The opposition Forum for Democratic Change, FDC party President Patrick Oboi Amuriat has asked Ugandan businessmen and women to avoid the practice of hoarding commodities.
While addressing the weekly party press conference at Najjanankumbi this morning, Amuriat said business people should be considerate to the population.
“We notice that some business people have gone into the practice of hoarding and are causing a temporary scarcity that could reach crisis level. Our call as FDC is for this practice to be halted and to ask kindly that they desist from the practice of hoarding commodities” Amuriat said.
He further urged Ugandans to avoid any expenditure on none-essential commodities, arguing that this is not a time to be lavish, but a time to reflect the kind of situation the country is to face in a few months after the pandemic has been pushed back.
Currently, the food prices already skyrocketed and the problem is expected to persist until after the 32 days announced by the president.
“We also would like to appeal to the African spirit of sharing to be exhibited at this time. Where you have got more than you require, please support your neighbor and those in need. Because it’s then that we will be seen as a nation, as a people that thinks about one another. We are calling on institutions to relax certain conditions especially banks” he added.
According to Amuriat, many people have taken loans, their commodities are stuck oversees and they cannot access them, yet banks would have the temptation to continue imposing an interest on loans. “I would like to call on the Banks Association of this country to relax the conditions on these loans, so that people do not go out of business” he prayed.
Amuriat called on employers not to fire employees wherever it’s possible.
“I know that sometimes it’s easy to underrate what goes on in bars. The narrative in Uganda today is that bars are just for drunkards. But that is a whole industry that employs. People go drink, people are employed in that industry. One of the highest tax payers in this country are breweries, and therefore when the outlets where beer is sold are non-functional, it is going to affect production, while revenue collection from this area will slow down” he argues.
