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KAMPALA - President Yoweri Museveni has said he
could still get votes in Buganda even without the support of Mengo.
Museveni reportedly said Mengo would not intimidate him because he holds
the office of the President in his own right.
"Mengo has
never supported me. They decampaigned me in 1996 and 2001 but I still
won," Museveni was reported as saying. "Mengo wants to fail me but it has
forgotten that I can still win without them," Museveni reportedly said as
he referred to 2001 votes he got from Buganda.
He said he
had public and private recordings that showed that Mengo does not support
him. He was on Thursday night closed up in a six-hour meeting with Buganda
Caucus MPs at the International Conference Centre.
Vice
President Prof Gilbert Bukenya, Prime Minister Prof Apolo Nsibambi and
Ethics minister, Mr Tim Lwanga also chairman of the caucus led a team of
more than 50 Buganda MPs to discuss the federal status for Buganda.
Museveni on Wednesday met Movement, district and sub-county chairpersons
and all agreed to support the cabinet proposals.
The meeting
started at around 10,00pm and ended at 4,00am. He said he would not mind
losing Mengo support so long as he sticks to his principles.
"Mengo can
provoke and cause problems. It is dangerous to compromise people on
principle in search for cheap popularity," a source that attended the
meeting quoted Museveni as saying.
Sources said
some MPs including Kiboga East MP Dan Kiwalabye expressed shock at the
President's remarks, which made the President to tone down. Museveni
reportedly said he was at one time shocked when the Kabaka turned down his
phone call when he attempted to speak to him. He said the Kabaka referred
Museveni to Katikkiro Joseph Ssemwogerere. Museveni wondered why the
Kabaka could turn down his call if he can speak to people like US
President George Bush.
Museveni
expressed dissatisfaction with the way Mengo has made its demands.
"I
am not happy with Mengo. They gather people without constituencies and
propagate wrong positions. Mengo has always confused the population,"
Museveni was quoted saying.
He said
whatever he gives to Mengo would not satisfy them so long as it didn't
involve political power. "If they want political power let them decline
their cultural positions and come into active politics," a source quoted
Museveni as saying.
Ministers
Capt. Francis Babu, Janat Mukwaya and Tim Lwanga reported to the President
that Mengo blacklisted them because they support the Movement.
"I will
not tolerate Mengo blacklisting my supporters and inciting violence,"
another source quoted the President saying.
Museveni
warned he would lock up people who continue to incite violence. He said he
dropped former Vice President the late Dr. Samson Kisekka because he had
begun siding with Mengo.
He said the
Mengo unfruitful talks had delayed the White Paper and proposed that if
the Friday [yesterday] talks hit a deadlock the Cabinet would produce two
positions on federo in the White Paper; one containing Buganda's position
and the other containing the Cabinet position.
However, MPs
were reportedly opposed to the proposal. They urged the President to try
as much as possible to reach a harmonized position with Mengo than
presenting two positions in the same White Paper.
The President
told MPs that the Cabinet wants the regional government to have two
councils, one containing cultural leaders and the other containing
politically elected representatives.
saying it
would cause friction among the council because they literary deal with
similar issues. On the status of Kampala, the President agreed that
Kampala was geographically in Buganda.
He however
said the Central government would control Kampala as a Capital city and
would be in charge of levying and collecting taxes. He said experts would
work a formula that would determine how much of these revenues would be
remitted to the regional government.
On the 9000
square miles Buganda claims, Museveni said district land boards would
control this land but Buganda would have representatives on the same
boards.
Most MPs
notably Fred Ruhindi, Capt. David Matovu, Jimmy Kinobe, Namirembe
Bitamazire, Tom Kayongo, Herbert Lwanga, and Capt. Francis Babu reportedly
cheered the President as he made his presentations.
Prof
Ssemakula Kiwanuka was reported cheering, tell them, tell them, referring
to the Mengo government.
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