President Yoweri Museveni has blamed the earlier governments after independence for delaying the development of democracy in the country.
Museveni was Monday presiding over the awarding of 1162 medals to Members of Parliament who served since the independence in 1962 to 2012.
The President said the post independence governments were characterized by serving the interests of individuals in leadership against the interest of the general population and that is why they did not serve for long.
“We got our independence but there were two things as described by science as forms and substance. There were forms of democracy but not the real substance,” He said.
L-R: Speaker Rebecca Kadaga, President Museveni and Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanya (Back Row) pse with the members of the 1st parliament
Museveni stressed that poor ideology of sectarianism was a precarious thorn in the faces of subsequent governments that took leadership from the colonialists and decided to keep on practicing the wrong deeds of the British.
“Wrong ideology was the problem with our people who took power from the colonialists. They kept on with the bad ideology of looking at the identities of people before serving them. That was so bad and there was no meaning,” Museveni stressed.
All MPs who served between 1962 tp to 2012 were awarded medals
According to Museveni the second problem was the armies that were started in wrong foundations which he said negatively contributed to the growth of democracy in Uganda.
“The army is a strong pillar in both the economical and democratic development of any society or country. Unfortunately our past governments did not take it serious and the results are known.”
He accused the past governments of participating in the killing of leaders and mentioned some of the MPs who were killed during the Idi Amin Dada’s government.