JUNK CHOPPERS
In the statement, Museveni also responded to some of Besigye's public remarks, like his accusation that Museveni had "forgiven" his brother, Salim Saleh, over the $800,000 bribe he had allegedly obtained in the purchase of junk helicopters.
Museveni said Saleh actually rejected the bribe and brought it to his attention.
"On the contrary, it was Col Besigye who either negligently or for other reasons signed the document accepting those defective helicopters from Belarus….of all actors in the helicopter scandal, it is Col Besigye who played the biggest part."
Museveni also denied Besigye's accusations that he had unilaterally deployed Ugandan troops in the DR Congo. The President said he had consulted a few commanders in northern Uganda and later involved the High Command, Army Council and Parliament's defence committee.
In what turned out to be a war of words between the two men, Besigye immediately responded to Museveni's statements in a press release.
Besigye said he couldn't have consulted the Movement which legally meant an all inclusive "system" with individual merit as the basis of electing office bearers. He added that Museveni too never consulted Movement organs, like the National Resistance Council and NEC, before standing for the office.
"He is not telling the truth to suggest that the Movement had no structures in 1996...he accuses me of being indisciplined, disruptive and causing problems for the Movement, when I follow the same steps as he did to declare my candidature.
Why is it that when Besigye wants to stand on individual merit, he creates problems for the Movement and when Yoweri Museveni wants to stand, it is not a problem?"
Besigye also said that Museveni wasn't honest in accusing him of working with multi-partyists yet he was also working with them.
He said it was public knowledge that he had approached Cecilia Ogwal and offered her the post of vice president which she declined. He had also appointed former DP Secretary General, Maria Mutagamba, to his cabinet.
On his role in purchasing junk helicopters, Besigye said all military purchases are controlled by Museveni.
"I challenge the President to deny the following facts: that no system of tendering for military equipment exists in our army. All supplies for arms and ammunition are chosen by the President personally, or sometimes with the involvement of some officers he chooses."
Court of Appeal judge, Steven Kavuma, who was then minister of state for Defence, also penned a statement on November 5, 2000 in defence of the President.
"It is not true that no system exists for procurement of military equipment and arms for the UPDF," he said.
He, however, added that military purchases aren't tendered.
"It is therefore not correct for Col (Rtd) Besigye to have stated that the President single-handedly awards tenders for supply of military equipment. The President's involvement is strictly at a strategic level," Kavuma said.
As Chief of Logistics (between 1993 and 1998), Kavuma said, Besigye misled the army when he led a UPDF technical team to Belarus in October 1997 to inspect the helicopters and confirmed that "the helicopters were now fully overhauled and ready for shipment," which Kavuma said wasn't true.
THE CAMPAIGN
Although there were six candidates in the race, it was largely a two-horse race between Museveni and Besigye. Museveni campaigned on the premise of "Consolidating the achievements of the Movement."
His campaign posters carried a photo of a smiling, good looking Museveni wearing a hut. Besigye ,on the other hand, campaigned on the "Reform" ticket. His campaign posters carried the words, "A president who will listen."
He drew support from disgruntled Movement supporters and opposition supporters, including Kampala mayor, Nasser Ntege Sebaggala, who ironically now supports President Museveni. Sebaggala had been disqualified from contesting for the presidency because of questionable academic papers and he decided to throw his weight behind Besigye.
Museveni's campaign team was led by Jaberi Bidandi Ssali, while Besigye's was led by Sam Njuba.
Museveni won the election with 69%, compared to Besigye's 27.7%.
Besigye challenged Museveni's victory in the Supreme Court which held that there were widespread electoral irregularities but upheld the election, saying the irregularities didn't substantially affect the outcome.
The campaign had several instances of violence. Maj Roland Kakooza Mutale's Kalangala Action Plan was at its most notorious, intimidating and harassing Besigye supporters. Mutale was indeed implicated in the violence in a report of Parliament's select committee that was formed to investigate the violence, after the elections.
The campaign was often about non-issues. President Museveni, for instance, claimed that Besigye could not lead because he was HIV/AIDS positive. Challenged on how he knew this, Museveni said Besigye's bodily appearance bore "strong resemblance to other AIDS victims I have observed in the past."
This eventually became one of the grounds on which Besigye petitioned the Supreme Court, challenging Museveni's victory, arguing that the unfortunate remarks had undermined his candidature.
In his affidavit, Museveni never denied making the remarks, but he said he never made them publicly and maliciously as Besigye claimed.
During the campaign, Maj Okwir Rabwoni, the late Brig Noble Mayombo's brother, was arrested at Entebbe Airport in a dramatic incident that highlighted the level of tensions.
Being a brother to one of Museveni's most trusted lieutenants, who was then Chief of Military Intelligence, it was seen as an embarrassment that Rabwoni, who was then Youth MP for Western Uganda, was on Besigye's campaign task force.
He had to be stopped, by force if possible. And so it was on February 20, 2001 as Rabwoni accompanied Besigye on a chartered flight trip to West Nile to address rallies. Okwir was later allegedly forced to sign documents withdrawing from the Besigye camp.
Mayombo later denied forcing Rabwoni to sign the documents in an affidavit he filed in defence of President Museveni's election. He said Rabwoni had quit Besigye's camp voluntarily.
As acting Chief of Military Intelligence, Mayombo claimed, he used Okwir "to join the elect Besigye task force so that he gives me information about security related plans of that group and he agreed to do so."
Rabwoni, however, later insisted that he switched his allegiance from Besigye under duress. He was later to spend the next six years in exile.
mcmubs@observer.ug
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