Babu and Zziwa should not lose sleep over me because I won’t run!
Jun 14, 2004
SIR— In the last <i>Sunday Vision,</i> it was reported in an article, “Babu, Zziwa lose sleep over Nava, Byaruhangaâ€, in the political gossip column
SIR— In the last Sunday Vision, it was reported in an article, “Babu, Zziwa lose sleep over Nava, Byaruhangaâ€, in the political gossip column, that I intend to offer myself as a candidate for the Kampala Central Constituency currently ably represented in Parliament by Hon. Francis Babu. Although the story was in the gossip column, which in my opinion is a hearsay column, I don’t think the editor foresaw the confusion it was going to cause. If he had, he wouldn’t have published the trash without consulting me and putting my comments in the same story as good journalism requires.
The problem is that some people believe gossip as truth.
In this case, when the gossip came out, one nameless person rang my colleague, Fox Odoi, about it. You see, he believed the gossip to be true. But since Odoi knew it to be merely a rumour, he told the person that it was not true.
For some time, the Kampala rumour mill has been spreading the story. Now that the rumour has been made public by Sunday Vision, I have also decided to rest my case publicly: I don’t intend to offer myself as a candidate for Kampala Central parliamentary seat. Whoever has been spreading that rumour, including those who published it, is an enemy of the Movement. For the intention is to create a rift between the Movement supporters in Kampala Central on one hand and create differences between myself and Hon Babu on the other. As a cadre, I will always work for the success of the Movement and not disharmony. In fact, when Mr Nyakaana Amooti stood against Hon Babu in 2001, sensing that his standing was going to divide the Movement supporters, I personally met Nyakaana in a restaurant in Kampala and advised him to step down for Babu in order not to divide the supporters in Kampala Central. Nyakaana went ahead with campaigns regardless.
So let people enjoy sound sleep.
Moses Byaruhanga
Private Secretary to the President/Political Affairs
The problem is that some people believe gossip as truth.
In this case, when the gossip came out, one nameless person rang my colleague, Fox Odoi, about it. You see, he believed the gossip to be true. But since Odoi knew it to be merely a rumour, he told the person that it was not true.
For some time, the Kampala rumour mill has been spreading the story. Now that the rumour has been made public by Sunday Vision, I have also decided to rest my case publicly: I don’t intend to offer myself as a candidate for Kampala Central parliamentary seat. Whoever has been spreading that rumour, including those who published it, is an enemy of the Movement. For the intention is to create a rift between the Movement supporters in Kampala Central on one hand and create differences between myself and Hon Babu on the other. As a cadre, I will always work for the success of the Movement and not disharmony. In fact, when Mr Nyakaana Amooti stood against Hon Babu in 2001, sensing that his standing was going to divide the Movement supporters, I personally met Nyakaana in a restaurant in Kampala and advised him to step down for Babu in order not to divide the supporters in Kampala Central. Nyakaana went ahead with campaigns regardless.
So let people enjoy sound sleep.
Moses Byaruhanga
Private Secretary to the President/Political Affairs