The President emphasised the need to ensure that economic growth translates into improved household incomes, citing government programmes such as Operation Wealth Creation and the Parish Development Model (PDM).
“Can you have a strong army and a strong and safe country without a strong economy? Can you have a strong defence force and a strong and safe country without cohesive politics? Finally, can you have a strong defence force and a strong and safe country without, in some cases, addressing the issue of geo-strategic location such as being landlocked?” President Museveni asked.
Over his 31-year reign of Oyo, he grew from a child king into an educated adult monarch who championed education and the fight against HIV/AIDS, youth empowerment, health and environmental protection.
“We propose the restructuring of Uganda's school calendar to a two-term system, in which children spend at least four (4) months at school and two (2) months at home. This will first of all reduce the frequency of school fee demands, hence easing the financial burden on parents,” Amuriat said.
Amuriat said citizens from across civil society, academia, and political groups presented a united front before Parliament’s joint committees, with the majority rejecting the bill.
“Under the FDC Leadership Academy, we will roll out a nationwide training program for all elected FDC local government leaders, covering governance and service delivery, legal rights and obligations of elected officials, budget oversight and accountability, community mobilization, and representation of marginalized groups, including women, youth, and persons with disabilities,” Amuriat said.
“We call upon our friends who have been making noises against us to come now and register here. What we expect from them is to stop the noise, put their tails between their legs, and come back to me and get registered as members of the party."