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Meeting Was On Jan 28
By Vision Reporter
PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has accepted to move Uganda to multiparty politics.
Sources said he told the Dr Crispus Kiyonga committee, mandated to compile proposals on Uganda�s political future, to stop opposing the return to political pluralism. He said the change was necessary to safeguard Uganda�s economic achievements.
The committee, set up by the Movement�s National Executive Committee (NEC) in December 2001 to examine the performance of the Movement and the way forward, met Museveni dent on January 28, 2003.
Mary Okurut, Museveni�s Press Secretary, said last night that Kiyonga�s team met Museveni at State House on January 28, 2003.
�They met him towards the end of last month. I think it was the 28th of January. But it was a closed door meeting,� she said guardedly.
Sources said during the meeting, Museveni changed his long-standing opposition to parties and reportedly urged his compatriots to make a compromise on political party pluralism for the realisation of the Movement�s strategic objectives.
The meeting came two days after Museveni told the nation that it was not yet time for political parties to return. He said there would be no problem with his succession in 2006.
Press reports yesterday quoted sources as saying that the main reason for the change was to protect investment. �We have done a lot to attract investment in this country. We now have an open market in the USA and Europe. The people who have opened their markets to us want us to open political space to multiparty politics. We should not take decisions that will scare away investors,� sources said.
Another source said yesterday, �The Movement will most likely become a political party. However it is not clear whether there will be a referendum or not. The Movement will study the Constitution for provisions of changing a political system other than through a referendum,� the sources said.
�The President rejected lines of argument that Uganda!
would d
egenerate into chaos if political parties were allowed freedom of operation. The President told them that he was building a strong army to check that,� the sources said.
The Kiyonga team includes Eriya Kategaya, Francis Ayume, Bidandi Ssali, Dr Kisamba Mugerwa and Betty Akech.
Ends
Published on: Thursday, 20th February, 2003 |
