President Museveni has blamed the defeat of the NRM Candidate in the recently concluded Bugiri Municipality MP Elections on sectarian politics used by the Opposition parties.
The president said he was happy the NRM had swept nearly 90% of the electable positions in both parliament and local council elections and this was proof that the NRM was still a strong party.
The MP seat was taken by JEEMA’s Asuman Basalirwa who defeated both FDC and NRM Candidates. Basalirwa was supported by Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi.
Below, we reproduce the president’s statement on the elections;
I congratulate the NRM on winning the 4 seats for MPs and the 5 seats for Mayors in the seven new municipalities. The new municipalities were: Apac, Nebbi, Ibanda, Sheema, Bugiri, Njeru and Kotido. It is a shame to hear of the sectarian manipulation by some elements of opposition in Bugiri- using religion (Islamism) and tribalism (Busogaism Vs Badaama). Such nonsense grows when there are weaknesses in the local area of handling the social- economic issues, service delivery and lack of sensitization. The NRM leaders need to deal with social- economic issues, and the rest will be easy. This year’s budget has focused on these very issues.
Those who use sectarianism of religion and tribe or gender chauvinism are bankrupt ideologically and dangerous for the future of Africa. They were the problem of Uganda in the past and they have no value economically and, therefore, socially ( socio-economic transformation).
I went to the schools in the 1950s and 1960s because my father was able to pay the school fees of that time by selling some of his cattle in the monthly auction markets of Ntungamo. Who were buying the cattle? Three businessmen, none of them a Munyankore. These were: Walusimbi-Mpanga from Kampala, Bukyenya (Bukenya) from Mbarara and Shear, a Muzungu, operating out of Ishaka, that was taking cattle to Kilembe to feed the miners there. Who, then, were the supporters of my education apart from my father? Certainly not the Banyankore or Church of Uganda, my denomination.
Sectarianism is Pseudo-ideology. If we get evidence about the promoters of sectarianism, we shall act against them politically and criminally. I also got alleged reports of importing voters in Bugiri as happened in Kyadondo and Jinja East. The case of Jinja East is in the courts on the same issue of importing voters from other areas. Back to the question of sectarianism, we should never allow identity to eclipse or subvert interest. Down with opportunists ( Nalilawa, abanyaanda) – those who do not have positive ( beneficial ) principles that cause our countries to grow
