What the UPDF will vote for in the February 18, 2016 election

By Lt Col Paddy Ankunda

Many people forget that the men in uniform have a vote and a choice to make when it comes to elective political offices.

Whether this means that we are political actors or not is a debate for another day. But what is true is that we actually have a choice and this choice is political.

We live in a world where people want to teach you "what to think" instead of "how to think". Unfortunately, our education system has not been able to undo this distortion and so we continue to pay the price of embracing other people's ideas without question. This has been Africa's quagmire in adopting the western democracy model.

The biggest failure of leadership in Africa is the inability to question the acceptance of popular thinking. For example, if one asked the question: Are good soldiers those who do not understand and/or participate politically? Many would quickly answer in the affirmative.

However, if we pondered for a minute and looked at the nature of conflicts in the world, we would realise that all wars are political; the military fights them the politicians win them.

Therefore, a soldier who has limited understanding of the political goings on in his country is a potential criminal. He can be used and misused by those who seek elective political office to the detriment of the country.

February 18, the day of presidential elections will mark a historic day in our country. Many have, however, questioned the role of the military in this important national endeavour. Although several leaders have explained this role in great length, there are still doubts in the minds of some actors as to whether the military would remain neutral or not.

Today I want to re-affirm that the UPDF shall remain non-partisan, national in character, patriotic, professional, disciplined, productive and subordinate to the civilian authority. This is established under the Constitution of Uganda (Article 208 (2). We will obey and salute that civil authority elected by the people of Uganda through a free, fair and transparent election. And as we go to the polls, Ugandans must trust that UPDF cannot be the one to overturn the will of the people.

Today, however, I want to underscore what the UPDF will be voting for in this coming election.  UPDF will vote leaders committed to ensuring a secure and peaceful Uganda by promoting and upholding democracy and good governance as core values of national socio-economic transformation. UPDF is firmly on the path of professionalising the institution through training and acquiring capabilities in order to ensure the country's overall security and enable development to occur. Peace and security will remain our biggest contributions to the development of our country.

The UPDF will vote for leaders who are committed to creating wealth for Ugandans. The agricultural sector will be critical in achieving this dream. Investment in agriculture will create employment, food security and enhancement of export earnings and provision of raw materials for industry. Agriculture currently contributes about 25% of Uganda's Gross Domestic Product. The sector employs at least 72% of Ugandans despite the continued growth of both services and the industrial sector. It has also registered growth from 0% three years ago to a steady 3% growth per annum. Already, UPDF is participating in wealth creation efforts through Operation Wealth Creation Task Force.

UPDF will vote for leaders committed to promoting and developing the tourism sector as a major source of employment and foreign exchange earnings. Tourism has been growing consistently since the restoration of peace and security in the country. The sector accounts for around 9.9% of GDP amounting to $2.13b in 2014 compared to $0.8b in 2006. Tourism has brought into the country an equivalent of $1.3b in foreign exchange earnings in 2014 compared to $662m in 2010. UPDF contributes a battalion of soldiers to support Uganda Wild Life Authority.

UPDF will be looking out for leaders whose stance on Uganda's foreign policy objectives is to enhance East African integration as well as maintaining our role as a key contributor to regional peace initiatives. Integration will enhance our collective power as a region, ensure expanded markets, promote mutual defence arrangements, provide cross border employment and consolidate our joint efforts in dealing with crime and terrorism in the region.

Over all, the UPDF will be voting for leaders with good policies on education, health, human capital development, trade, international and regional cooperation, infrastructural development and good policies on harnessing natural resources. However, the most important driver of our choice will be the issue of security, good governance and democracy. The rest as they say will fall in place.

The writer is the Defence/UPDF Spokeperson