FDC 2006 Manifesto

In this Manifesto our priorities for the next five years. FDC government, which we believe you will elect to power early next year. Shall focus on the following five key areas as the building blocks for sustainable peace and development.

1. Rebuilding Trust in Government. A truly democratic, open and honest government is long overdue. We are determined to restore constitutionalism and to rid this country of bad governance characterized by false promises, corruption, patronage and nepotism.

2. Providing Security for All. FDC will urgently end the conflicts in Northern and North-Eastern Uganda, and ensure rapid rehabilitation and socio-economic recovery. We will also uphold the rule of law and maintain total peace across the country.

3. Delivering Economic Opportunity for All. FDC will transform Uganda's economy with an agenda for growth, investment in agriculture, small and medium industries, infrastructure, and promotion of production, job creation and competitiveness in both urban centers and the countryside.

4. Investing in Our People. FDC believes that every Ugandan must be transformed into a skilled, competent, highly productive individual, in order for us to achieve rapid, sustainable economic growth and national transformation. We will invest in quality education and skills training, and in quality healthcare and health service provision to unleash the potential of our people.

5. Restoring International Credibility and Respect. FDC will turn Uganda around from a fomenter of conflicts in East and Central Africa to a builder of peace and regional economic and political integration. At the same time FDC government will collaborate in the fight against world terrorism, and enhance our Credibility in the region and the world.

We urge all Ugandans to come together, embrace and support this Manifesto for change. We also seek your support to enable us deliver what we have promised.

The time for change is now.

I look forward to serving you with honour as your next President.

Col. (Rtd.) Dr Kizza Besigye.

One Uganda, One People.
FOR GOD AND MY COUNTRY.

• Defending democracy and freedom
• Zero-tolerance of corruption
• Zero-tolerance of corruption
• Strengthening checks and balances in governance

• Protecting the Constitution and Human Rights
• Promoting peace and reconciliation
• Upholding the rule of law and independence of judiciary
• Ending state terrorism and repression

• Skills training to create more jobs
• Increasing investment in agriculture, industry and services
• Developing roads, electricity, water and housing

• Providing high quality education for all
• Investing more in healthcare
• Delivering social security in old age

• Building a united Uganda
• Strengthening cooperation in the region and the world
• Improving the image of the country

In January 1986, Yoweri Museveni's Government came into power upon the promise of "Fundamental Change".Up to early 1990's Ugandans made tremendous strides in the restoration of peace, good governance, socio-economic recovery and the rule of law.

President, Yoweri Museveni and his regime have now embarked on the destruction of all those acheivements . They have deliberately undermined the country's democratic ideals as enshrined in the 1995 National Constitution. They have resorted to militarism and brutal suppression of the opposition, patronage, corruption, nepotism and cronyism as key means of gaining political advantages and retaining state power.

Museveni's government has deceived, short-changed, brutalized and suppressed Ugandans for far too long. We need a clean and honest government, where freedom, 6 FDC Election Manifesto 2006 6 justice and fairness rule. We need to put behind us state terrorism, repression fear and corruption. FDC will do all it takes to restore the trust of the people in government through policies designed to reestablish true democracy and freedom for all Ugandans, and to eliminate all ills now afflicting our country.

• On coming to power our Government, FDC will initiate an amendment of the Constitution to restore the two-term limit for the President. This is to guarantee orderly succession and political stability for Ugandans.



• FDC will uphold and actively promote clear separation of powers between the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary.



• FDC will put an end to political suppression and guarantee the rights to freedom of speech and assembly.



• FDC will respect, actively promote and protect the rights of those in the opposition, and consult them on key national issues.



• FDC will at all times ensure free and fair elections. To do so, FDC will ensure appointment of a truly independent Uganda Electoral Commission, in consultation with other political parties in Uganda.



• FDC will ensure that Diaspora Ugandans register and vote in our elections.



• FDC will work vigorously to support the growth of a strong civil society as an essential component of stable democracy.



Fighting Corruption, Patronage and Waste
• FDC will implement a policy of zero tolerance of corruption.



• FDC will eliminate corruption that now costs the Ugandan people over 400 billion shillings each year - equivalent to the cost of providing a thousand fully-resourced secondary schools every year or the entire annual budget of 25 districts and invest the resources saved in economic development.



• FDC will establish integrity in the procedures and institutions of government.



• FDC will ensure transparency, and openness strictly follow due processes essential for efficiency and accountability in government.



