KAMPALA – President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has told leaders to avoid politics of sectarianism and instead promote politics of development based on human needs.
While addressing NRM leaders in Arua District on his campaign trail, the NRM Presidential Candidate castigated leaders who would emphasize politics of identity based on tribe or ethnicity, religion and gender saying that it’s the very reason as to why Africa is still backward while other people are going to the Moon.
“The biggest problem of Africa is the identity politics, leaders should preach unity and development other than dwelling on someone’s religion or tribe. The past governments collapsed because of this mentality of sectarian politics,” Museveni said while drawing on words and phrases from the local Lugbar dialect to the excitement of his audience.
Often picking on the Lugbar word “opendu” which denotes sectarianism, Museveni elaborated that sectarianism had hindered Uganda from building stable politics and a stable Army to ensure peace and development.
“The NRM has since broken the walls of sectarian politics. We have built a strong Army which bears a national character. We also started sending a message of peace to our investors including the departed Asians encouraging them to return and develop Uganda. They soon realized that we are a government which respects private property,” Museveni said as he focused his message to the party leaders on ideology.
He added: “We invited back the Asians to reposes their property and re-start businesses and today you can see what these investors have done. Uganda today has over 5,000 factories creating over 700,000 jobs to the locals and solving the problem of shortage of essential commodities including sugar, soap, beer.”
Besides the factories which are employing more Ugandans than the public sector (480,000), Museveni said that investments in the service sector has created 1,300,000 jobs, ICT 300,000 jobs. “We need more factories to employ more of young people, and most importantly, the nature of industrial development shall influence our education and skills development. “Employers will need people who are more skilled to work in factories, hotels, among others.”
According to Museveni, private sector development has enhanced Uganda’s tax revenue from Shs 5billion in 1986 to Shs 21trillion today. He also explained that his government has prioritized expenditure on roads and energy. The roads budget now stands at Shs 6trillion and that of energy is at Shs 3trillion.
Museveni also said that the government is going to put more money on “emyooga”. Currently, each constituency is receiving Shs 560million for myooga.
The President will tomorrow continue with his campaign trail with a scientific meeting in Nebbi and thereafter address the masses via radio.
