The Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) leader and retired army general Gregory Mugisha Muntu has urged Ugandans to reflect deeply on their political choices, warning that actions taken during elections inevitably determine the direction the country takes.
Speaking in the aftermath of the general elections, Muntu said that although the electoral process had concluded, the country needed a period of sober reflection about politics, leadership, and citizenship.
"The election is done, so now we must look to the future," Muntu said. "But we also need a time of reflection--on ourselves as a people and on the country--because the future will depend on how we understand politics and how we practice it."
He cautioned against treating politics as a casual or consequence-free exercise, noting that poor political decisions often carry long-term and far-reaching costs.
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"When you make mistakes in politics, politics does not forgive," he said.
Muntu drew on what he described as both natural and spiritual principles, arguing that societies ultimately live with the outcomes of their collective choices.
"There are natural laws that are also spiritual laws. One of them is the law of sowing and reaping. What we have sown will be known by what we reap. There will be no need for debate about it--it will be obvious in time," he said.
He also criticised the growing influence of money in Uganda's politics, which he said continues to undermine democratic values and leadership standards.
Using a business analogy, Muntu questioned why voters accept behaviour in politics that they would reject in their personal or professional lives.
"When you own a business or a farm and you want a manager, you look for the best person--not someone who comes to pay you to get the job," he said.
"But Uganda is a business, and the owners are the citizens. It is confusing that voters accept money from people seeking leadership, instead of demanding competence and integrity."
He argued that Uganda's future depends on citizens recognising their role as owners of the country and choosing leaders based on merit rather than financial inducements.
"If someone came to manage your cows and the first thing they did was offer you money, what would you think? Yet this is what we accept in politics. The consequences of this are real, and we shall see them," Muntu said.
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Muntu made the remarks in Palisa while speaking at the burial of the late Peninah Immaculate Agwang Osupele, the mother of Palisa District Woman Member of Parliament-elect Catherine Achola Osupele.
He called on both leaders and citizens to embrace integrity, humility, and service, warning that corruption, abuse of power, and self-interest ultimately produce negative outcomes for the nation.
