US ruled by seasonal leaders - Museveni

AGAGO. President Museveni yesterday described American presidents as seasonal leaders because they serve only four years and said their presidential term is like a “game.”
“In-fact the leaders in the United States are like seasonal; four years and they are looking for new leaders and they are just playing around. They are as if they are in a game,” Mr Museveni said while comparing the strength of US economy, which he said has thrived more because of the strong private business sector than the strength of political leadership.

“United States is the most powerful country not because of leaders but because of the business people,” Mr Museveni said while officiating at the International Labour Day celebrations at Akwee Primary School in Patongo Sub-county, Agago District, yesterday.
He made the comparison to explain to the people that the success of a country depends more on a wealthy population than political leaders and urged Ugandans to engage in commercial agriculture which creates employment and generates wealth instead of subsistence farming. The celebrations were marked under the theme “Promoting employment through enhanced public infrastructure development”.

Mr Museevni said the strength of a country is not based on the politicians, priests or traditional leaders but is in the business people who run the economy not only in Uganda but across the world. He said a country cannot be successful if businessmen are mishandled.

The President said the reason he is working tirelessly to ensure there are better roads and enough supply of electricity is to make it easy for private investors to come into the country and offer employment to the citizens.

“We have done all these by privatising; you cannot do all things at a go; step by step you will go far,” he told the crowd.
He said his government is revamping works on old railway lines connecting from Tororo to Gulu up to the border points of South Sudan to ease transit of cargo.
He added that the same will apply to water transport where more ferries will be added in Amolatar, Rwampanga, Bukungu, Kagwara and Kaberamaido.
The President also promised to create a barracks for Local Defence Unit soldiers in the region to check cattle rustlers from Karamoja and South Sudan who make incursions into districts of Lamwo and Agago.

Minimum wage Bill
Milton Turyareeba, the Chairman Central Organisation of Free Trade Unions who represented workers at the celebrations said as the government promotes employment, they seek better standard of employment including establishing a minimum wage under the Minimum Wage Bill that is yet to be passed into law.

“We appeal that you urgently assent to this new legislation and government announces the minimum wage. We live to the fact that this issue of a minimum wage that has consistently appeared in our speeches for over a decade appears stale to your government that continue to argue that a minimum wage doesn’t facilitate investment and that good labour standards aren’t critical for transformation or at worst impede economic efficiency and market flexibility as they are a ‘luxury good’” Mr Turyareeba told the President.

He noted that decent wages are central in core labour standards, adding that decent work and green jobs are prerequisite for improved productivity which in turn leads to improved competitiveness in the globalised market.
He called for recruitment of more workers in sectors such as education, health, agriculture and enhancement of salaries in a phased manner and bridging the wage disparities.

Dr Silver Mugisha, the chairman of Federation of Uganda Employers, said they are using a performance approach to improve labour productivity.
“Your Excellency, the use of performance incentives corresponds very well with your recent proposition that application of minimum wage must be scientifically linked to the production cost. In other words, we hope the minimum wage legal framework provides for flexibility where the employers can pay what they can afford on a win-win basis: both employees and employers benefit,” Dr Mugisha said.

Give me time
Ms Janata Mukwaya, the Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Affairs advised the minimum wage proposals will wait for a cabinet decision.
“The workers are making suggestions on what cabinet decided that we cannot have a singular minimum wage but a sectoral minimum wage that fits into the enterprises that they relate to. I appeal to workers and employers to give me time, we have worked for the past two years and I won’t let you down,” she said.
Mr Museveni did not give a specific response to Mr Turyareeba’s call for the minimum wage. He instead lauded Dr Mugisha’s statements on performance incentives that can accelerate achievement of minimum wage.

He later launched the employment diagnostic analysis report and handed dummy cheques to youth and women in the districts of Agago, Alebtong, Amuru, Apac, Kitgum, Kole, Lamwo, Oyam, Otuke and Omoro under the youth livelihood fund and Uganda Women Enterprise programme.
A total of 95 people were awarded medals for long service in the forces and personal sacrifice. Other categories were Golden Jubilee [civilians, police, prisons, UPDF], Nalubale [civilians], meritorious medals [police].

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