Uganda, so poor, such a reckless spender!

SIR-I am irked by the magnitude of the government's reckless expenditure on luxuries and unessential items. The most conspicuous are these Nissan Patrols and Land Cruisers that ministers and other public servants are using. Uganda is a poor country with miserable earnings. What right do we have then to buy these luxurious and high fuel consuming vehicles? Is too below the standards if these ministers used double cabin pickup trucks or other vehicles less costly but suitable for our roads? Besides the Prados and Pajeros are not used for a full term. A minister uses it for two years and discards it. Can the Ugandan tax-payer afford this luxury? When the NRM had just assumed power, President Museveni directed that minister should use Nissan Laurels instead of Benzes. What happened to that kind of scrupulous planning? Another item is telephones. Some public servants have their domestic phone bills paid for by the government. Why should the tax-payer bear the burden of both office and home phone bills of public servants? The struggle against corruption is being misdirected by politicians into personal fights against individuals like Salim Saleh, Muhwezi and others. The real problem is the government's unscrupulous expenditure and prioritisation. President Museveni should start with the new cabinet. Let them learn to live lives commensurate with the income of a Third World banana republic and let all tax-payers stand up as one and say no to this senseless spending. Francis Niinye Kampala