By Our Reporter
Jan 4, 2004
KAMPALA - Ruhama county MP Augustine Ruzindana says his group is waiting for President Yoweri Museveni to come to Parliament where they will defeat his third term bid resoundingly.
"In the event that this term limit issue comes to Parliament, we (Pafo) are prepared to defeat it," he told Sunday Monitor on Friday. Mr Ruzindana who chairs the Parliamentary Advocacy Forum opposed to the proposed constitutional amendment to lift the provision on term limits said Pafo is not bringing out too many issues because they do not want to overwhelm the public. 'Third term' is the holding issue, he said.
The former Inspector General of Government also said he would not trade "missives" with Mr Museveni because it is irrelevant. What is relevant now is "preventing autocracy from being instituted illegally," he said.
He said there were incompetences in the president's "missive" published in The Monitor on December 5, 2003 in which he referred to him [Ruzindana] as only a 'sympathiser' of the Movement - who did not actively participate in the Luwero war or the ouster of Idi Amin.
Ruzindana's comments come amidst a verbal duel between childhood friends; Museveni and former prime minister Mr Eriya Kategaya over the issue of term limits.
The president has accused both Kategaya and Ruzindana of using the wrong forum to oppose recommendations of the Movement National Conference delegates on presidential term limits.
"In the bush, the correct forum was important because people had to conceal themselves. But now we are in government, so which is the correct forum? Issues must be addressed in the press, at a seminar or in the constituency, so the issue of a correct or wrong forum is irrelevant," he said.
Asked why he thinks President Museveni seemingly avoids discussing succession, Ruzindana said the president is trying to introduce uncertainty and that by avoiding the succession issue, he wants to ensure that there is no succession since he is interested in ruling for life.
"At the beginning, Museveni said he would follow the constitution because he thought that the constitution would be amended appropriately. Today he says the time has not come to tackle the succession issue because it's irrelevant at the moment but that is his trick."
Ruzindana will appear this Sunday on Monitor FM's "Straight From the Heart" with Desree Barlow at 11.00 a.m. to discuss political developments surrounding the proposed amendments to the constitution and the likely voting pattern in parliament.
� 2003 The Monitor Publications
