Besigye free to come back – Museveni

Caucus Endorses Museveni PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has said presidential aspirant Colonel Dr Kiiza Besigye is free to return to the Movement, reports Grace Matsiko. Museveni was responding to a paper on the role of MPs presented by Bukooli south MP Wandera Ogalo at the meeting of the Parliamentary Movement Caucus held at the Young Men's Christian Association in Jinja over the weekend. Sources who attended the meeting said Museveni told the legislators that Besigye was not chased away from the Movement and that he has not sent anyone to talk to him. He, however, said he is aware that public service minister Amanya Mushega and others have been trying to talk to him to bring him back into the Movement fold. The President reportedly said even if Besigye does not return, Museveni would still win next year's presidential elections in the first round. MPs had earlier expressed fears that the Movement vote would be split which could deny Museveni a clear majority. In its resolutions at the end of the meeting, the Movement parliamentary caucus endorsed the candidature of Yoweri Museveni as the torch bearer of the Movement in the coming Presidential elections. The caucus which comprises over 200 MPs said Museveni is still vibrant and capable of making further contributions to the development of the country and the Movement. The MPs said Museveni still enjoys the confidence and support of the people of Uganda. They said under his leadership, pillars of the state, including the legislature, to which the caucus belongs, have been restored but needed further strengthening. "We bind ourselves to fully support and advance the candidature of Y. K. Museveni to victory by mobilising all people in our constituencies to give unconditional support to him," the caucus said in the resolutions signed by its chairman, Okot Ogong (Dokolo) and secretary, James Kinobe (Katikamu north). The MPs said they were concerned that there are two people professing Movement ideology in the presidential elections. They said this scenario poses a risk of dividing the votes of the Movement support. Presidential aspirant, Col. Dr. Kiiza Besigye also says he is a Movement candidate. The legislators noted that partisan politicians are making relentless efforts to divide the Movement supporters while working hard to create a united front among themselves. They said there was need for "foresighted leadership, unity within the Movement and orderly succession to the highest office in the land." They said Museveni has played a crucial role in the struggle against dictatorship, liberation, democratisation, reconstruction, economic progress, political stability, restoration of the Rule of Law and constitutionalism in Uganda. They said some work remains to be accomplished in democratisation, economic development, political stability and consolidation of the rule of law and the Constitution. The MPs said the decision to back Museveni came after they considered a presentation titled "Y. K Museveni's Long Walk towards freedom and democracy in Uganda" and having debated another paper presented to them on strategies for Presidential Elections 2001. Sources said Manzi Tumubweine, the state minister for finance in charge of privatisation, announced to the caucus that sh3.5b in arrears of MPs' mobilisation fund will be released this week. The second batch of sh3.5b will be released in the first week of January, next year. MPs are supposed to receive a monthly disbursement of sh150, 000 each as development fund. Museveni said MPs supporting his candidature will campaign from within their constituencies independent of the task force structure, sources added. They said he promised to facilitate them from his own funds. Museveni reportedly told the caucus that conflicts between MPs and district authorities will be handled by an MPs desk chaired by works, housing and communications minister John Nasasira. According to a statement issued yesterday by Hope Kivengere, press secretary to the president, Museveni told the caucus that the major focus of the Movement government is the population. "President Museveni said that the way forward for Uganda is to ensure mass-oriented programmes. Modernisation should be primary in all planning strategies," he said. Ends.