President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni who is also the National Chairman of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party has urged the people of Soroti and Teso Sub-Region in general to elect leaders who are in a party that plays politics of unity.
H.E Museveni said politics is not about leaders but ordinary people (the electors) who are looking for solutions to their problems that are solved by the party, not individuals.
“However good you are, if you’re in a bad party you’re not going to manage. If you have bad politics, you’ll fail,” Museveni said.
H.E Museveni was on Monday in Soroti City to campaign for Hon. Herbert Edmond Ariko, the NRM flag bearer for Soroti City East Constituency by-elections.
The President gave an example of a section of leaders who had started playing politics of divisionism, telling the people that NRM had embarked on a mission to take the land of the Itesot (people of Teso).
“It’s now 30 years. I want you to show you one acre which the NRM has taken? So what happened to that lie?” Museveni said, calling upon the people of Teso to vote leaders in a party that plays politics of unity, not that of dividing people according to religion and tribes.
“The party which does that will fail. So, therefore, you, the electors, if you’re looking for who to vote for, the first thing for you is to look out for which is the party with politics of unity,” Museveni noted.
The NRM National Chairman said that because of good politics of unity, it’s only NRM that has managed to develop Uganda with social services like free education, health for all through immunisation, infrastructure, water and electricity, not forgetting security.
“If you have bad politics, there’s no way you can guarantee security. Because if you have got politics of religion and tribe, how will you build a strong army?” Museveni stressed.
On wealth creation, the President said on top of the previous wealth creation programs like the Youth Livelihood Program YLP) , Women funds and Emyooga, Government has now added on the Parish Development Model (PDM) which is aimed at uplifting the 39% of Ugandans into the money economy.
H.E Museveni said that, for example, Government will be sending 100 million shillings to each of the 54 parishes in Soroti district which will be Uganda 5.4 billion shillings. Soroti City alone with 25 parishes will receive 2.5 billion shillings. He urged the people of Teso to support his poverty alleviation campaign and avoid misappropriating the funds sent to them.
“That is the plan of the NRM for Wealth. It is here in black and white. If you eat it, we shall do something to you,” he warned.
The President said all this is clear demonstration that NRM is the only party that never tells lies to the people of Uganda and they should support all its candidates like Hon. Ariko.
“That’s why I’m here to present Honourable Herbert Ariko so that he connects you again with NRM. When you have got an MP who is not NRM, the NRM would still serve your area in big things, but there are small things which the Central Government may not know,” Museveni said, adding that the people of Soroti have had challenges of service delivery because of the leaders they elect who are not able to report their problems.
The President later handed over the NRM party flag to Ariko in the presence of the Vice President, H.E Jessica Alupo Epel, the NRM Vice Chairperson for Eastern Region, Capt. Mike Mukula, the Secretary General of the NRM, Hon. Richard Todwong, Ministers and Members of Parliament who hail from the region and beyond.
On his part, Hon. Ariko thanked the President, the NRM party leaders for nurturing and orienting him about the NRM ideology and the people of Soroti for trusting him. He promised to serve diligently.
“I’m focusing on the goal is to liberate Soroti from the opposition. My desire today is to galvanise the people who wish Soroti well, and who support the NRM for us to win with a landslide victory, ” Ariko said.
The Soroti East Constituency Parliamentary seat fell vacant following a court nullification of the election of former MP, Moses Attan and ordered the Independent Electoral Commission to conduct a by-election for the seat.
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