• FDC government will ensure strict adherence to the budget and expenditure schedules.



Efficient and Lean Government
• FDC will re-establish the culture of public service best practices, and ensure that all appointments to public offices are based on merit rather than on sectarian interests and political conciderations.



• FDC will ensure that all state employees- are nonpartisan, non-sectarian, non-corrupt and have high ethical standards.



• FDC will improve staff training, pay and terms of service and to ensure equal opportunity, motivation and transparent procedures for promotion.



• FDC will build effective state institutions. Government will respect their decisions and allow them to play their full roles in the governance of Uganda, without any hindrance or interferance.



• FDC will strengthen and uphold the independence of parliamentary committees such as the authorities, the Public Service Commission, Ugandan Human Rights Commission, the Inspector General of Government and the Auditor General.



• FDC will ensure that Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is headed by the opposition, and that people appointed to head national institutions are appointed in consultation with the opposition in parliament.



• FDC Government will reduce the bloated public administration in Uganda. We will put in place lean, clean, efficient and affordable Central and Local governments, and root out waste and mismanagement.



• At the earliest of the FDC Government, we will review the existance of the office of Resident District Commissioner, the number of Presidential advisers, and rationalize their appointments.



• FDC will uphold the aspirations of the people of Uganda in respect of a Federal System of governance as contained in the Justice Odoki and Prof Ssempebwa Constitutional Reports. We will also promote traditional institutions as foundations for social harmony amongst Ugandans



• Within the first year of the FDC Government, we will institute a genuine national dialogue for the



establishment of a Federal System of Governance.



2. PROVIDING SECURITY FOR ALL


Over the last 20 years, the Government of President Yoweri Museveni has failed to bring peace to many parts of the country. This is despite the claims of "the peace ushered in by the NRM", or that "at least we sleep". The Government has also failed to truly institutionalize the rule of law in the country and respect for human rights.

In Northern and North Eastern Uganda for example, hundreds of thousands of lives as well as property have been lost, and nearly two million Ugandans continue to endure inhuman conditions in the appalling Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.

The number one duty of a good government is to protect the lives of citizens and their properties, and promote human rights and freedoms.

FDC will resolve all conflicts through peaceful means. FDC will pursue peace-building initiatives and establish the culture of reconciliation, tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Where discord now exists, we shall re-establish a secure environment where all Ugandans live in peace, and where all are equal before the law, as preconditions for sustainable national development.


Ending Conflicts in Uganda


• FDC will rapidly bring to a speedy end, through dialogue and negotiations, the LRA conflict in Northern Uganda and cattle rustling within Karamoja and across the neighboring districts.



• Within the first six months of the FDC government, we shall establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to reconcile the country and bring all internal conflicts to quick and permanent end.



• FDC will ensure that within one year in government all people now displaced by conflicts will be able to return to their homes and live normal lives again.



• In the special case of Karamoja, FDC will implement a disarmament and disengagement programme internally, and regionally in collaboration with the Sudan and Kenya.
  FDC government will institute rigorous controls on cattle rustling and increase investments in food security and livestock health in the area.



• For all conflict areas, FDC will implement special programmes to resettle, reintegrate and rehabilitate the population affected by conflicts.



• FDC shall institute specific development plans to stimulate economic development, education and other social service provisions, to correct the imbalances created by the conflicts and to make up for the years lost in conflicts.



End of State Terrorism



• FDC Government will ensure that state institutions like the Defense Forces, Police, Prisons and other Security Agencies are patriotic, non-partisan, and play their roles as protectors of democracy, peace and stability.



• FDC will build strong, well-trained and professional Defense Forces, Police, Prisons Services and other security agencies, that will enjoy the same dignity, public respect and independence as those of other modern states.



• FDC will reverse and completely eliminate all efforts hitherto made to make UPDF and other security agencies partisan and personalized forces. We will also end the misuse of the security agencies to terrorize opposition politicians and ordinary Ugandans.



• FDC will quickly tackle and banish all forms of corruption from the Armed Forces and other security agencies. In particular we shall urgently eliminate the "ghost soldiers" and "ghost police" phenomena. We will also immediately end politically motivated purges and fast-track promotions based on ethnicity or personal loyalties.



• FDC will build a strong, well paid, civil Police Force and Prisons Service. We will start the recruitment of 10,000 Police and 4000 Prisons personnel as a matter of urgency, and implement rigorous training programmes for all members of the forces. This will include improved facilities.



