By Spy Uganda
President Yoweri Museveni who is also the NRM National Chairman has asked legislators to support government proposals of prosperity instead of using their hard-earned money to empower locals. The president made the appeal today at the National Leadership Institute Kyanwanzi while giving his keynote address to officially open the 10-day NRM parliamentary caucus retreat.
While acknowledging the MPs’ generosity of wanting to support their communities, the president said, “The practice of offering grants out to the population is an expensive venture which will deplete them without creating any significant change to the population. Don’t attempt to carry that burden because it will be too heavy for you.”
He warned that the legislators are at the verge of becoming bankrupt should they continue with that form of approach to cure poverty and joblessness.
The president described the practice as another form of indiscipline and acts of subversion, saying prosperity for all is not created that way.
“We must save you from that problem. If you don’t stop, the country will get indebted leaders. And an indebted leader cannot deliver on anything because he or she is stressed. He cannot sleep,” President Museveni said, adding that such a leader is dangerous to the country’s journey to social economic transformation.
“It is the reason, I invite you to Kyankwanzi as soon as you get elected not to carry your constituencies on your shoulders because you cannot manage. Just Concertation on the NRA ideology of supporting sustainable programs which can help to empower everybody. The answer is to engage in production with a calculation. That is; producing both for food and for sale,” the head of state guided legislators.
The president also asked MPs to encourage and promote politics of unity among Ugandans to create a market for goods. “Reject anybody who promotes sectarianism because he/she is an enemy of progress. Facilitate unity and integration to create a market. When we unite politics. We unite the infrastructure. So that Uganda becomes one single market. There should not be internal roadblocks because they undermine trade,” Mr. Museveni guided.
On regional markets, Museveni said the internal market is not enough hence calling upon MPs to support regional peace initiatives in the DRC, South Sudan among other countries, “We require the market of our neighbors. We help them because without peace, there cannot be trade. We need them, we need a united East Africa to support prosperity.”
On industrial and skilling hubs, Museveni said that they have been a success due to limited bureaucracy. “I started these hubs and they have been performing wonders yet they are free of charge which indicates that it is possible to have successful free government programs like education. If money is not enough, bring up the issue instead of undermining them without even discussion.”
He suggested that more money to facilitate free education in UPE and USE schools can be availed if the government stops money for foreign trips of officials and that spent on going out to benchmark.
He appealed to the legislators to reconsider some of their stands on the president’s proposals that have previously been rejected.
“Please abandon the practice of blocking proposals of the president because it is very sad. I want you to agree to discuss with me the lack of coordination. You shouldn’t be frustrating my plans which I put back after a serious study. That is not good. There is no logic in pulling strings to a point of causing paralysis.” The president said.
“Whereas I acknowledge your oversite role as parliament,” Museveni said the House should welcome the plans of value addition. There is no need for us to create an impasse.
The NRM Secretary-General, Rt.Hon. Richard Todwong said “it is appropriate for us to come together and evaluate ourselves after two years of our term. We need to assess how effective we have been in manifesto implementation. We are alive to the fact that we have setbacks and so we need to jointly discuss some strategies to face the emerging challenges.”
“We are here to identify the challenges we have encountered, and determine how to address them and respond more effectively to the public’s concerns. This is the reason why we are here for the retreat, and the president will speak further about the involvement of leadership in wealth creation,” Todwong added.
The Government Chief Whip, Hon. Hamson Obua is hopeful that the retreat will avail an opportunity to MPs to align themselves with the NRM social economic agenda for improving the peoples wellbeing.
This course will help legislators to equip them with tools to steer the social economic agenda. We hope to discuss the global reality of life in various sectors,”Hon.Obua said.
