Iganga, (UG):- The president of the opposition Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) party Gen. Mugisha Muntu has attributed the fluctuations in the prices of sugarcane to absence of quality control methods which keeps on drawing the crop growers and processors in dilemma, especially in the Busoga sub-region.
Gen. Muntu, who is in Busoga sub region, particularly in Luuka District for party mobilization and sensitization of people on the importance of change in the country, says they need to study the interventions clearly and influence policy formulation to make meaningful decisions in case they take power.
During a press conference held on Wednesday at Sana Country Hotel in Iganga, Gen. Muntu attested that on their trail in the Busoga sub-region, they established that there are related problems like in other regions but the area also has unique concerns which need to be addressed with urgency.
“Much as it is around sugarcane in this area, other regions are also having issues with crops like tea. There have been a lot of fluctuations of the prices of sugarcane and I understand that it was costing around 245,000= in January and now it is around 165,000= per ton and this is a bigger fluctuation which impacts the growers of this crop yet factories are mushrooming in the area,” Gen. Muntu said.
He says a number of crops in the country have been affected due to absence of quality control and end up affecting the dealers in the sugarcane business, and he said they are studying the best approaches to ensure the stability of the business and revise the interventions that can apply in case they get to power.
Muntu said the leaders in the country are currently emphasizing self-interests as opposed to how leaders should handle interests of the people in the country, stressing that no political party can change the country unless they have focused leaders who are ready to change and prioritize the public interests.
“The problem though is the men and women who are not honest but if we have people who are honest with integrity and care about their country right from village level, they can influence development. Most people don’t grow sugarcane but they have permits to sell sugarcane and most of such people are politicians who operate with influence. There is no party which can change this country unless it has men and women who are driven by public interests rather than self-interest,” he said.
The ANT coordinator for the Eastern region Mr. Hannington Basakana told the press that as part of their continuous trek around the country to build roots from the ground level, the party crew led by Gen. Muntu invites opinion leaders including leaders from other political parties and any Ugandan willing to dialogue with them regardless of the political party they belong to.
“Those willing to come and listen to us, we dialogue in the hope that those who choose to join us can be recruited into the party. There are those who may not join us but when they understand us, they may find us good candidates to cooperate with in different future circumstances in reworking the politics of this country,” Mr. Basakana said.
He said they aim at moving to a number of regions in the country to respond to questions from the public and also recruit members into the party and they are moving per Sub County and promised to reach more areas.
He was concerned with the leadership of the country saying; “we believe strongly that the problem of this country is not supporters or voters but where we need to polish up in this country as political parties is at the level of leadership. Once the leadership of a political party sets itself right and is equal to the task of changing the politics of this country either alone or in cooperation with other parties, this country will be able to move forward.”
The ANT leaders led by Gen. Muntu will wind up their mobilization tomorrow Thursday in Luuka district before heading to other regions of West Nile, Acholi, Teso, Bukedi, and Buganda, among others.
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