The Minister of state for water, Hon. Aisha Sekindi has cautioned young people against politics of hate and division, saying it is a hindrance to development.
Minister Sekindi who was addressing youth leaders of greater Masaka at St. Charles Lwanga SS in Kalungu district said youth should embrace unity and respect for each other as Ugandans rather than preaching blackmail and hatred to win over politics favours.
“Political differences should not prevent you from the bigger agenda of pursuing the national interest of development and harmony,” Sekindi said.
She added that respect and hard work is the only way the country will grow and develop. “Let us not focus on our political party affiliations but on the well-being of our people. Let’s not be divided through political party lines,” she said.
She underscored unity and information as a core to steer the country forward. “We as political leaders have also done a lot to confuse our people and this must change. The NRM came with a mission of uniting our people irrespective of their religious, cultural and political associations,” the minister said.
She attributed bitterness of some youth to inadequate communication and lack of information from the government on the issues affecting them like poverty, electricity among others that aid in improving livelihoods.
“We may think that young people do not support the government yet it may be our fault for not reaching out to them. As a result, resources meant to help them sometimes end up in the pockets of technocrats.
Seninde on patriotism
The director of Mobilisation at NRM secretariat, Hon. Rosemary Seninde is convinced that the retreat will greatly improve youths’ mindset change.
“From the feedback, our participants are very positive about our message of promoting love for the country. This is the element that has been missing among them due to bad advice from some leaders. As a result, some end up hating their country,” Seninde said.
As organizers, Seninde said, “we are happy to score our major aim considering feedback. From here, we shall keep in touch and follow up on issues raised by the youth to assure proper accountability on ground.”
Prof. Semwogerere Katende who delivered a lecture on financial literacy asked the youth in public service to avoid corruption and handle public money with honesty.
“As a civil servant or leader, the public has trusted you to keep their money and diligently use it to deliver services on their behalf. When you steal, you bleach their faith,” Semwogerere said.
Later, the youth leaders from the districts of greater Masaka participated in a football competition which was won by Kalungu district after an entertaining penalty shoot-out.
Today’s activities were attended by officials that included, MPs, RDCs, and NRM district Chairpersons among others.