Own Correspondent|One of Africa’s longest serving Presidents, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, has described as child play the rate at which the United States of America changes its presidents.
Speaking on Wednesday during workers day celebrations in his country, Museveni said Ugandans should not worry much about who is in power but guard against sabotaging investors and businessmen in the country.
Museveni revealed that he had previously cautioned his ruling National Resistance Movement members of parliament never to interfere with business.
“The other day we were in the caucus discussing the Sugar Bill. I’m trying to advise my MPs on how to handle businesspeople because if you insult businesspeople you will fail,” Museveni said.
The strength of Uganda or any other country around the world, Museveni said, “is not in the politicians, or priests, or traditional leaders, but in the business people.”
Museveni then gave the example of United States whom he said its leadership has not played any significant role in its development and strength.
“The Unites States is the most powerful country, not because of its leaders but the businesspeople,” he noted.
He added; “The leaders in the US, they are just seasonal…four years and they are looking for a new leader. It is like they are just playing around; It is as if they are playing games.”
“Africans need to wake up and realize that modern society is based on the private sector,” Museveni concluded.
Museveni has in recent months been under heavy criticism from the US President Donald Trump who has called on the African strongman to step down after being in power for thirty years.
His party recently endorsed him as its candidate in the next presidential election due in 2021, potentially extending his tenure to 40 years.
Museveni, 74, has held office since 1986 when he took power after a five-year guerrilla war, making him one of Africa’s longest-ruling leaders.
The opposition and rights groups say Museveni has maintained his grip on power through a mix of electoral fraud, violent clamp down on the opposition, suppression of dissent and deft co-opting of some of the opponents.
In 2005 a two-term limit clause that stopped him from seeking re-election was also deleted from the constitution.