Museveni defends removal of term limits
Oct 30, 2005
PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni on Wednesday met Ugandans living in the UK and explained the decision to scrap the presidential term limits from the Constitution.
By Daniel Kalinaki
in London
PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni on Wednesday met Ugandans living in the UK and explained the decision to scrap the presidential term limits from the Constitution.
About 1,000 Ugandans turned up at the five-star Landmark Hotel, to listen to Museveni on the last-leg of his three-day working visit to the UK.
After his address and just as he was about to leave, Museveni spotted Anna Borzello of the BBC, who spent several years in Uganda and allowed her to ask a question.
She obliged by asking why Museveni was risking his legacy by clinging to power.
As the crowd applauded the question, Museveni answered, “We are in very serious business, dealing with the destiny of our people and that’s what will determine what we’ll do,†adding, “the legacy will not be undermined. Whatever we do, we do it in the partnership with the people; we don’t do it alone.â€
He added, “On the contrary it (another term in office) may actually enhance it and add more success to whatever we have done. We want a flexible constitution because we have got issues that we must deal with, which may not be time-bound, which may need more time.â€
For the members of the NRM UK chapter, the President’s presence was a shot in the arm for a group that has always played second-best to the opposition’s Forum for Democratic Change.
Museveni reeled off figures to show how far Uganda has come.
Primary enrollment was up from 2.5 to 7.7 million; secondary from 200,000 to 800,000; university from 5,000 to 34,000 at Makerere, not counting other universities, he said, to applause.
in London
PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni on Wednesday met Ugandans living in the UK and explained the decision to scrap the presidential term limits from the Constitution.
About 1,000 Ugandans turned up at the five-star Landmark Hotel, to listen to Museveni on the last-leg of his three-day working visit to the UK.
After his address and just as he was about to leave, Museveni spotted Anna Borzello of the BBC, who spent several years in Uganda and allowed her to ask a question.
She obliged by asking why Museveni was risking his legacy by clinging to power.
As the crowd applauded the question, Museveni answered, “We are in very serious business, dealing with the destiny of our people and that’s what will determine what we’ll do,†adding, “the legacy will not be undermined. Whatever we do, we do it in the partnership with the people; we don’t do it alone.â€
He added, “On the contrary it (another term in office) may actually enhance it and add more success to whatever we have done. We want a flexible constitution because we have got issues that we must deal with, which may not be time-bound, which may need more time.â€
For the members of the NRM UK chapter, the President’s presence was a shot in the arm for a group that has always played second-best to the opposition’s Forum for Democratic Change.
Museveni reeled off figures to show how far Uganda has come.
Primary enrollment was up from 2.5 to 7.7 million; secondary from 200,000 to 800,000; university from 5,000 to 34,000 at Makerere, not counting other universities, he said, to applause.