Elections cannot be postponed, Museveni tells Archbishop Lwanga

ELECTION WATCH 2021 |

The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Government does not support the postponement of the January 14 general election as had been proposed by the Archbishop of Kampala, Dr Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, President Yoweri Museveni has said.

While delivering his Christmas message aired on the national broadcaster, Uganda Broadcasting Corporation, Museveni said: "We do not support the postponement of elections. The elections will be held on schedule. It is feasible and desirable. The other postponement is not necessary and not feasible. The elections have already started."

Lwanga's plea

On December 23, Lwanga called for the postponement of the 2021 election for three years. Lwanga also requested for the amendment of the Constitution to allow Museveni to stay in office during this period.

Museveni revealed that he met Lwanga on December 22 and after listening to him, he rejected his proposal.

"The other day I was in Mubende and His Grace the Archbishop, Dr Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, came there with one other person and although I was rushing to Entebbe for the unveiling of the Airbus, then have a meeting in Mpigi and then commission the Busega-Mpigi Expressway, he told me about this idea that elections should be postponed, the Constitution should be amended and there should be an interim government for three years," Museveni revealed.

Museveni noted that he asked Lwanga to explain the reason why he wanted elections postponed.

"He told me that some people felt elections would not be fair. Then I asked him, who is this saying elections will not be fair? These are the usual troublemakers. They make trouble, then the people of Uganda mobilise and defeat them democratically and then they say there is no level playing ground," Museveni explained.

Museveni's response

Museveni argued that the only party facing the problem of an uneven playing ground was the NRM because many of the radios in the country were against them and the radio stations are sponsored by the parasites.

"In our democratic way, we never stopped people even the parasites, these are people who never contribute to our wealth, but want to get money and these are always fighting NRM and many of them opened these radios and we have never closed them.

Even the government radios had been infiltrated by anti-NRM groups because there are also parasites within the government system," the President said.

Museveni said that the parasite groups had the illusion that they can win elections through intimidation, attacking and assassinating NRM supporters.

"The late Arua Municipality MP, Ibrahim Abiriga, was assassinated. They thought they could sustain it we defeated them.

Then the corruption in the Electoral Commission (EC), which has been there in Kampala region but we still win in spite of all the unfairness. If there is anybody to complain about unlevel ground it should be the NRM but we are not complaining.

We shall win in spite of all the unfairness against us," Museveni added.

Museveni noted that during the short time he spent with the Kampala archbishop, he told him it was not necessary and not feasible to postpone the elections.

"We can have elections even with this virus. I have been campaigning using the radio because it reaches many people's homes. When you go to the rally, you only talk to those who are present. Voting is even simpler; people can come, line up, practise social distancing, vote and go. So, what is the problem?" the President asked.

He said those who wanted elections postponed were the people who do not want politics by messages and want something else.

The President said there was no practical reason why the voting cannot or should not take place. "Besides the elections have already started and we already have 13 MP and several chairmen elected unopposed and then the money spent by the EC.

We had closed our eyes and budgeted massively for these elections and we had spent close to sh1trillion and cancellation would mean getting more money. The money we are spending on these elections can make close to five roads," he said.

Museveni, however, was concerned that church leaders were making issues public, which should be discussed privately.

He said he would be out of order to start lecturing the Church that they had elected a bad bishop. "It will be out of order for me to go start commenting publicly on matters of the churches. Who is then responsible? Whatever I think, the people responsible are the archbishop and the bishops."

"When I was discussing with the archbishop, he told me we are all leaders," he said adding that "although we lead the same people, we lead them in totally different roles".

Giving the example of his family, Museveni noted that his children are adults now and he cannot interfere in their family affairs.

President's family

"Muhoozi Kainerugaba is a big man, I am his father but he has his wife and they have their children. There are roles Muhoozi will do looking after his children that I cannot interfere with. My girls have their families and I cannot say because I am their father, I can run their family.

My girls are shared by their families, their husbands and with me, but our roles are totally different and clear. If they are talking about their children, I can only give them advice quietly but I cannot go in public and share that my children have taken their children to bad schools. Sharing relationships does not mean interfering in the different roles," Museveni explained.

Museveni noted that in future he will hold discussions with the church leaders on handling of consultations. He said when a religious leader makes a comment publicly, it puts him in a dilemma whether to attack them in public. "If there is any consultation, it should be in private," the President stressed.

COVID-19

Museveni also reminded Ugandans about the coronavirus which he noted was easy to stop if people adhered to the health guidelines.

This virus could have been controlled but we had people who did not believe it was serious. They thought we were using it to stifle political debate.