Museveni warns against religious, tribal politics

President Yoweri Museveni has warned politicians and Ugandans against mixing politics with religion and tribalism, saying it creates a divided nation.

Museveni said the National Resistance Movement (NRM) has been able to win and maintain power over the last 30 years, because of what he described as good politics, which promotes unity amongst Ugandans.

"I always like to remind Ugandans that the contribution of NRM to Uganda is first and foremost peace and peace came from two contributions: number one is good politics; the politics which is against tribalism and against religious sectarianism. We were against using religion to divide people and then gender chauvinism where the men look down on women," he said.

The President made the remarks on Saturday night in Gulu city, following his tour of the Acholi subregion, where he commissioned several projects. Museveni's address to the Acholi sub-region was broadcast live on UBC TV and various radio stations in Gulu city and across the region.

Museveni noted that anybody who fronts religion and politics as an issue is the biggest enemy of the country and the people of Uganda, noting that problems affecting Ugandans cut across and are not limited to tribes and religion.

"If the roads are bad, they are bad for everybody in the area. They are not bad for Catholics alone or bad for Protestants. If they are all in the same area, they are bad for all of them. They are bad for all the tribes in that area, which is why we said, please anybody who talks about tribes and religion in politics is an enemy of the people," Museveni said.

The President explained that because of the gospel for a united Uganda, by the NRM, the ruling party has been able to win and retain power with the majority of votes, since 1994.

GOOD ARMY

The President also attributed the current peace in the country to what he described as a good army which the Government has built over the years.

Museveni said Uganda's army is governed by the law and operates within the laws of the country.

"Everybody is shouting ‘brutality', especially the young ones, because they are not used to an army which behaves in any way. In the past, who could talk of mistreating anybody? You would be lucky to be mistreated and not killed; that would be luck. The extrajudicial killing was the order of the day," he said.

Museveni also pointed out the investments in the country by both local and foreign investors as one of the contributors to peace and economic growth of Uganda.

He disagreed with those who criticise Uganda's investment policy which the majority say benefits only foreign investors, saying in the end all Ugandans benefit. "I have heard some people say only investors are benefiting from the economy.

That may be true for now, but we are also benefiting from them. How? When an investor comes, even if he is from outside, first he produces products here; sugar, soap, beer, sodas and pay taxes here," he said. Museveni said because of the investments, the country has registered an increase in the number of jobs and taxes from sh5b collection in 1986 to sh21,000b today.

To boost peoples' household incomes and livelihoods, the President said the Government has invested in wealth creation with the latest project being Emyooga. Museveni said with the surplus produce, there is need to improve on the quality to target both regional and external markets.

"Ugandans have woken up and are going to increase production. Take for example maize. We used to produce 200,000 tonnes, but now we are producing five million tonnes and consume only one million. The surplus, therefore, must be sold in the region and external market," Museveni said.

He blamed the lack of external market for Ugandan produce on poor handling of the agricultural produce such as maize, where farmers are still dry their maize on the ground.

Museveni explained that during the last season, he had secured market for Uganda's surplus produce such as maize and milk from countries such as Algeria, but the issue of quality affected the supply of the surplus.