Election time comes once in five years, and when it comes there are people who get very excited. In the olden days, we used to say that they are in a state of temporary madness.
They say all sorts of things, paint their faces with party colours and others dance almost naked carrying dry banana leaves (ebisanja) on the streets.
Presidential candidates embark on campaign trails throughout the country to seek votes. Each one promises to do all kinds of things for the people if they elect him/her as President.
Some of them promise to do things which are really impossible and others make shocking and quite outrageous statements. For example, my good friend Dr Abed Bwanika, leader of People’s Development Party, was reported to have said that “President Museveni is worse than Amin and Milton Obote”.
I have heard people asking whether Dr Bwanika saw the atrocities which were committed during those regimes. I think Dr Bwanika should clarify more on what he meant when he said Museveni is worse than Obote and Amin.
Dr Kizza Besigye, the FDC presidential candidate, while addressing people at a rally in Agago District, is reported to have said that if he is elected President of Uganda, he will sell the presidential jet which President Museveni now uses, and he will distribute the money to the people.
Seriously speaking, a presidential jet is absolutely necessary in a developed and developing country like Uganda at the level it is today.
First and foremost, a presidential jet must be properly protected every minute of the day where it is kept at the airport and wherever the President goes on foreign and local visits.
It is more economical for a country to have its own presidential jet which the President can use anytime either for sudden or planned visits overseas, than to hire an aircraft from other sources who’s safety is not guaranteed.
When it is not in use, the presidential jet must be kept in its own hangar at the airport under military guard specially assigned for that specific job.
A presidential jet must have its own known pilot, engineer and cabin crew who are specially assigned by government, but not handpicked anyhow.
When it is taken for the regular mechanical checkups as well as refueling, both its pilot and the engineer must be present. Before the President enters that aircraft, whatever is loaded on it for use at the destination, must be properly checked by the presidential escort.
With my knowledge on aviation and airline marketing, I know the problems and complications which one will encounter if he thinks of not owning a presidential jet and depend on hiring one from other sources or airlines.
The problems are that, you may not get a suitable aircraft at the time you want it. Secondly, you do not know how safe that aircraft is and you do not know the personnel serving on that aircraft.
Thirdly, information may leak to your enemies in the process of hiring that aircraft, and the enemies get a chance of blowing up that aircraft en-route to your destination.
The other problems are the costs of hiring an aircraft because you are charged on how many miles that will be covered and how many hours or days you will keep that aircraft. Considering all that, you will find that it is cheaper and economical for a country like Uganda to have its own presidential jet.
No comments:
Post a Comment