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The Monitor (Kampala)
October 14, 2003
Posted to the web October 14, 2003
Ssemujju Ibrahim Nganda
Kampala
Mbarara Municipality MP Winnie Byanyima will not accept any favours from President Yoweri Museveni or give up the political fight against his government.
Ms Byanyima was reacting to speculation that she and her exiled husband (Dr Kizza Besigye) have been secretly negotiating her political future with Mr Museveni.
Among other things, sources said, Museveni would back Byanyima to be one of the region's representatives to the proposed Africa (Union) Parliament.
Byanyima would in turn scale down her fight against Museveni's government; while her husband would be provided with a more comfortable life in exile.
But Byanyima has denied it all.
"President Museveni has not contacted me directly or indirectly and no such offer has been made to me by him or anybody else on his behalf," Byanyima wrote in response to an e-mail message The Monitor sent her on October 6.
The MP, who is abroad, said that she would not even consider such an offer if it were made.
"I defeated President Museveni in the Mbarara Municipality parliamentary elections, defeated him in seven courts in two years, and I was recently summoned to CID and questioned about two fresh charges. If I have to go to court again, I am sure I will defeat him," Byanyima said.
She said Museveni would not compromise or divert her from the cause of justice and freedom.
"To use his [Museveni] favourite words, it is only 'greedy, evil-minded and unpatriotic' Ugandans who fall prey to his offers of jobs and fat privileges in exchange for their souls," she said.
She said that it is only 'cowards' who are silenced by Museveni's violent threats and rough language and by intimidation and harassment from security agents.
