Kyankwanzi: President YoweriMuseveni, who is the National Chairman of the National Resistance Movement (NRM)has opened a 10-day National Resistance Movement Parliamentary Caucus Retreatby reminding the National Resistance Movement Caucus members that the NationalResistance Movement was founded and is always guided by the four principles ofNationalism, Pan-Africanism, the need to cause Social Transformation and thepromotion of Democracy.
The President who in hiskeynote remarks yesterday addressed members on the National Resistance Movementideology said that the National Resistance Movement, right from the 1960’s, hadthe above principles as the foundation of the National Resistance Movementideology and always used them to safeguard the organization’s methods of work.
Mr. Museveni, who addresseda number of issues, ranging from politics, economic, Party and Nationalbuilding, attributed the prevailing economic problems in the country, to powershortage that was brought about by the delay in constructing of Bujagali powerdam which, he said, was largely the work of the saboteurs in the 8thParliament.
He said that furthereconomic problems had been caused by elements of the political elite and pseudoenvironmentalists who have blocked the increase in sugar production in thecountry. He further sighted corruptionin the public service as another additional problem to the economic problems inthe country.
The National ResistanceMovement Chairman, however, told the National Resistance Movement ParliamentaryCaucus that the situation was not out of hand as portrayed by elements of theopposition using some negative members of the media. He said that the existing economic problemswill be put to order if not disturbed by elements of the political class. He noted that if the economy has been growingat 6.5% in the past years with power shortage since 2005, then what will happenwhen Bujagali dam is commissioned in a few months?
On Nationalism as a majorprinciple of the National Resistance Movement, the President said that beforethe emergency of National Resistance Movement, the existing Parties were eitherreligious or tribal in nature and lacking a National identity and character andit’s only the Movement that was founded and held a National membership andcharacter.
He said that although therehas been attempts by the negative political players to drag and portrayNational Resistance Movement as a partisan Party, such efforts have beendefeated and shunned by Ugandans who largely cherish National Unity as wasmanifested in the 2011 elections won overwhelmingly in all regions of Ugandanotwithstanding the fact that some political player emphasized and rallied on religiousand tribal cards.
On Pan-Africanism, Mr.Museveni said that the Movement supports the African countries whose peopleshare a lot such as culture, history and linguistic facts in addition tocomplementaries in the economy and said that the East African Federation wassuch an example.
On the democracy, theNational Resistance Chairman said that principally it should be such that theleader should lead the people the way they want to be led but also advise themwhere they think they may be going wrong. “A leader should not just join a band wagon of the lost. Just because of populist ideas because you maylead the people you lead into regrettable problems”, he said.
The Prime Minister, Mr.Amama Mbabazi, who is also the National Resistance Movement Secretary General,reminded the National Resistance Movement Parliamentary Caucus that as a rulingParty Caucus the failure and success of the Party largely depended on theirperformance. He said that the National Resistance Movement made pledges intheir manifesto and were elected upon these pledges and had a duty to ensurethat they are honoured before going back to the electorate.
