{UAH} Reconcile with Gen Sejusa, NRM bigwigs appeal to Museveni

Reconcile with Gen Sejusa, NRM bigwigs appeal to Museveni

Posted on October 10, 2013 by Editorial Team

By Nkonge I Kaggwa in Kampala and Richard A Luce in London

NRM Vice Chairman in charge of the Central Region, Al-Hajji Abdul Nadduli: "Sejusa's issues cannot be taken lightly."

National Resistance Movement (NRM) Vice Chairman in charge of the Central Region, Al-Hajji Abdul Nadduli has appealed to the government of President Yoweri Museveni in general and to the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) in particular,  to find a way of reconciling with General David Sejusa and take him back into government.

Mr Nadduli who is also a Local Council Five (LC5) chairperson for Luwero District where the NRM mounted the beginning of its five-year guerrilla war that finally brought it into power in 1986, specifically asked UPDF generals to find the means of taking back into government the still army representative in parliament and coordinator of intelligence services, warning that his departure from the UPDF could lead the country to anarchy in the future.

He made the appeal when addressing celebrations to mark the 51st Uganda's independence anniversary at Bombo Sports Ground in Luwero District on Wednesday. Nadduli told the crowd: "Sejusa's issues shouldn't be taken lightly. There could be some other disgruntled generals out there and brave men who can join him and create problems for our country. It's better to deal with this matter maturely before it goes beyond. It is still early and I'm sure we can talk to him," he pleaded.

Nadduli kept telling the crowd that he knows Sejusa very well and that the general was very brilliant at mobilizing people who can do anything if he wants to achieve it and can listen when he is told. "I was 39 years of age while Sejusa was just 24 years during the bush war .When I talk about this I know what I'm saying," he said, adding: "I now implore General Salim Saleh (President Museveni's step-brother) and General Elly Tumwine, (a fellow army representative in parliament and former army commander) to consider humbly talking to our comrade when it is still very early so that he comes back."

Justice Minister Gen Kahinda Otafiire: "We should try at all costs to respect people with dissenting views."

The NRM Vice Chairman warned that letting Gen Sejusa go may lead the country to bad times. "When your son runs mad, you don't let him go wondering around, but go to him politely and talk to him. Let's come up with a reconciliatory board which can handle this. Even if he has caused chaos, let's cement it and move on," Nadduli advised. Nadduli is known for being controversial, open in his remarks and always calculates words before speaking out. He knows a lot about the sad history of Uganda and is well articulated especially when it comes to Uganda's post-independence history, including the revolutions in the country which have quite often caused him problems.

Gen Sejusa left the country nearly four months ago after coming out with a controversial dossier that demanded the government investigates an attempt to assassinate army generals opposed to a succession plot involving President Museveni's son, Brigadier Muhoozi Kainerugaba. Since he left for the United Kingdom, many things have happened and he has all but given up on retaining his seat in parliament after he was named this week as one of the organisers of a new liberation front that will vie for unseating President Museveni from his more than 27 years in power.

Speaking as guest of honour during the same occasion in Bombo, the Minister of Justice General Kahinda Otafiire, a close friend of Gen Sejusa, seemed to agree with Nadduli's remarks about Sejusa. Gen Otafiire who fought alongside Gen Sejusa during the five-year war that brought the NRM into power said: "We should try at all costs to respect people with dissenting views. One may have best views but if you cannot accommodate his views and just ignore them, this may take our country back to the bad days and memories of the 1980s." Otafiire added: "If he is Chairman of FDC (Forum for Democratic Change – the main opposition political party) let him remain. If UPC (Uganda Peoples Congress – one of the country's oldest political party), let him stay because if you refuse to accommodate him you may fail to know his cause," said Otafiire.

Nadduli's comment that Gen Sejusa is a brilliant organiser sits in well with recent developments in London where a new political organisation was announced early this week with indications that the general had a big role in its formation. While he has not personally come out to say anything about the Freedom and Unity Front (FUF), sources in London have confirmed that he is one of the main players in FUF. Ironically, the formation of FUF was announced on the very day that the country was celebrating 51 years of independence from Britain with the organisers saying it had been formed to free Ugandans from 27 years of dominance of power by NRM leader Gen Yoweri Museveni and his close family.

Prof Amii Omara-Otunnu, leader of the Freedom and Unity Front has given an exclusive interview to The London Evening Post.

In an exclusive interview with The London Evening Post editor Henry Gombya that will appear here this Saturday, the man appointed to lead the FUF, Connecticut-based Prof Amii Omara-Otunnu will explain what led him to accept the gigantic task of trying to unite a country divided for many years along tribal, religious and political lines and remove what has now become a family dictatorship spanning 27 years.

Prof Omara-Otunnu who holds a Social Sciences degree from Harvard, a Masters in political science from the London School of Economics and a doctorate in history from Oxford, spoke to Dr Gombya about reasons why some leaders find it difficult to step down from power, gave his thoughts about the North-South divide in Uganda, what he thinks about the federal system of government and how he will steer FUF around the roadblocks set up by the Ugandan government for anyone who wants to carry out political mobilisation.

The Omara-Otunnu interview will also reveal what the FUF leader thinks ought to be done to President Yoweri Museveni and his gang after they are removed from power and how he will avoid the problems encountered by Ugandans in 1978 at the Moshi Conference that precipitated the overthrow of Idi Amin in 1979 when they all but fell out with each other once they had succeeded, with the help of neighbouring Tanzania, to remove Gen Amin.

Our readers from Europe and Africa will be able to read this interview by early Saturday morning, while those in Northern America will be able to read it by Friday evening while those Asia and Australasia late Saturday night. This interview will reveal a tremendous effort Ugandans are making to once and for all get rid of dictatorship without spilling blood and create an atmosphere where there will be no political prisoners, no harassment by security forces for those with views that are different from those of the government in power and where every Ugandan will feel proud to be a Ugandan, regardless of what tribe they come from, what religion they worship or what political party they choose to belong to. Don't miss it. It's a must read.

http://www.thelondoneveningpost.com/reconcile-with-gen-sejusa-nrm-bigwigs-appeal-to-museveni/3/

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