• FDC will put in place regulations and mechanisms to ensure that all promotions and appointments are strictly non-sectarian, based upon merit, and adequately recognize outstanding performances of individual officers. There will be no 'Katebe' under an FDC government



• FDC government will improve the appalling housing conditions of the UPDF, Police, and Prisons Service, and eliminate 'mama ingia pole' housing.



• FDC will rehabilitate and expand infrastructure and establish humane conditions in all prisons and detention facilities.



3. CREATING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL


In the 1960s, Uganda registered very rapid economic growth with balanced development. The basis of this was an economic program that focused on developing the country's potential, balanced sectoral investments, and the agricultural rural sectors.

Under the government of Yoweri Museveni, the much lauded economic growth has occurred with increased income and livelihood disparities between the rich and poor, the urban and rural, and the north and south.

The Museveni economy is being run for the few, not for all. Annual budget expenditure on agriculture on which most Ugandans depend, has been slashed from around 20% before 1986 to just 2% over the last ten years. Consequently, production per unit of population has declined steadily for most areas.FDC will pursue an inclusive and development-focused economic agenda. We will focus on agriculture and rural transformation to effectively exploit our natural resource base.


Pursuing Inclusive Economic Agenda



• FDC will control government expenditure, promote higher productivity and reduce government deficits and external debt. This will help maintain low inflation and at the same time reduce interest rates and ease access to investment credit.



• FDC will operate a transparent taxation system. We will collect taxes fairly, and completely eliminate patronage, corruption and special favors.



• FDC will initiate a low tax policy to promote consumption,savings, encourage investments, increase production and employment, and also make available more disposable incomes that promote consumption and stimulate growth.



• FDC will introduce tax incentives to encourage local investments by Ugandans. We will in particular implement special programs to attract investments by Ugandans in the Diaspora .



• FDC will institute specific fiscal incentives to encourage development in key economic areas, in order to address sectoral, geographical and social disparities in economic opportunities.



• FDC will establish public-private sector investment institutions to provide low-rate, long-term investment credits that target specific sectors like agriculture, Jua Kali, small-scale industries, rural schools, agro-process ing etc to promote rapid growth of rural economies and create jobs.



• FDC will provide training and start-up capital to promote micro, small and medium enterprises, and transform informal sector players into local participants in industry, trade, commerce and agriculture. Local capital accumulation and large-scale employment creation will be realised.



• FDC will expand employment opportunities by specifically committing large public works contractors to employing and training Ugandan workers, and by 1616 16 expanding labor-based public works programs. There will be affirmative action for companies belonging to marginalised groups



• FDC will establish duty-free export processing zones to attract foreign direct investments, promote industrialization, expand production, diversify exports, and create jobs.



• FDC will intensively invest in skills-based training, and provide entrepreneural training for Ugandan people to enhance competence,productivity and competetiveness, and to create job makers.



• FDC will rapidly expand investments in research and development (R&D), to promote local innovations and build local competencies critical to long-term development, international competitiveness and innovations in all sectors of the economy.





Enabling the Rural Economy to Grow
• FDC Government will triple government investment in agriculture within five years.



• FDC will institute measures to dramatically increase production and improve the quality of traditional exports crops through enhanced access to, and effective use of appropriate technologies (fertilizers, herbicides,tractors etc.).



• FDC will create appropriate institutions to deliver affordable short- and medium-term credit for development, in order to promote investments in agriculture and rural transform



• FDC will work with both local and foreign investors to promote sustainable long-term growth in the processing and export of various crops. We will promote and support investments that link local production and export markets.



• FDC will evolve new strategies to support farmers' groups, associations and cooperatives, as mechanisms for promoting efficient production and marketing. We will however ensure that government does not constrain the natural entrepreneurial and free-market zeal of the Ugandan people.



• FDC will introduce a system of crop insurance and national food reserves to stabilise producer prices and protect farm incomes. This will also promote national food security.



• FDC will also institute special programs to promote 1818 18 livestock production, fisheries, aqua culture, tree planting and forest development, as special elements of the agricultural sector.



• To ease access to credit, stimulate land markets and promote long-term investments, FDC will support planning of rural growth centers and agricultural land and their titling. This will promote sustainable and enhanced productivity of land, rationalized settlements and environmental improvements. The rights of women to own land and hold titles will be a priority of the FDC.



