Museveni rallies youth on NRM ideology

PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS

SOROTI - Today, the presidential campaigns officially enter a third week, and at the conclusion of the second week, President Yoweri Museveni urged the youth of Teso sub-region and Uganda in general to internalize the National Resistance Movement (NRM) ideology of patriotism and Pan-Africanism.

"You, the youth, understand the NRM ideology and push it. You should be disciplined and stand for the ideology of patriotism and Pan-Africanism," he said, who continues to traverse Tesoland in eastern Uganda.

The President, who is also the NRM presidential candidate in the forthcoming general elections, was Sunday addressing youth leaders from Teso sub-region at Soroti University, who are going to form part of the team to carry out the scientific door-to-door mobilization of the electorate to canvass votes for NRM at village level.

Candidate Museveni told the youth of the successful integrated plan of the NRM that involved creating unity and building a strong army that established peace, which in turn attracted many investors who have supported the economy.

He explained that through paying taxes, the investors have helped the country with solving the challenge of infrastructure development as well as creating employment, among others.

He strongly advised them to preach unity of Uganda, East African Integration as well as African integration.

President Museveni reminded the youth of the failed governments of the past that concentrated on identity other than finding out and fulfilling peoples' needs and interests.

"NRA [National Resistance Army] was able to win because we were uniting the people, not dividing them," he said.

The NRM leader also urged the youth to tell their leaders to apportion resources properly in Parliament for the benefit of all groups, including women and the youth, to enable them get out of poverty. He said the challenge is to get out farmers that are still practising subsistence farming to shift to modern, commercial and calculated agriculture.

Museveni said that with small land holdings in Teso, farmers could go for citrus fruits that earn sh12m a year per acre as well other other profitable ventures, such as fish farming, piggery, zero grazing, chicken rearing and maize mills.

The NRM deputy secretary general, Richard Todwong, described Sunday's meeting as an ideological cleansing and called on the youth to embrace the ruling party's ideology.

On his part, the party's regional vice-chairperson for eastern region, Capt. Mike Mukula, told the youth that in order to secure their future, they need a revolutionary leader and that is candidate Yoweri Museveni.

Charles Elasu, the NRM chairperson of Soroti City, urged the youth to rally behind NRM, which he said has done a lot for Uganda.