09/06/2020
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on Heroes day:
At State House Entebbe, I presided over the "scientific" celebrations of our Heroes Day, whose theme focused on celebrating the selflessness of our heroes who put country before self.
We celebrate our heroes on June 9th because on that day, in 1981, the Obote government executed nine of our supporters in Kikandwa Village, Nakaseke District. The day, however, symbolises our memory of all other heroes who died at different times.
The success of our struggle as embodied by the martyrs of Kikandwa was based on appreciation of the cause, commitment to it and the discipline to execute that cause.
Today, we are confronted by an enemy worse than the war of bullets that we fought. It is a biological war and the value of discipline cannot be over-emphasised. Without a cure or vaccine for Covid-19, it is our personal discipline that matters most.
As we ease the "lockdown" measures, you have been provided with careful and deliberate guidance by the government. However, it is disheartening to see some people blatantly flout these guidelines.
The truck drivers were a big contributor to our cases but the interventions we took are helping reduce these specific cases. The distribution of government masks will start tomorrow and I have asked the authorities to prepare hospital facilities to handle upto 40,000 cases if we get there.
Away from the COVID-19 pandemic, our biggest challenge remains corruption. This nonsense in public service and government parastatals requires a concerted effort and we shall defeat it. To hell with parasitism.
To my comrades in the struggle, both living and departed (including Maj. Gen. Kasirye Gwanga who passed on this morning and Najwa Abbas who passed on recently in Sudan), the struggle continues and victory is certain.
(Courtsey photos)
