President Yoweri Museveni has professed ‘undying admiration’ for his US counterpart Donald Trump, saying there was nothing wrong with the ‘shithole’ remarks the US President made about Africa.
The President made the remarks during the State of Nation Address for East African Legislative Assembly that is holding its session in Uganda.
“I love Trump. Americans have the best President ever. I love Trump because he tells Africans frankly. Africans need to solve their problems, they need to be strong. Africa is weak and it’s their fault,” Mr. Museveni said, taking a divergent stance from his colleagues who have since implored Trump to apologise.
Museveni’s remarks follow reports from the international media in which Trump was quoted in a January 12, 2018 meeting with of representatives from Congress, called to discuss a bipartisan immigration deal.
In the meeting, Trump protested the proposal to protect immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador and African countries, with the US President reportedly saying: “Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here? Why do we need more Haitians? Take them out.”
The meeting in the US followed a pronouncement on September 5, 2017, when United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that President Trump would be rescinding the Obama-era DACA program, which protects undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children, known as Dreamers, from deportation.
Trump, whose remarks were met with fury from across the globe, with the African Union demanding an apology, reportedly said that the US should instead bring in more immigrants from countries like Norway.
However, Museveni didn’t deem it fit for Trump to apologise, saying that it was time Africa admitted being weak and consequently devise means of making the continent strong.
“In the world, you can’t survive when you are not strong. If you aren’t strong and somebody tells you are weak, I love that person because he is doing my work. I have been telling Africans these things, but from another angle,” Museveni said.
Earlier, President Museveni had lashed out at the EALA members for engaging in meaningless fights over speakership, calling on them on to work for the prosperity of the people of the community as well as the integration of the region.
“When you talk about integration, know that you are fighting for prosperity, don’t go there to fight for speakership. Rumours aren’t marketed, they can’t sale. If those people (EALA) are there, they should be there to facilitate not fight, otherwise, they should come back to look after their goats,” Mr. Museveni said.
