President as the Commander-In-Chief shd account for the funds so far spent on bolstering the security apparatus in the country. The recent attempted assassination of @GenWamala exposed the inefficiencies in the network & intelligence gathering.

The involved criminals could not easily be identified and tracked. 3 yrs down the road, not all guns are fingerprinted. Undertaking of ensuring that helmets of motor cycle riders are illuminated and monitored in a central hub is yet to be realized #AccountabilityAndService

CRIMINALIZATION OF THE OPPOSITION
The State of the Nation Address was the first, immediately after the most violent and most fraudulent election since independence! The election was conducted in the disgraceful and shameful manner, never seen before. #AccountabilityAndService

All state agencies were pitied agst the opposition. Many were arrested & held in illegal military detentions without charge, while others were held on politically motivated charges by all manner of operatives without a clear line of command. #FreeAllPoliticalPrisoners

Security forces have tortured, maimed and killed citizens in an attempt of curtailing political dissent. This was done under the full knowledge and tacit collusion of the official state security machinery. This was the year of the notorious “drones”! #AccountabilityAndService

Did the President immediately forget about the notoriety of the drones, bought by the tax-payer and used to vest suffering to the same people? That he made no mention of the killings, disappearances, maiming vested on citizens tells a lot about the official direction of the state

Security structures particularly the court martial try civilians in disregard of civil courts. The regime is endeavouring to rule by law and the not under the law through tramped up charges. #AccountabilityAndService #FreeAllPoliticalPrisoners #PlenaryUg

The growing levels of intolerance for divergent political views is not only bad for our fragile democracy but a recipe for disaster. We have so many families whose loved ones disappeared since last year. They were picked by security operatives in drones #FreeAllPoliticalPrisoners

The State of the Nation address did not offer any assurance for justice to the affected families, let alone a humble mention and admission of circumstances! I invite the 11th Parliament to summon its Constitutional powers to reign into a runaway state...

...that is acting through extra-legal means! Let the state account for all citizens that were picked up by security operatives. #FreeAllPoliticalPrisoners

I want to speak to these families, somebody rise on the floor of this August House, the Peoples House of Parliament and advise me how to speak to these families on the state of the nation!! Are we preparing this country for retribution and revenge! #AccountabilityAndService

Politics & political space shd be occupied for a positive purpose. Our political space is laden with negativity & survival. It is dangerously occupied by self-seekers & regime hangers-on who have become the single biggest danger to national security and political predictability.

ECONOMIC RECOVERY
It is increasingly becoming evident that government has relegated almost all its core obligations to the private sector. It is ceding ground in most critical sectors such as finance, education and health. #AccountabilityAndService #PlenaryUg

During the previous regimes, these sectors were prioritized by gov't & made strides in developing infrastructure that delivered affordable services across the c'try. Gov't has remained with very limited footprint. Private commercial banks are the leading domestic lenders...

...Gov't is competing with its citizens in accessing credit instead of competing with commercial banks in providing credit. The most dilapidated & poorly remunerated schools are public schools. In the health sector, gov't health facilities are characterized by absenteeism...

... drug scarcity, lack of ambulances & poorly remunerated personnel. Nonetheless, citizens are struggling to access cheap credit, education & medical care. The government is seeking to secure their future in after life not during life. #AccountabilityAndService #PlenaryUg

Public Private Partnerships (PPPs)
On several occasions, the President has attributed high electricity costs to the poor contract of Bujagali & @UmemeLtd These are just icebergs of a systematic problem. Poor negotiation teams. #AccountabilityAndService

While the private actors engage the best negotiators that they can find at the best remunerated terms, the State on the other hand engage the inadequately remunerated negotiators. As a result, they are exposed to the risk of being compromised #AccountabilityAndService #PlenaryUg

LEGISLATIVE AGENDA
As earlier noted, due to lack of a structured #SOTN this year’s address didn't enumerate government’s legislative agenda. This was a clear indication that since this term was seized acrimoniously govt was yet to develop its legislative agenda.

Unlike the President and his government, the Opposition in Parliament under the leadership of the Shadow Cabinet will spearhead a number of legislations in Parliament #AccountabilityAndService