President Yoweri Museveni has advised world leaders to shun the ideological differences existing between countries, and peacefully work together with others countries of the world irrespective of their internal systems.
Museveni made the remarks in his address to the Common wealth Parliamentary conference which was officially opened today in Kampala.
He said on account of historical events mainly precipitated by internal weaknesses of Africans, and external greed Africa missed out on Industrial revolution but by a combination of factors but the continent regained freedom, and therefore his advice to world leaders is to banish egocentrism, bigotry, greed, and enhance scientific knowledge of man to cause the universal well-being for the whole of humanity without exception.
“Unfortunately greed continues to obstruct the mutually beneficial interaction within the different portions of the human race and to block the optimum use of scientific knowledge for universal benefit of man as a whole” Museveni said.
He challenged commonwealth countries to find ways of working with other countries with different social political systems for a better co-existence, rather than creating crises in an attempt to coarse others to conform saying that earlier attempts and counter attempts led to wastage of resources and life yet bad systems can collapse without external pressure.
He said that unlike African Union, Commonwealth nations have a huge advantage of direct communication through use of English language, which offers great potential to member states to cooperate in several aspects of development including culture, security, investments and governance.
“Unfortunately much of this potential is clouded by ideological distortions, disorientation, bigotry, egocentrism and myopia with some groups spending a lot of time and energies trying to control destinies of other people, which is wrong and unnecessary” Museveni said.
He said artificial conflicts propelled by greed or ignorance has always caused avoidable losses and wasted time which obscures the facts and impede human cooperation. Museveni said the oppression of man by nature can be solved by use of science, but the oppression of man by man is always better resolved by the affected communities in some extreme cases supported by appropriate external solidarity.
“It is wiser for the world leaders to respect the internal systems of each country and influence others by example” He said.
Quoting Mathew Chapter 5; verse 15-16 Museveni advised leaders to let countries practice what they believe in and if it is not working, the results will tell the fact.
“let your light shine before men that they see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven. “If our practices are correct, they will thrive and spread, but if they are wrong, they will collapse. It is not necessary to generate crises on an account of differences in ideology. Let there be peaceful competition among different ideas” Museveni said.
He gave an example of China which practices communism with a governance system different from commonwealth but its working relations with other countries has benefited both its people and the world. He said all commonwealth countries are democratic in substance albeit with variation in form which is a great achievement.
He advised member states to use the population numbers to mutually promote investments, work together on security, work on cultural exchanges, and peacefully work together with others countries of the world irrespective of their internal systems.
He urged member states to promote the spread of benefits of modern scientific innovations because they are the primers of change for good and not evil.
He said African countries are committed to continental free trade area through COMESA and EAC because the destiny of Africa is unity.
President Museveni Congratulates and appreciated organizers especially Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Rebbeca Kadaga for doing a lot through commonwealth networks and lobby for the event that the country last hosted 52 years ago.