President Yoweri Museveni runs the risk of losing popularity and respect if he overstays in power, Mr Adam Wood (above, the outgoing British High Commissioner has said.
?Overtime popularity reduces when leaders overstay in power. Very few retain respect after overstaying in power,? Wood said.
He was appearing on Tonight with Andrew Mwenda Live on KFM on Thursday.
Wood, 50, moves to Kenya next month to replace the outspoken Edward Clay who previously worked as High Commissioner to Uganda.
Wood said the British government had encouraged Museveni to weigh all the options open to him, adding, ?It would be important for Museveni to hand over power peacefully to another.?
However, Wood, added, the issue of lifting term limits from the Constitution to allow
Museveni stand again was not something the donors had the right to oppose.
?The issue is, how did he get there? The process has to
be
perceived to be legitimate and fair,? he said.
Concern
Wood said the donors had expressed concern to the government over the controversy surrounding the ?facilitation? Members of Parliament received from the NRM. He said accountability of the source of the funds would help to clear the concerns they had.
?We found it difficult to understand how the rules of Procedure of Parliament were changed,? he said. ?We hope there was no linkage between these two actions.?
The diplomat said donors had also expressed interest to know more about the recently introduced Constituency Development Fund since it ?seemed to favour the incumbent.?
President Yoweri on June 7 announced that MPs would receive Sh10 million annually for development projects in their constituencies.
On the forthcoming referendum, Wood said Uganda?s development partners were expecting nothing else but a yes vote in line with the five benchmarks set out with the government. ?We want to see a multi party system in place,? h
e
said.
The other benchmarks set by the donors include separation of the organs of the State in law and in practice, unhindered debate on political reforms, including freedom of the press and respect for human rights, respect for the rule of law and constitutional process, and the absence of intimidation and financial manipulation of the process of change.
Wood said the government?s progress towards satisfying the benchmarks would be considered in an assessment due in September. He described the recent deployment of tanks to block an FDC rally as surprising, disappointing and a setback. He said the donors had been ?troubled? by the incident.
The UPDF on June 10 deployed tanks to stop an FDC rally at Kaunda Grounds in Gulu. It was organised to welcome MPS Michael Ocula and Reagan Okumu from jail.
Wood said it would not be healthy for the country if the forthcoming general elections are not perceived as legi
timate
and fair by other political players.
Wood said the donors had raised concerns with the government about Maj. Kakooza Mutale and his Kalangala Action Plan, and they had been given assurances that action would be taken against the controversial presidential adviser.
He wondered why the President was not taking any action on Mutale for opposing the campaign for a Yes vote in the referendum when he is still being paid as the presidential adviser.
Unhappy
Wood said Uganda?s development partners were generally happy with the new budget but they were disappointed that no measures were put in place to check and control public administration expenditure.
?We would like to see measures that would reduce public expenditure,? he said.
He said donors were concerned about having Army MPs in Parliament. | 
