President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni who is also the National Chairman of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) has this afternoon appealed to the party Parliamentary Caucus to religiously supervise and oversee the government’s programmes of Parish Development Model (PDM) and Emyooga tailored to shifting society from the traditional way of life to modernity.
“There is Emyooga under the constituency level and PDM under the parish level, the two funds are under you. You are not a cashier, you don’t need to touch money, your work is to supervise,” he stressed.
The President made the remarks while closing the NRM Parliamentary Caucus Retreat that took place at the National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi District.
The closing ceremony was held at Rwamasindi Abasonga Presidential Farm in Bulyamusenyu village, Kinoni Sub-County, Nakaseke North.
The retreat which ran under the theme: “Increasing Household Incomes and Wealth Creation: The Critical Role of the Leader”, attracted over 400 Members of Parliament including NRM-leaning Independents.
The Retreat was also attended by the First Lady Mrs. Janet Museveni who is also the Minister of Education and Sports.
Expounding on the benefits of the retreat, President Museveni expressed his heartfelt gratitude to spend quality time with the NRM caucus members whom he encouraged to inherit the National Resistance Army (NRA) spirit.
“I am very happy to interface with you. When I look at you, many of you are very young people and educated. I feel the urge to spend more quality time with you to pass to you what I know, and you know about NRM/NRA,” he said.
He pointed out that the retreat was about a centre for NRM young blood to thoroughly internalise the party’s ideology.
The President also told the Caucus members of a group of 28 young cadres he recruited in 1976 and trained in Tanzania who later formed the nucleus of the current Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF).
He added that the group founded FRONASA to fight Idi Amin and out of the 28 the only survivors are General Salim Saleh, Bosco Omule and General Ivan Koreta.
“Don’t spoil your chances, you have got huge opportunities. The future is very bright for you if you could only listen to what I am saying. It is not fiction, it is true life history,” he counselled, adding, “The purpose is to mobilize you. You are so gracious, young and educated. If only these could be captured by the NRA spirit, we could move very far.”
“Our next struggle is to ensure free education so that the children of the poor don’t get out of school from primary, secondary to tertiary institutions,” he stressed.
Before the President made his remarks, resolutions that were passed by the Caucus during the retreat were presented by the Government’s Chief Whip Hon. Hamson Obua.
In the resolutions, members appreciated President Museveni for gracing the occasion and delivering his powerful keynote address on clarity regarding the elements of Ideology, Strategy, Policy and Administrative commitment.
They further highly commended the President for his moving and educative presentation on the role of leaders in increasing household incomes and wealth creation.
Participants at the retreat also committed themselves to consolidating the unity of all members of NRM around its guiding Ideological Principles of Patriotism, Pan Africanism, Socio-Economic Transformation and democracy.
On the theme of the retreat “On the role of leaders in increasing Household Incomes and Wealth Creation”, the caucus members recognized that political leaders including Members of Parliament are key and squarely responsible in the PDM and Emyooga program implementation to move society away from the traditional way of life to the money economy.
The members further recognised that Education coupled with increasing household Incomes is one of the paramount pillars in achieving socio-economic transformation.
The resolutions also contained some of the commitments by the members to concretely support the Value Addition process of products that include coffee and sugar among others.
The Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabbanja, pledged on behalf of the members of the caucus to implement the resolutions reached as well as to support all government programmes.
The Secretary General of NRM, the Rt. Hon. Richard Todwong announced that the Secretariat has already established a new department of Policy and Research to collect data from the countryside and it has helped to strengthen the party.
The Secretary-General also commended President Museveni for constantly reminding them to diligently serve the people.
