Is Bidandi Ssali Becoming A Rolling Stone, Gathering The Most Moss?
May 28, 2003
SIR— Outgoing local government minister Jaberi Bidandi Ssali has, according to press reports, been consistently and publicly accusing President Yoweri Museveni of manipulating the issue of lifting the two-term limit on the presidency during the National Executive Committee (NEC) at Kyankwanzi and
SIR— Outgoing local government minister Jaberi Bidandi Ssali has, according to press reports, been consistently and publicly accusing President Yoweri Museveni of manipulating the issue of lifting the two-term limit on the presidency during the National Executive Committee (NEC) at Kyankwanzi and the National Conference (NC) at the International Conference Centre in Kampala.
These allegations have not only injured the reputation of the President and portrayed him as a political opportunist, but have also created a negative image on the credibility and integrity of the more than 225,000 Movement delegates who attended the conference at Kyankwanzi and the International Conference Centre.
Bidandi’s statements seem to indicate that the Movement delegates are mere rubber-stamps who are out to endorse whatever is put forward by President Museveni. This is false and should be dismissed with contempt.
Some of us who attended the Kyankwanzi meeting can attest to this. The true version is that the issue of lifting the two-term limit came from the people at the grassroots. It was reflected in the various memoranda submitted by the district committees and other delegates of the NEC meeting in Kyankwanzi.
Perhaps the President could be accused of influencing the opening up to multiparty politics which was very contentious and still is contentious at the grassroots and met with stiff resistance from the majority (almost all) of the delegates. The President had to labour to explain the merits of the shift to multiparty democracy in order to convince the delegates to adopt the proposal.
It is not only dangerous but also unfair for Bidandi Ssali to create the false impression that President Museveni initiated the third term business and manipulated it through the independent delegates of NEC and NC. At least President Museveni is on record as not having expressed interest in the third term at any forum.
So Bidandi should substantiate and produce concrete evidence to prove his allegations that Museveni manipulated the outcome of NEC and NC. Otherwise, he has no moral authority to continue calling Museveni a manipulator and damaging the image of the Movement delegates as rubber-stamps. In fact, he should indeed apologise for his false remarks.
The second serious and controversial point about Bidandi Ssali is that he has now shifted goal posts on the two-term limit, confirming the long-term view that he is a political opportunist. In the latest Sunday Vision in an interview he gave Joachim Buwembo, he is quoted as saying President Museveni can get any number of terms under a multiparty system.
Bidandi has all along been opposed to the lifting of the presidential two-term limit on the ground that it is not wise and proper to amend the hard-earned constitution to grant President Museveni a third term. But soon after being dropped from cabinet, Bidandi shifts his position and now supports the third term under multiparty democracy. Yet the same Bidandi opposed the third term in Kyankwanzi even after the NEC had adopted a resolution to return to multiparty politics.
Now what has Bidandi been opposed to? The Movement system or Museveni as person? Because whatever the system — multiparty or movement — the third term is not possible without violating Bidandi’s cherished principle of not amending the Constitution to lift the presidential two-term limit. For Article 105 of the present Constitution restricts any individual — Museveni or any other person — regardless of whatever political system in place to two terms of five years each.
Bidandi has no option but to swallow his own words.
Samuel Alimundabira
Kampala
These allegations have not only injured the reputation of the President and portrayed him as a political opportunist, but have also created a negative image on the credibility and integrity of the more than 225,000 Movement delegates who attended the conference at Kyankwanzi and the International Conference Centre.
Bidandi’s statements seem to indicate that the Movement delegates are mere rubber-stamps who are out to endorse whatever is put forward by President Museveni. This is false and should be dismissed with contempt.
Some of us who attended the Kyankwanzi meeting can attest to this. The true version is that the issue of lifting the two-term limit came from the people at the grassroots. It was reflected in the various memoranda submitted by the district committees and other delegates of the NEC meeting in Kyankwanzi.
Perhaps the President could be accused of influencing the opening up to multiparty politics which was very contentious and still is contentious at the grassroots and met with stiff resistance from the majority (almost all) of the delegates. The President had to labour to explain the merits of the shift to multiparty democracy in order to convince the delegates to adopt the proposal.
It is not only dangerous but also unfair for Bidandi Ssali to create the false impression that President Museveni initiated the third term business and manipulated it through the independent delegates of NEC and NC. At least President Museveni is on record as not having expressed interest in the third term at any forum.
So Bidandi should substantiate and produce concrete evidence to prove his allegations that Museveni manipulated the outcome of NEC and NC. Otherwise, he has no moral authority to continue calling Museveni a manipulator and damaging the image of the Movement delegates as rubber-stamps. In fact, he should indeed apologise for his false remarks.
The second serious and controversial point about Bidandi Ssali is that he has now shifted goal posts on the two-term limit, confirming the long-term view that he is a political opportunist. In the latest Sunday Vision in an interview he gave Joachim Buwembo, he is quoted as saying President Museveni can get any number of terms under a multiparty system.
Bidandi has all along been opposed to the lifting of the presidential two-term limit on the ground that it is not wise and proper to amend the hard-earned constitution to grant President Museveni a third term. But soon after being dropped from cabinet, Bidandi shifts his position and now supports the third term under multiparty democracy. Yet the same Bidandi opposed the third term in Kyankwanzi even after the NEC had adopted a resolution to return to multiparty politics.
Now what has Bidandi been opposed to? The Movement system or Museveni as person? Because whatever the system — multiparty or movement — the third term is not possible without violating Bidandi’s cherished principle of not amending the Constitution to lift the presidential two-term limit. For Article 105 of the present Constitution restricts any individual — Museveni or any other person — regardless of whatever political system in place to two terms of five years each.
Bidandi has no option but to swallow his own words.
Samuel Alimundabira
Kampala