By Frank Nyakairu, Elias Biryabarema & Izama Angelo
Nov 7, 2004
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KAMPALA — Political battle lines are getting clearly drawn between President Museveni and his former ally Bidandi Ssali. Mr Museveni yesterday reacted strongly to Mr Bidandi’s Thursday resignation as the second vice chairman of the NRM political organisation of which the President is interim head. “Mr. Bidandi, this is not only a false-hood, but an insult to me,” Museveni wrote in response to Bidandi’s charge in his resignation letter that the interim NRM chairman was emphasising money as a major force to fire up the party’s support. Two weeks ago, the NRM gave Shs5 million to tens of Movement MPs reportedly as facilitation to go explain to constituents the Movement positions in the White Paper. When word leaked about the money, some politicians said it was sheer bribery meant to secure support in Parliament for a third presidential term (kisanja) for Museveni in 2006. MPs will vote whether to amend the constitutional article that bars a person from running for more than two five-year terms as President. Museveni said Bidandi, as a member of YK Museveni election task forces in the past two presidential elections, handed out money raised by Museveni to mobilise support, posing the question: “Were you “dishing out” money to “compromise the integrity” of our supporters, then?” The President suggested that Bidandi was bitter because the money didn’t pass through him. “Is it that when funds are not passed through you, it becomes “dishing out” money and, when it is passed through you, it is providing legitimate facilitation?” Museveni wrote. Bidandi said yesterday that he was “still reading the letter and I will respond to it when it is time”. “Museveni is like that by nature,” Mr Rwanyarare said. “He is a vengeful man who wants to humiliate his opponents. I pray he does not harm Bidandi this time.” Gulu Municipality MP Norbert Mao said Museveni was dodging core concerns and clouding them in unrelated issues. Mr Erias Lukwago of the Democratic Party said he did not discern anything offensive in Bidandi’s remarks. “The man simply raised substantive issues.” Bidandi’s resignation from NRM followed a critical letter in which he accused Museveni and NRM of “undemocratic practices and obsession with kisanja at the expense of entrenching NRM’s long-term goals”. Then on Thursday, the day he quit his NRM job, Bidandi announced he would challenge Museveni, if he stands, in the 2006 presidential polls. In a related development, Bidandi has accused Mr Sam Kutesa, Ms Hope Mwesigye, Mr Moses Byaruhanga and Ms Anifa Kawoya of misleading the President. Speaking on 93.3 Kfm’s HardTalk show yesterday morning, Bidandi accused the four of leading the NRM “astray” by continuing to practice the individual merit principle within a political party. Kutesa is the MP for Mawogola and state minister for Finance, while Mwesigye is the minister for parliamentary affairs. Byaruhanga is the President’s special assistant on political affairs, and Kawoya is the woman MP for Sembabule district. “The President has a problem; it’s a human problem,” said Bidandi whom Museveni sacked as local government minister in May last year for his opposition to the third term project. “The style of leadership under the Movement system – individual merit system – is quite different from the style of leadership under a multiparty system.” |
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