"I'm a Freedom Fighter"

By Marguerite Michaels, Yoweri Museveni

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, one of black Africa's most promising young leaders, was interviewed in Entebbe by Nairobi bureau chief Marguerite Michaels. Excerpts:

Q. How do you define your job?

A. I've got a mission -- to transform Uganda from a backward country to an advanced country. The economy is the base of stability. It affects your social programs, your political stability, everything.

Q. What is holding you back?

A. The biggest problem is the vicious circle. We have a population without skills. While we retrain, we must import skills from the advanced countries. For that you need dollars. But to have dollars you have to produce exports. To produce exports you need people with skills.

Q. Businessmen call you too strict.

A. Their interests are linked to the export of wealth. They import perfumes or nail polish and want us to use our hard-earned dollars from coffee ((exports)) on these frivolities. We say no; our dollars will go for machines.

Q. Will you return to civilian rule in 1990 as you promised?

A. We said democracy. We didn't say civilian rule. We do not dichotomize this business of civilian and military. You will find soldiers who are members of parliament.

Q. Is there any other country's system you admire?

A. There are no models we are working toward. This struggle between Communism and capitalism has been perverting people's analysis of social issues. The ideologues of these systems behave as if all everybody else has to do is just copy. ((Our goal is)) a better life. Development. Democracy -- not exactly on the Western models. Each country should be allowed to find its own way.

Q. You're a President dressed in fatigues. Are you a soldier or a politician?

A. I'm a freedom fighter. I would feel insulted if you called me a politician. Politicians here in Africa do not have a good reputation. Really, I'm not enjoying being President. I want to finish rebuilding the army, the police and the judiciary, and leave the country with a new constitution. And then I want to leave office.