{UAH} Allan/Pojim/WBK: Museveni did not fight alone - Mbabazi
|
6:22 PM |
No comments |
Museveni did not fight alone
Independent presidential candidate says war will not break out if Museveni is defeated
Uganda cannot plunge into turmoil if President Museveni loses next month's general election, Amama Mbabazi has said.
Mbabazi, an independent presidential candidate, yesterday warned people in Mityana and Mubende districts that they shouldn't be misled by Museveni's claim that the country cannot be peaceful without him.
"Who deceived him that Uganda's peace and stability is dependent on him? By the way he is not the only one who fought; it was a collection of many different people," Mbabazi said in Mityana.
He said he and Buganda kingdom minister Israel Mayengo also contributed to the NRA/M liberation struggle. Mayengo is part of former Buganda kingdom ministers that joined Mbabazi on the last leg of his campaign in Buganda region.
"I don't think people should fear that Uganda will become unstable if we have a change of leadership because inevitably Uganda will have to change leadership," Mbabazi said.
"I think what we have to do is to stick to the core principles and values for which we fought," he added.
At Namigavu village in Kikandwa sub-county, Mityana district, Mbabazi was handed a list of war claimants who supplied goods and services to the rebel NRA and haven't been compensated to date.
Muhammad Ssentongo, a former rebel collaborator, told The Observer that in the run-up to the 2006 presidential elections, each of the claimants was promised Shs 5m but 10 years down the road, no one has been paid.
"My father, Muhammad Ssekiziyivu was killed by the then government [Obote II] because we were collaborating with the rebels [NRA] and we also supplied them food but since 2005, they [government] have been deceiving us that we are going to be compensated," Ssentongo said.
GHOSTS
Mbabazi said he knew there are many war claimants in Luweero triangle whose would-be compensation was taken by others.
"I have previously pledged that in the first 100 days of my government, all the veterans and war claimants will receive their due compensation because I know many people who were paid were not the rightful claimants," Mbabazi said.
After his rally at Namigavu, Mbabazi drove to Kikandwa sub-county headquarters where he laid a wreath on a mass grave of the 1981-86 fallen war heroes. Mbabazi's surprise visit to the grave was clearly meant to avoid a repeat of his clash with police in Barlonyo.
Police in Lira closed the entrance to the mass grave where more than 300 victims of the 2004 LRA massacre are buried to stop Mbabazi from laying a wreath on the grave.
This time round he surprised even his campaign team. He walked out of his car with an orange wreath and laid it on the Kikandwa mass grave without much ceremony or warning.
There was no police officer in his wake, except those officially allocated to him by the Electoral Commission.
"I am here to pay tribute to those who died in the struggle; in recognition of their contribution to the progress we have so far made, and the progress that Uganda hopes to make," Mbabazi said.
His presence at the mass grave instantly attracted a crowd from the neighbouring trading centre, which he told why he believes Museveni should retire after 30 years in State House.
"NRM has done something but there remains a lot that it has failed to do," the former NRM secretary general said.
"I believe the heroes did not die in vain, and our effort now is to introduce stability in our country so that we can have a peaceful change of leaders and systems," he added.
He said a peaceful change of leadership will be in fulfillment of the objectives of the five-year bush war.
"NRM has made a foundation for Uganda to progress. What we need now is not steady progress but accelerated progress. The 100 years that the British took to transform is a luxury we cannot afford; we don't have one hundred years," Mbabazi said.
Speaking in Mityana yesterday, where Museveni takes his campaign today, Mbabazi took considerable time attacking the president, a man he worked closely with for decades.
"If among the 35 million Ugandans it is only [Museveni] who can guarantee Uganda's stability, then God must have cursed this country," Mbabazi said.
Mbabazi was also critical of Museveni's "personalisation" of Uganda's oil resources.
"Oil should not be personalized, it is for all Ugandans and we must benefit from it," Mbabazi said.
He also told his grassroots coordinators to begin door-to-door campaigns to hunt for votes.
sadabkk@observer.ug
0 comments:
Post a Comment