Is the UPDF professional?

Just when we think we have heard the last word on the army, it comes up again. This time from Presidential Advisor, John Nagenda. This is what we the wananchi now have on the military: The Commander-in-Chief says the army is unprofessional. (Ndiyo Afande, say the rest of the army leadership). He says if he does not stay on for another five years to help sort this professionalism thing out, "the army could become a problem for the country in future." (Ndiyo Afande, salute, salute ...) Then, another presidential candidate says the army is mismanaged, the soldiers are ill clad, ill fed, ill housed, their salaries are stolen with impunity. "What? How dare you ridicule such a great institution? Besides," they say, "the army is a professional body, and anybody who talks like that cannot possibly have the country at heart!" Well, well, well. I wonder whether these gentlemen listen to themselves talk. The Commander in Chief, at a recent radio talk show (Capital Gang) said that professionalism is being able to put one's job above self. So, on the one hand, they will let someone declare them unprofessional, despite the fact that these men and women have carried on and even gone to battle with such poor facilitation, to the admission of the leadership. The Army Commander says they are going around in such a sorry state to sacrifice, so that the rest of us can enjoy liberty. All very well. But even if we believed this, does this not qualify them as being professional? After all, what yardstick will the civilians use to gauge whether we have sufficient professionalism? Most people can understand good management, and would agree that inefficiency and neglect of personnel welfare are not. Most people find it puzzling that while soldiers of suspect professionalism deployed in a foreign country are doing without salaries, a presidential luxury jet is a more urgent priority. So, please save us the word games. Either the UPDF is professional, and President Museveni should use another reason for wanting to stay in power, or it is "not professional," and for most people, this is a worse label than "poorly managed". If the Army Commander and the rest of the army leadership find this such a touchy subject, let them explain to those of us who pay taxes why they cannot organise their own training after more than twenty years in the profession. Boaz Tusubira Jinja Ends