Prime
Museveni warns rivals against tribal campaigns
President Museveni has said political parties built on tribal lines can never win an election in Uganda because no tribe can guarantee more than 50 per cent of the total valid votes cast to take government.
While campaigning yesterday in Gulu City where he addressed the National Resistance Movement (NRM) leaders drawn from Gulu, Lamwo, Nwoya and Omoro districts, Mr Museveni, now seeking 40 years in power, said tribal and religious influence led to the collapse of political parties before Independence in 1962.
He said the NRM, which he formed, is the only non-tribal and religious party. He said it is the reason NRM has been able to transform Uganda.
“When you start a party on the basis of religion, you can never get 40 per cent of the vote because no religion is 40 per cent of Uganda. When you start the party on tribe, you can never get more than 18 per cent of the vote because there is no tribe that is more than 18 per cent of Uganda,” the President said.
He said Uganda’s first parties Democratic Party (DP), Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) and Kabaka Yekka failed because they were either formed on the basis of religion or tribe, which led to the crisis in 1966 when then Prime Minister Milton Obote and Sir Edward Mutesa II, the then president, developed bitter misunderstandings on how to run government.
Mr Museveni, who is campaigning in Acholi before heading to Karamoja tomorrow, accused Opposition parties of preaching fear in the sub-region at a time when there is a need for hope as peace has been restored in the region.
Mr Jacob Oulanyah, the NRM vice chairperson for Northern Uganda, said Acholi has been used by the Opposition to get votes through threatening violence. He, however, said the Opposition parties will not have any chance to win in Acholi again because Mr Museveni’s manifesto for 2021 brings hope.
Mr Museveni promised to address issues relating to his previous pledges in Acholi and what has been achieved, through a radio talk show in the evening.
“The first problem of stability in this country was governance based on identity. But now, we have coronavirus, what is the tribe of coronavirus? Is it Acholi or Nyankole? What is the religion of coronavirus? If the problems of the people are the same, why do you segregate them into common groups?” he said.
The incumbent asked the people of Acholi to vote him because he has created hope for business that has become an assurance to foreign and local investors who have built a strong private sector.
Mr Museveni said with more than 5,000 factories in Uganda, at least 700,000 jobs have been created since 1986 while liberalisation of the service sector that includes hotels has created 1.3 million jobs. He said ICT sector has created 3,000 jobs.
While at the campaign venue in Gulu, he did not address the issue of electricity shortage in the area which was put to him by Mr Thomas Raimond Opia, the Local Council 1 chairperson for Pabbo Quarters where the meeting was held.
Mr Opia, who said he belongs to the Opposition, told the President that NRM candidates in Gulu lose elections because of the erratic power that renders people jobless.
“We need factories here in Gulu City in order to reduce unemployment. Our youth are idle. There is a problem of unstable power. So we ask you to step in because we also have youth who can’t develop due to lack of proper capital,” Mr Opia said.
Despite the NRM making inroads in some parts of Acholi, Mr Museveni has over the years lost in Gulu District. The Opposition dominates Gulu, Amuru and Pader districts. Gulu is among the 10 new cities government created on July 1 as a fulfilment of the 2016 manifesto pledge. Mr Museveni will be in Kitgum today.
Residents speak out
Some residents we spoke to said President Museveni did not address most of the issues affecting them, which he had promised them in 2016 elections.
Ms Grace Atim, the NRM vice chairperson for Gulu District, said: “For him to win votes in Acholi, the question of compensation for properties, lives and livestock lost during the LRA insurgency should be clearly answered. The victims are bitter since they are getting old and dying before the compensation he promised,” she said.
The President, however, promised to speak about compensation for the people who lost livestock during the rebellion when he addressed the masses on radio last evening.
