Sheema will be won by FDC - Mwijukye

Buhweju Member of Parliament Francis Mwijukye addressing journalists in Sheema on Saturday. PHOTO BY FELIX AINEBYOONA

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Museveni said when Buhweju had an NRM candidate - Ephraim Biraro - in Parliament, he used to pester him for services like roads, electricity and good schools but they voted for Mwijukye who “just makes noise in parliament which made Museveni relaxed as they relieved him of the problem and now Buhweju is no longer on his mind.

Buhweju Member of Parliament Francis Mwijukye has criticized President Yoweri Museveni over the remarks he made on Thursday while campaigning for Sheema Municipality National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate Dr Elioda Tumwesigye at Kihunda Kagango Sub-county.

Museveni said that that he removed Buhweju from the map of Uganda since they voted For Forum for Democratic Change (FDC).

Museveni said when Buhweju had an NRM candidate - Ephraim Biraro - in Parliament, he used to pester him for services like roads, electricity and good schools but they voted for Mwijukye who “just makes noise in parliament which made Museveni relaxed as they relieved him of the problem and now Buhweju is no longer on his mind.

“Buhweju had a hard working man called Biraro in parliament. That man used to bother me so much with services in his area like roads, water, schools and I could not sleep. But they helped me and voted a person who is not important. I have never seen him and he does not reach where we make appropriations from. So who lost, is it Biraro or it is Buhweju?” said Museveni.

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Museveni added, “I even removed Buhweju on the map. So if you want services, give me a person who will always be at my neck not noise makers who just keep there and for us we do everything in our caucus and come to parliament just for formality.”

On Saturday, on the side lines of campaigns for FDC candidate Virginia Plan Mugyenyi, Mwijukye said that it is a shame for a leader who is the believed to be the fountain of honour to, while in public, say that if he does not get a person of his choice then he will not respect the choice of the people.

"I was voted by the people of Buhweju after seriously scrutinizing very carefully my manifesto and program. In their view I was their best candidate and they sent me to parliament. The presidential and parliamentary elections was on the same day.
The same people president Museveni claims voted for him are the same people that voted for me. Therefore at what stage did they become stupid, useless to vote for a useless person the same people on the same day?" Mr Mwijukye asked.

He added, “I think what Mr Museveni is doing is to disrespect the people of Buhweju and say the people of Buhweju do not have the capacity to make a choice. That the people of Buhweju cannot choose between good and bad and for me that is reckless of a leader. A leader who is supposed to be a fountain of honour spoke in broad day light that the people of Buhweju do not have capacity to make a choice…that the good choice can only be what he thinks is good for them.”

Mr Mwijukye said people are not voting against NRM as a party but rather they are voting against bad systems of work, Museveni’s ways of work.

"Let me be brutally honest, Sheema is going to be won by FDC and the reason everybody in Sheema is voting for FDC is because people are tired of Museveni’s empty promises. They expected Museveni to come and explain why there is no clean water in Sheema, why there is no electricity and why poverty is increasing in Sheema. So is it me that has increased poverty in Mitooma? Am I responsible for the poverty in Rubirizi? Am I responsible for the poverty in Kihunda where he was on Thursday?
At some stage he thought Kihunda was in DRC. Am I responsible for the women who die every day in the country? What of the lack of drugs in Kabwohe health center IV? Am I responsible for the horrible roads in Sheema District?"

Mr Mwijukye said if Museveni removes districts that vote FDC from the map of Uganda that makes him a president of few districts.

"It is foolhardy for a leader to think that you are the president of Uganda but you are removing districts from the map.
That means Kasese, Buhweju, Rukungiri, Jinja, Bugiri districts that FDC is going to win are not in Uganda any more. So he is a president of how many districts anyway?" Mr Mwijukye prodded.

He said president Museveni thinks he is a god of sorts who says this happen and it happens.
"You know he thinks he is some god of sorts and he thinks he will command like God did and say ‘let there be a road, water, electricity’ but that is not how things are done. And that is how I fundamentally disagreed with him. We have systems and the people of Sheema and Buhweju will not develop because of somebody’s wish or will not remain under developed because of someone’s wish," he concluded.