Eddie Mugisa (inset) believes that within 100 days of occupying office, he will make changes that will transform the health sector. Courtesy Photo
In Summary
It will be business unusual: From creating new ministries to developing a socialist policy, Eddie Mugisa has got a strict agenda on how the country should be run. This is his game plan.
The Presidency of the Republic of Uganda is a very important office. First, the preliminaries: Personally as President, I would honour my predecessor with a dinner in State House Entebbe for a job well done.
I will make peace with my political opponents and adopt some of their ideas into my manifesto as means of enhancing political unity and social harmony in the country.
I will pursue policies that seek to bolster the wellbeing of all Ugandans regardless of tribe or ethnicity, gender, religion, creed or colour.
I will institute a truth and reconciliation commission, in order to revise the country’s history and document it for the future generations. I will make a proclamation on corruption. I will significantly cut down expenditure by the government. I will directly influence the priorities of my government in the following manner:
1. SECURITY
I will direct the Ministry of Finance to allocate 25 per cent of the budget to security in order to enhance the protection of life and property in Uganda, as well as to safeguard the country’s frontiers.
This allocation will also enable the Uganda People’s Defense Force and other security organs to meet their international obligations in terms of peace keeping.
I will revise Uganda’s defence strategy so that we concentrate on intelligence gathering, information processing, verification and validation.
This will enable our strategic command to act in a more efficient, versatile and deadly manner.
I will look into the welfare and remuneration of members of the armed forces.
2. EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT
I will direct the Ministry of Finance to increase the budgetary allocation to the education sector to 20 per cent as education is of strategic interest to any progressive country.
I will direct the Ministry of Education to introduce a vocational training component for all science related courses at university and tertiary level while a parallel entrepreneurial component will be introduced for all arts related courses in the various institutions of higher learning.
I will then establish a nationwide revolving fund that is accessible to all qualified individuals in order for them to set up their own ventures.
I will tackle the problem of unequal access to higher institutions of learning by widening the mandate of the recently established Equal Opportunities Commission to oversee fair allocation of slots in public universities.
I will lobby Parliament to enact a law that allows me to create a Presidential Education Trust that will enable me look out and sponsor the many bright but disadvantaged students who are unable to study beyond Primary Seven due to financial constraints.
I will direct the Ministry of Education to work closely with the National Curriculum Development Centre so as to ensure that our school syllabi are able to cater for learning needs that meet international standards.
I will boost investment by government in sectors such as: Mining, tourism, agriculture and Information and Communication Technologies, creating state run enterprises that can absorb Ugandan workers.
I will lobby Parliament to enact laws seeking to give mandatory 40 per cent of slots in foreign owned companies to Ugandans.
Not only that, but to also streamline the agricultural sector, to boost employment levels within the economy.
I will lobby Parliament to enact laws that will streamline the export of Ugandan labour so that it is conducted in a transparent, fair and economically meaningful manner.
I will direct the Public Service Commission to come up with new and innovative proposals in regard to the retirement age for public civil servants as well as their retirement packages and benefits.
3. HEALTH
I will work together with all stakeholders in order to review the country’s progress in regard to the Millennium Development Goals and direct the Ministry of Finance to increase the budgetary allocation on health to 20 per cent.
4. AGRICULTURE TRADE AND INVESTMENT
I will I will create a Ministry of Agriculture, Trade and Investment. Through this ministry, I will direct that the number of trained agricultural extension officers to be increased in order to have an impact on service delivery to farmers in rural areas.
I will charge the ministry to oversee the management and operations of cooperatives and insist that the minister reports directly to me on the issue of cooperatives.
I will encourage Foreign Direct Investment into the economy while at the same time lobby the Parliament to enact laws that allow for provision of incentives such as: Tax breaks, soft loans and grants to our indigenous investors.
5. FOREIGN POLICY
Uganda’s foreign policy will largely be a reflection of my liberalist ideology, something I strongly subscribe to.
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