Movement To Be Party – Bidandi

By Hamis Kaheru Local government minister Bidandi Ssali has said the Movement is set to transform itself into a political organisation to compete for power in 2006. "I don't think the question of individual merit will arise again in 2006. I see a situation where the bid for power will be through political institutions and not based on individual merit," he said in a telephone interview yesterday. He added, "It is now up to us to organise ourselves into the biggest political organisation whose principles are the same as those of the Movement, where the culture of tolerance is paramount and change of guard is determined by the people. "I am telling you this as a senior supporter of the Movement and this school of thought is held by a number of supporters. Others who don't share this view will eventually realise it's the wisest way to go." Bidandi, a former secretary general of the the Uganda Patriotic Movement which was headed by President Yoweri Museveni, was the co-ordinator for Movement parliamentary campaigns. He said it was not true Museveni suffered defeat because many candidates he campaigned for lost in the just-concluded elections. "How does Museveni lose when he got overwhelming majority votes in the presidential election? People have only said we want you there as our President but leave us to chose our representatives," he said. "To say 'no' to the President augurs well for the politics of this country. It shows that Ugandans have matured politically and don't want the idea of alagidde (he has ordered)," he said. Bidandi said people voted for individuals who did not necessarily oppose Museveni's manifesto, though they happened to belong to different systems, including multipartyism. Bidandi said the next few years would be critical in the transformation to political institutions. "My advice to multipartyists is for them to reconcile within their own organisations and stop crying that they are gagged otherwise they will be caught unawares," he said. He said partyists should not claim credit when the political space is finally opened. "It is obvious, it's a natural process and when it happens they shouldn't say that it is because we pressurised the Government." Bidandi criticised multipartyists for not highlighting the Political Organisations Act during the campaigns. "Their pre-occupation was Museveni must go," he said. He said political parties should educate the people about political pluralism before they are freed to open offices at the district level. He said the next Parliament should re-discuss the Act. "If we opened up before Paul Ssemogerere reconciles with Francis Bwengye or before Obote reconciles with Cecilia Ogwal, the wrangles would just continue and the country would not have the benefits of political pluralism," Bidandi said. Ends