Museveni calls for calm over Marriage Bill

Vision Reporter   

President Yoweri Museveni has called for calm as law makers consult the electorate on the proposed Marriage and Divorce Bill.

 He also assured Ugandans that as long as he is still the President and the National Resistance Movement government is still in charge of the affairs of Uganda, a bad, harsh or even insensitive law that tramples on the fundamental human rights of citizens or affects their harmonious co-existence will never be passed.

The President was speaking during the Sunday Easter prayers held at Rwera Catholic Parish in Rwikiniro sub-subcounty, Ruhaama County in Ntungamo district.

Responding to concerns raised by several religious and political leaders on some of the contents of the Marriage and Divorce Bill during the service, the President flanked by his wife Mrs Janet Museveni the Minister for Karamoja affairs and area MP asked Ugandans give their views to their parliament representatives.

The Bill, he added  will not be passed into law if it is not well researched and debated to cater for the wishes, aspiration and cultural norms as well as the rights of all citizens.

A press release from State House quoted the President saying that the Bill needed a lot of consultation and wondered why some political players had decided to re-table it without adequate consultation with him as the President and with the population.

 He assured Ugandans that if it comes up for debate and still contains closes that are anti-people then the National Resistance Movement will oppose it.

Citing the case of  his family  the President said that whereas his late father Mzee Amosi Kaguta believed in getting dowry from his children and practiced it, Museveni does not believe in it and never gets dowry from his children but this did not affect their harmonious co-existence as a family with each one doing what is good for him.

The President used the occasion to appeal to all leaders political, religious and civic to mobilize the people to work and raise their incomes and uproot poverty from their homes.

 He said that household poverty was the major challenge to the country and leaders needed to rally the population towards overcoming it than dragging the poor citizens into unnecessary political debates and promising what they cannot deliver.

He said that it was doing injustice to the population to make them waste time demanding what government can do for them and not sensitize them on what they can do for themselves at family level. He noted that even if government provided all development infrastructures such as roads, electricity and water; and the population is not productive, the people remain poor and the country will not develop.

 He said that once the population has overcome poverty the entire work of political and religious would be easier.
The President described Uganda as a unique country with great agricultural potential with two rainy and agricultural seasons a year and urged the people to make good use of the country’s potential and defeat poverty.

He said that where land has been fragmented people need to engage in farming of high value products such as fruits, engage in zero grazing, poultry, piggery and the rearing of goats.

He commended the Catholic Church for embracing the NRM ideology of zero tolerance to religious sectarianism and for working for the unity of all Ugandans; their religious, tribal or ethnic affiliation notwithstanding, noting that the Church was supporting the teaching of Jesus which says that "Love your neighbor as you love yourself."

The President strongly warned the youth against wasting their youthful years by not working to overcome poverty but instead spend time in urban centers gambling and engaging in misbehavior. He pledged sh80 million towards the renovation of Rwera Parish Church.

Mrs. Janet Museveni welcomed the President to her constituency and thanked him for accepting to have Easter with her constituents. She appealed for patience from the people of Ruhaama as the NRM government works towards fulfilling the different pledges contained in its manifesto noting that the country had several demands and needs and the government cannot handle all of them at ago.

She commended the leadership and believers of Rwera Catholic Parish for the support they have continuously given her as a person and the NRM over a period of time and pleaded to continue working with them for the betterment and development of the parish and the entire Ruhaama constituency.

The main celebrant Father Alphonse Mukundane of Rwera Catholic Parish urged the congregation to receive the news of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ with happiness as it brings about the good news and re-assurance that those who die don't die for ever but will resurrect just like Jesus.

He further said that God rewards people according to their acts and asked people to mind their actions.  He thanked the President for choosing to pray with the people of Rwera and his continued support to the Catholic Church. He commended Mrs. Museveni for the support she has extended to the Parish overtime.