I’m not FDC â€" Kategaya
May 26, 2006
Former Prime Minister Eriya Kategaya has said he never left the Movement and that he did not belong to Forum For Democratic Change (FDC) and that he supports principled opposition to government.
By John Odyek and Joyce Namutebi
Former Prime Minister Eriya Kategaya has said he never left the Movement and that he did not belong to Forum For Democratic Change (FDC) and that he supports principled opposition to government.
Kategaya, nominated by President Yoweri Museveni for a ministerial position, revealed his stand at Parliament Building in Kampala, moments before he was vetted for office yesterday.
Asked to which party he belonged, he replied, “I have never been in FDC. I don’t have their card, neither do I have one for the NRM party. The FDC claims are exaggerated. As you see my record, I never campaigned for FDC or the NRM party. Someone in FDC said they were going to punish me, how can they do that? How can they enforce a punishment on me?â€
“I supported FDC in principle. I still believe this country needs an alternative credible opposition rather than find there are no alternatives. FDC have weaknesses. That is why I am silent. I never campaigned for them. If I have time, I will explain to them,†he said.
He refused to reveal the FDC weaknesses. Kategeya was appointed FDC envoy prior to the February 23 presidential elections.
His appearance before the vetting committee ended days of speculation on whether he would accept the nomination.
Dressed in a dark-blue suit and red tie, Kategaya arrived with his curriculum vitae in hand at 11:00am to face the parliamentary appointments committee.
Kategaya, 60, was dropped from Museveni’s Cabinet in 2003 after serving the NRM government for over 15 years as Museveni’s right-hand man.
Kategaya said he had held “discussions†with Museveni since September 2003 on whether to return to government.
He joked that people say that if one is not in government, one cannot survive. “As you can see, I am not emaciated. I have been in private law practice,†he said.
“There were two sides to my situation. There is a group saying I should not join the government because of my opposition to the kisanja (third term for Museveni). Another group said I should join to contribute. On the balance, I decided to join. As you know, I have contributed to the growth of the National Resistance Movement,†Kategaya said.
He told journalists he had disagreed with Museveni only on the third term issue and that on other policies they had no disagreements.
“The late Julius Nyerere (president of Tanzania) said in politics, one plus one is not necessarily two, it can be five.â€
He was reluctant to name the office he preferred in the cabinet due to be announced this weekend but he intimately talked about the political developments in East African affairs.
“The East African Federation excites me. In 1990 when I was minister for foreign affairs, I participated in the signing of the East African Community treaty. I believe we need a bigger unit. If Museveni gives me that, I will be happy. But the president decides on that,†he said.
On the question of a fourth term for Museveni, he said, “I hope it doesn’t go on and on. A fourth term? Museveni will be 75 years. There is an open-term limit, I hope it doesn’t go on,†he repeated.
He said he had told Museveni that any organisation without contradictions was a dead one.
“Contradictions help sharpen views,†he said.
“I maintain that we need a credible opposition for the country. When I argued for opening up political space I knew Uganda People’s Congress and the Democratic Party were dead parties. Now we have multiparty politics. We should help the opposition. FDC should build its party. They have big rallies and they are satisfied but they have no structures,†he said.
He denied toning down his criticism against Museveni in his recently released book, Passion for Freedom, as a trade- off to rejoin government.
He refuted claims that he was a spy in the FDC. He lamented that the late president Milton Obote was president of UPC since he was a pupil and that Obote had died with the party and that DP had similar problems.
“I hope NRM won’t go the same way,†he said.
He revealed that he would state at the right time whether he would rejoin the NRM party.
During yesterday’s session, the committee also examined CVs of Tom Butime, Sam Kutesa, Moses Echweru, Urban Tibamanya. Others who appeared were Daniel Omara Atubo, Baba James, Sezi Mbaguta, Emmanuel Otaala, Lukia Chekamondo and Ham Mulira. Vetting is expected to end next week with four more nominees.
Former Prime Minister Eriya Kategaya has said he never left the Movement and that he did not belong to Forum For Democratic Change (FDC) and that he supports principled opposition to government.
Kategaya, nominated by President Yoweri Museveni for a ministerial position, revealed his stand at Parliament Building in Kampala, moments before he was vetted for office yesterday.
Asked to which party he belonged, he replied, “I have never been in FDC. I don’t have their card, neither do I have one for the NRM party. The FDC claims are exaggerated. As you see my record, I never campaigned for FDC or the NRM party. Someone in FDC said they were going to punish me, how can they do that? How can they enforce a punishment on me?â€
“I supported FDC in principle. I still believe this country needs an alternative credible opposition rather than find there are no alternatives. FDC have weaknesses. That is why I am silent. I never campaigned for them. If I have time, I will explain to them,†he said.
He refused to reveal the FDC weaknesses. Kategeya was appointed FDC envoy prior to the February 23 presidential elections.
His appearance before the vetting committee ended days of speculation on whether he would accept the nomination.
Dressed in a dark-blue suit and red tie, Kategaya arrived with his curriculum vitae in hand at 11:00am to face the parliamentary appointments committee.
Kategaya, 60, was dropped from Museveni’s Cabinet in 2003 after serving the NRM government for over 15 years as Museveni’s right-hand man.
Kategaya said he had held “discussions†with Museveni since September 2003 on whether to return to government.
He joked that people say that if one is not in government, one cannot survive. “As you can see, I am not emaciated. I have been in private law practice,†he said.
“There were two sides to my situation. There is a group saying I should not join the government because of my opposition to the kisanja (third term for Museveni). Another group said I should join to contribute. On the balance, I decided to join. As you know, I have contributed to the growth of the National Resistance Movement,†Kategaya said.
He told journalists he had disagreed with Museveni only on the third term issue and that on other policies they had no disagreements.
“The late Julius Nyerere (president of Tanzania) said in politics, one plus one is not necessarily two, it can be five.â€
He was reluctant to name the office he preferred in the cabinet due to be announced this weekend but he intimately talked about the political developments in East African affairs.
“The East African Federation excites me. In 1990 when I was minister for foreign affairs, I participated in the signing of the East African Community treaty. I believe we need a bigger unit. If Museveni gives me that, I will be happy. But the president decides on that,†he said.
On the question of a fourth term for Museveni, he said, “I hope it doesn’t go on and on. A fourth term? Museveni will be 75 years. There is an open-term limit, I hope it doesn’t go on,†he repeated.
He said he had told Museveni that any organisation without contradictions was a dead one.
“Contradictions help sharpen views,†he said.
“I maintain that we need a credible opposition for the country. When I argued for opening up political space I knew Uganda People’s Congress and the Democratic Party were dead parties. Now we have multiparty politics. We should help the opposition. FDC should build its party. They have big rallies and they are satisfied but they have no structures,†he said.
He denied toning down his criticism against Museveni in his recently released book, Passion for Freedom, as a trade- off to rejoin government.
He refuted claims that he was a spy in the FDC. He lamented that the late president Milton Obote was president of UPC since he was a pupil and that Obote had died with the party and that DP had similar problems.
“I hope NRM won’t go the same way,†he said.
He revealed that he would state at the right time whether he would rejoin the NRM party.
During yesterday’s session, the committee also examined CVs of Tom Butime, Sam Kutesa, Moses Echweru, Urban Tibamanya. Others who appeared were Daniel Omara Atubo, Baba James, Sezi Mbaguta, Emmanuel Otaala, Lukia Chekamondo and Ham Mulira. Vetting is expected to end next week with four more nominees.