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The Monitor (Kampala)
December 30, 2003
Posted to the web December 30, 2003
Mwanguhya Charles Mpagi
Kampala
The Reform Agenda has warned of a tough year ahead. The opposition group's First Vice Chairman, Mr Reagan Okumu, said yesterday that "2004 will be a do or die" year on the political scene.
Okumu was speaking at the group's weekly news conference at their head offices in Kamwokya.
Okumu, who is also MP for Aswa, said that 2004 is the year the Augustine Ruzindana group, commonly called the Malwa group, should come out clearly and say whether they belong to the opposition or the Movement.
"Malwa group must wake up; they must not remain on the fence," he said.
The Ruzindana group is strongly opposed to the proposed amendment of the Constitution to allow the removal of term limits on the presidency.
The group looks at the move as a ploy aimed at keeping the incumbent President at the helm as long as he wishes.
The Ruzindana group officially calls itself the Parliamentary Advocacy Forum or simply Pafo.
Okumu said that in 2004, the Reform Agenda will abandon "telephone politics" and spread out to the rural areas to recruit more supporters.
He said "telephone politics" has been one of the biggest failures of the group.
In his New Year message, the group's exiled leader, Col. Kizza Besigye, said "2004 will be a critical year".
He wished Ugandans "goodwill and peace throughout the new year".
On government's performance in 2003, Okumu said the Movement has registered some success.
Said Okumu: "We would be mad to close our eyes and say that government has done nothing. At least there was political goodwill to negotiate [with other political forces]; we hope they will see this through in the New Year.
Government also tried to control inflation, at least the shilling has been stable against the dollar."
He said government scored lowest on the security front. He said it was a huge blunder for government to let the rebels spread their operations from Sudan to eastern Uganda.