Mining
• FDC will support and promote the mining industry, by offering training to technicians as well as support to acquire new technologies. We will also offer adequate incentives to ensure that profits are reinvested in further mining development.



• FDC will defend the property rights of people affected by mining developments, and will ensure adequate compensation for them.



Tourism
• FDC will invest in tourism to maximally exploit Uganda's natural endowments and cultural heritage. We will encourage every Ugandan where possible to promote the country as the best place on earth to visit, invest and live in.







• FDC will support improvements of, and strengthen the protection of National Parks, game and forest reserves as well as sites of religious and cultural importance.



• FDC will establish standards for environmental and urban development to enhance public hygiene and transform the aesthetic value and tourism potential of our country.



• FDC will promote the highest standards in our service industries; development of well-designed, thematically attractive hotels and lodges country-wide; strengthening the training of professional and highly motivated staff; and easing of the investment climate in the sector.


Building Infrastructure



• FDC will institute measures to improve road, rail and air transportation, and promote affordable, nation-wide telecommunication, IT and media linkages



• FDC will develop key tarmac roads to link all regions of the country to support trade and commerce, and to link Uganda with the Sudan, Kenya and DR Congo. Effective water transport will be developed on the lakes



• FDC is committed to establishing an affordable, reli able and more extensive electricity supply across Uganda. We will fast-track construction of the big hydro power dams along the River Nile, increase micro-hydro stations, and exploit new and renewable sources of energy.




• FDC will design and implement priority programs to make available to Ugandans clean water, so as to promote primary healthcare, spur industrial expansion, and support urban development. Focus will be on reducing the time burden on poor girls and women to enable them go to school and engage in productive activities.



• FDC will promote effective urban planning, and implement programs to support construction of decent, hygienic and affordable housing in our municipalities, urban centers and the countryside.



4. INVESTING IN OUR PEOPLE


Education and technical training, together with healthcare, are the key mechanisms by which Uganda can transform its people into highly productive and competitive individuals whose combined activities will lead to rapid economic growth, social transformation and national development.





Museveni's Government has failed to deliver quality education and health services for Ugandans. People now feel insecure about their future and let down by a Government that they had put so much faith in.

FDC believes that high quality education, greater investment in healthcare and reliable social security support for disadvantaged groups like the elderly, widows, orphans and people with disability will unleash the full potential of Ugandans and provide security for the future.


Affordable, Quality Education



• FDC will provide quality compulsory primary education for all, and in turn commit parents to ensuring that their children attend school. We will ensure that our primary education policy takes into account the particular needs of orphans, the girl-child, children with disabilities, and other vulnerable children and those from conflict areas.



• FDC will recruit sufficient teachers, improve their pay and provide housing to them. We will deliver more instruction materials for our schools, and ensure better infrastructure and higher standards in education. We will drastically reduce the high drop-out rates among girls.



• FDC will restore and expand quality secondary education in public schools in all districts of Uganda. We will rehabilitate infrastructures, construct laboratories and workshops, and provide sufficient scholastic materials.



• FDC will implement well-planned, phased, free, quality secondary education for all. We will start with free secondary education for girls to stem high dropouts in primary, for people with disabilities, poor boys and children from conflict affected areas.



• FDC will purposefully investment in technical and vocational education to build skilled human resources and stimulate an entrepreneurial economy.
  
  FDC will start by rehabilitating and reequipping the technical institutes and colleges, vocational training centers, and rehabilitation centers for those with special needs. We will also introduce affirmative action for girls, women and people with disabilities to increase their opportunities for training.



• FDC will encourage, promote and support rapid expansion of quality training in practical skills such as science, technology and IT.



• FDC will restore and promote high-quality university education to ensure international competitiveness of our trained people. We will seek highly qualified academics and rationalize the lecturer-student ratio, fees structures, and government sponsorship. We will also rehabilitate and improve the infrastructure in our universities, and introduce full semester systems to accommodate poor students.



• FDC will widen foreign language teaching in our schools and institutions, with expansion of the teaching of French and Swahili, and introduction of new languages such as Chinese and Arabic, to help Uganda compete in the global economy.



• FDC will offer incentives to support private providers of education services at all levels.



• FDC believes that sports plays an important part in our national life. We will therefore promote talent identification in schools, invest in sporting facilities, and provide grants in conjunction with the private sector. FDC will seek to realize the huge economic opportunity that professional sports hold for the youth and the nation.



