The Shadow Cabinet has announced that they are to stay away from President Museveni’s State of the Nation Address over his government’s failure to offer tangible solutions to the worsening economic situation.
In a press conference held at Parliament, Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Mathias Mpuuga said that they arrived at this resolution after consultations with all the whips of the six parties with representatives in Parliament.
"The shadow cabinet has resolved to stay away from Gen Museveni’s address to Parliament this afternoon. The reasons for this are two…" Mpuuga said.
"One is to show displeasure with his continued interference with the judiciary. The second reason is to do with his failure to speak to and offer tangible solutions to the worsening economic situation in the country."
Mpuuga said that whereas Tuesday’s address to Parliament is meant to be a State of the Nation Address, the president has reduced it to a “State of his Feelings” address, and they refuse to be party to what he called “empty talk.”
"That is a huge constraint to us. We are aware that even today, he is going to say that he has nothing to do to get the country out of the depression. We are not interested in dozing," Mpuuga added.
The shadow cabinet’s decision comes just hours, after Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) spokesperson and Kira Municipality MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda announced that he will not attend the address.
Ssemujju, while appearing on NBS Morning Breeze said that he thinks that Museveni will say the same things he has always said and he did not want to be his address.
President Museveni is expected to address the nation today and give an update on the current state of affairs.
Among some of the issues that are expected to be prominent in the president’s address is the issue of the skyrocketing commodity prices.
In previous speeches on the matter, the president has always asked members of the public to be frugal.