Peter Nyanzi
7 November 2005
Kisozi — PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has said the National Resistance Movement (NRM) will find it easier to win the forth-coming general elections than in 2001 because the party has got rid of the "traitors" who were causing it problems from within.
"In 2001, we had not identified the traitors.
They were claiming that they were in the Movement yet they were causing paralysis. We have now kicked them out. We are stronger and the NRM surely has the upper hand," he said.
Museveni was speaking to journalists on Friday at his Kisozi ranch where he had taken a short break.
Museveni, who engaged the journalists in a candid discussion in his official car that he was driving personally, said he is far more relaxed this time than he was in 2001.
He could not say whether the recently introduced multiparty system was better than the Movement system, but he said the adoption of the new system had helped the Movement to be stronger internally because the "infiltrators" who were causing "paralysis" had left.
Museveni said the new system would ensure discipline and order in the party because those who misbehave would be kicked out.
He particularly singled out Rwampara County MP John Bashaija Kazoora, as one of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) members who caused paralysis in Parliament. Museveni said the Legislature would be more orderly under the multiparty system because MPs who misbehave would have to lose their seats.
Museveni, who was in a jovial mood, said the NRM had more supporters than any other party in the country. "Last time we had five million voters. This time I sent out 13.5 million registration cards. Most likely we will have about 10 million members," he said, adding that the tallies had not yet been made. He said the Local Councils (LCs) would be retained under the multiparty system, adding that the system would indeed be successful because the government would do everything possible to make it work.
"We shall work hard to make sure that the multiparty system succeeds," he said.
Museveni also described as "rubbish" and a "mistake" threats by the FDC boss, Col. Kizza Besigye to use force to restore constitutionalism. "He will have to stop that, because it is a great mistake," Museveni said. "It is not acceptable. He will have to stop, if he doesn't the law will have to stop him."
He dismissed claims that his party had refused to declare its sources of funding as stipulated in the law, saying the Registrar General had granted the party an extension.
"We were still sorting out our books and we asked for an extension, but we shall file the returns. The main problem we had was that some of the contributors did not want to be identified," he said, adding that the party was in a bit of a dilemma.
According to Section 12 of the recently amended Political Parties & Organisations Act, 2005, (PPOA), a party must declare the sources of its funds and the identity of each person who has made a contribution in terms of cash or a pledge within six months.
The NRM is organising a mammoth delegates conference that is estimated to consume a mind boggling Shs6 billion. Museveni confirmed the figure but said it was just an estimate. He said the figure was big because the party was inviting close so many people. About 16,000 delegates as well as foreign guests are expected to attend. Museveni dismissed claims that the money would come from the government coffers, saying it was generated internally from the contributions of party members.
When asked if he had made any personal mistakes during his 20-year tenure, Museveni said it was the system that could have made mistakes but not him as a person. "Personal mistakes? I am not aware of any," he said. Museveni, who said he was only a "slave" of the people of Uganda by being President, joked that looking after cattle was what his parents and grand parents raised him to do.
Museveni said it was his practice to go to the ranch for a few days four to five times a year to rest and relax.
He said he would rather be on his ranch than go for vacation on the Riviera in Europe. "Uganda offers the best quality. I cannot leave the best quality and go to other places," he said. He said in addition to relaxing, he also uses the time to make money by looking after his cows.
Museveni keeps some 5,000 head of cattle, which has grown from an original 650 since the ranch was set up 15 years ago. The ranch is under by his youngest daughter Mrs Diana Kamuntu. But he said he was acting for her in the meantime because she gave birth recently. He said the ranch sells about 700 cattle per year to Meat Packers and breeders.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2005 The Monitor. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