Quality and Reliable Healthcare



I



• FDC will ensure adequate access to effective and affordable treatment and drugs for all Ugandans. We will promote the local manufacture of high-quality drugs critical to combating diseases such as malaria, TB and HIV/AIDS.



• FDC Government will go beyond the ABC (abstinence, being faithful, and condoms) strategy, and will implement an A to Z strategy for HIV/AIDS control. This will build on prevention, but also include universal access to free or cheap AIDS drugs and effective social protection and psycho-social support for those infected and affected. The FDC strategy will pay special attention to protecting the rights of widows and children orphaned by the HIV/AIDS pandemic.



• FDC will transform Uganda's healthcare system to equitably meet the basic needs of people, in both rural and urban areas. FDC will deliver well-managed public and primary healthcare services to all.



• FDC will implement a special clinical support programme to attract and retain skilled doctors and nurses in hospitals, schools and colleges. Our doctors and nurses will receive improved pay and better working conditions.



• FDC will develop a national plan for healthcare and life insurance for all, in order to increase value for money and efficiency of health service delivery, and to promote national savings and investments.



Delivering Social Security for All







• FDC will evolve strategies to ensure sustainable incomes for senior citizens of over 70 years of age who have no pension cover. We will also initiate free programs to maintain their health and welfare.They will have a monthly stipend provided by the state.



• FDC will ensure that civil servants who retire from public service are paid all their gratuities immediately upon retirement.



• FDC will pay all pensions promptly each month, and will endeavor to pay all outstanding pensions and gratuities expeditiously.



• FDC will pay all pensions promptly each month, and will endeavor to pay all outstanding pensions and gratuities expeditiously.



• FDC will abide by the constitutional principles of affirmative action for women, youths, people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.Affirmative action will be pursued in government contracting, credit schemes and other programs to benefit these groups.



Promoting One Nation



• FDC will direct all policies - such as investment in infrastructure, and developing neglected areas to promote a united Uganda as the best foundation for nationhood, patriotism, and social cohesion.



• FDC will tailor our education programs for national integration, and promote civic education to inform and unite our people in a sense of nationhood.



• FDC will put in place a permanent institution for civic education



• FDC will defend our rich cultural heritage and tradition and promote our people's self-belief and pride in our country's inheritance, and in our Party motto of One Uganda, One People.



5. RESTORING INTERNATIONAL CREDIBILITY




Over the last 20 years, President Yoweri Museveni's Government has involved itself in various conflicts and adventures in the Great Lakes Region and Eastern Africa. These involvements have undermined the image of our country and people, and the respect that we enjoyed regionally and internationally. Uganda's status in Africa has declined and our credibility on the international stage has been damaged.

Relationships with our neighbours have been put under strain.Uganda can best prosper and be respected when it is at peace with its neighbors, and actively pursues economic co-operation and unity with them and other countries


From Conflict to Peace



• FDC will consult on and negotiate a permanent end to all outstanding misunderstandings and conflicts between our country and our neighbours. We will spearhead regional peace, security, and co operation in the areas of trade, social service provision and technical and cultural exchanges.



• FDC will vigorously promote the East African Community, and pursue the political Federation of East Africa. We will also pursue regional economic integration under existing economic blocks, such as COMESA and the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD).



Respect for Uganda



• FDC will play a full and positive role in the African Union, the Commonwealth and the United Nations, the World Trade Organization and other international bodies, andbring back respect and credibility to Uganda in the international community.



• In an era of global instability, we are determined to play our full role in working constructively with other countries to combat terrorism.



• FDC salutes Diaspora Ugandans now working abroad, and acknowledges the important role they play in selling Uganda to the world. We will work closely with them to strengthen their role. We will in particular, revamp, rehabilitate and fully facilitate our Missions abroad so that they play their rightful roles in selling our country's potential and protecting its image abroad.



YOUR CHOICE IN THIS ELECTION


The choice before Ugandans is very clear.

Vote FDC and support the Party that is committed to action on the issues that matter to all Ugandans.

Or vote Yoweri Museveni with his 20 years of lies, wars and broken promises, and another 5 years of more wars, suppression, poverty, corruption, lack of respect for rule of law and under-investment in our country.

FDC will rebuild trust in government, uphold the rule of law, create economic opportunities for all, invest in our people and
restore Uganda's international credibility and respect.

This is the Time for Change.

Vote for change, Vote FDC.

One Uganda, One People



FOR GOD AND MY COUNTRY.