Parliament passed a motion for a resolution to congratulate President Yoweri Museveni for successfully hosting the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and G77+China summits last month.
Several Members of Parliament paid glowing tribute to the President for the wisdom he exhibited during the summits.
While defending his motion, Nsaba Buturo, MP for Bufumbira East, said that the Summits afforded an opportunity for Uganda to showcase her huge tourism and investment potential, attract foreign investors, and build international partnerships, thereby improving Uganda’s image and standing on the international stage and boosting Uganda’s economy.
Electing President Museveni as head of the block is a vote of confidence in Uganda and also his leadership. President Museveni has made the citizens of Uganda really proud. His election holds promise and the potential to channel attention and resources towards initiatives that directly benefit ordinary Ugandans. Attempts by two Opposition leaders and their supporters to demonstrate over the alleged poor state of the roads as the summits were ongoing was grossly unfortunate, regrettable, misplaced and disgusting, said Buturo.
Fr. Charles Onen, MP for Laroo-Pece Division in Gulu City, who was one of the seconders of the motion, noted that President Museveni taking over leadership of the NAM and G77 is a prophetic call that Ugandans will be extending his leadership past 2026 and urged his competitors to wait in queue.
This was a revelation from God, prophetically, it has indicated that President Museveni will extend his reign of leadership beyond 2026. You know Ugandans are good at betting, there are those who have started betting that Abed Bwanika, Nobert Mao, and Bobi Wine might become President. Let them keep on the queue and wait until after 2026, said Onen.
Kumi Municipality MP Silas Aogon thanked the private sector, especially property mogul Sudhir Ruparelia, for delivering the venue for the two summits on time, adding that the wisdom President Museveni showed during the Summits is the kind that Africa needs because he is able to trace the history of Africa from 1500 AD without looking at any piece of paper.
The private sector played a huge role, of course, we must thank Sudhir Ruparelia, that group also did their part. Yes, we can have weaknesses, but I can tell you for now, we must thank people. They have delivered within a short time, a marvellous conference centre and we are able to deliver without any quarrels, that is Uganda for you. I have followed the President for some time; he is somebody naturally gifted with wisdom, he can talk about African history starting from 1500 AD, and he brings you steadily up to today without looking at the papers. Africa needs a leader who can be able to understand the world, not just now, and that is the kind of person we are thanking, said Aogon.
Persons with disabilities representative Mpindi Bumali mocked some Opposition leaders for their failed attempts to disorganise the summit.
He commended opposition MPs and Kampala residents for resisting calls by Robert Kyagulanyi to disorganise the NAM summit by planting trees in potholes around Kampala City, saying such resistance enabled the government to host a successful Summit.
I want to congratulate the Ugandans, especially the Kampala residents, because even when the leaders of the opposition, Robert Kyagulanyi and the forces of change wanted to disorganise the NAM Summit by planting banana stems in the middle of the roads, they resisted, and we want to thank Kampala people for that. On the other hand, I want to thank opposition MPs because they didn’t follow their leaders; they stood with Ugandans, and NAM was successfully held, noted Mpindi.
Jackson Atima, MP for Arua Central Division, said that Uganda is blessed to have President Museveni as its leader because while addressing guests at NAM and G77 Summits, he was able to make his speech without reading from any piece of paper.
The President was able to lecture the world Presidents for a very long time, giving a speech from his head without reading, and this went on record, and this has never happened in the history of Africa that one African leader lectures the entire world from his head. That tells us that we have a President who has wisdom, and President Museveni is a special gift for this country. Many countries would have loved to have him, but we are blessed to have President Museveni,” said Atima.
David Mugole, MP for Kabweri County, on his part, thanked the Minister of ICT and National Guidance, Chris Baryomunsi, for urging Ugandans to smile at the NAM guests.
In the hotel [industry], we have what they call the special guest satisfaction system; a smile kills many things even if somebody is annoyed and you smile at him, he will not bark the way he would have barked at you. So I am very thankful, and if Uganda continues on that trajectory, I am very certain that the sky will be the limit,” he noted.
Terego District Woman MP Rose Obiga noted that having President Museveni as the Chairman of NAM and G77 shows the level of intelligence he has, remarking, “The intellectual capacity of my president is undoubted, and I want to allude that the President is going to take us on come 2026 and we are so proud of President Museveni.
Opposition Speak Out On NAM Tribute
Meanwhile, opposition legislators who had kept their cool when the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and independent NRM-leaning MPs praised Museveni made their case about the misuse of opportunities brought about by the NAM and G77 China summits.
Kiboga District Woman MP Christine Kaaya argued that the motion should rather have thanked all Ugandans for having hosted the summits and congratulated the President for having won the Chairmanship of the two bodies, which would have come in another subject matter.
Kaaya also said it was time Uganda considered separating the office of First Lady from that of the Ministry of Education so as to relieve Janet Museveni from the pressure that comes with occupying those two offices, given the commendable job she did guiding the other First Ladies during the two summits.
I was very happy to see the programme of NAM. I saw the First Lady moving with First Ladies, and I was like, Ohh, we need to bring out the Office of the First Lady, it is enough for her, we should remove the burden of Ministry of Education from her because I saw that managing of the businesses as First Lady is enough and based even on her age now, said Kaaya.
Makindye East MP Derrick Nyeko decried the displacement of businesses and homes of communities around Munyonyo, where the Summits was held, and proposed to have a market built within the area so as to end the constant displacement of people.
In a way of acting in panic, the Government made up a rapid response unit that cleared people off the streets, including those on Gaba Road and other hosting communities. They went far beyond the roads, but over 300 homes were demolished today as we speak; there are mothers who don’t have where to sleep, there are children who can’t go to school because they totally don’t have where to sleep, and our request is simple, Government should come up and compensate people that lost their homes. We have been requesting that a modern market be constructed around that area, not that all the time that Uganda is hosting delegates, the hosting community has to suffer, he said.
Butambala District Woman MP Aisha Kabanda took a softer tone and thanked the NAM member states for taking a firm stand in calling for a ceasefire in Gaza during the summit and urged President Museveni to call upon his counterpart, President Joe Biden, to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, saying the silence from the US and Uk is the reason the war is still going on.
When I heard the NAM member states speak up on the war in Gaza and call for a ceasefire, I was like thumbs up. I look forward to the President writing strongly to his colleague Joe Biden asking him to call for a cease-fire because the war in Gaza is still there because Israel has the support of the American President. If it weren’t for the US and UK, the war wouldn’t be there by now. So I want to say thank you for standing with the oppressed in the time of their need, noted Kabanda.
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