MAO BLAMES NRM FOR TESO POVERTY

By Simon Naulele
TESO is living in abject poverty because of electing NRM leaders, Democratic Party (DP) presidential candidate Norbert Mao has said. He said NRM leaders in Teso simply praise President Yoweri Museveni without talking about the problems of their people. Mao also castigated disaster preparedness state minister Musa Ecweru, who is also Amuria MP. “I’m told Yoweri Museveni has deployed Ecweru to play sectarian politics in Teso, saying don’t vote for Mao because Mao is the same as Kony,” he said. “When you go to the hospital, do you ask for the doctor’s tribe, or when you are entering a bus, do you ask for the driver’s tribe? We must fight sectarian politics of Museveni and Ecweru,” Mao said. He was addressing a rally at Gweri trading centre in Gweri sub-county in Soroti district on Monday. “If anything, it is Ecweru who was a rebel. I have never been a rebel. I don’t have blood on my hands. In fact Ecweru has a murder case in Teso,” Mao said. He said NRM is a ‘private club’ for only those who are close to Museveni. “That is why they rejected Prof. Gilbert Bukenya and Kahinda Otafire from becoming secretary general. And if Otafire, who has been with Museveni in the bush is treated like that, who is Ecweru?” Mao asked. Mao also addressed rallies in Katine and Kamuda. “This place was not as poor as it is today. The cooperatives that used to link the farmers have been killed,” Mao said. According to Mao, the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) will never solve farmers’ problems, saying it only targets rich people. “Under NAADS those who have pick-up trucks are given a lorry,” he said. Mao said the money which State House spends is more than the one injected into agriculture. “They are saying NAADS has failed due to corruption, but President Yoweri Museveni uses sh300m on his convoy to go and arrest the one who has stolen sh10m,” Mao said. He lashed out at parties which use the ‘pakalast’ slogan. “On polling day, ‘pakalast’ will become ‘pakalost’,” Mao said. He appealed to the people to vote for him. “We want you to be able to afford the basic necessities in life and have more graduates,” he said. Mao said NRM policies had impoverished Uganda. “When NRM came, they first brought currency reforms where 30% was ‘stolen” from whatever one takes. When you take sh1m, you are given sh700,000. Why are Ugandans not asking where their 30% went?” Mao asked. He said the factories that used to provide employment in Jinja and Kampala were sold. “Now our young people don’t have jobs,” he said. “NRM is a government of problems, but DP will be a government of solutions,” Mao added. He said the top leadership and those in the Government were from one region. “The minister for Karamoja is his wife. The commander of the reserve forces is his brother. The foreign minister his in-law and commander of the special forces, his son,” Mao said. According to Mao, Museveni will not win this election, unless “you people continue to be afraid of him”. Mao said the yellow colour is a sign of falling leaves, but green symbolises the future.