Museveni: People Don’t Want me to Retire Dickens H Okello Ssemujju in a discussion with President Museveni on Saturday at State House, Entebbe President Museveni has boasted of a well-established, satisfied home and that he is not dying to stay in power as widely held by a cross section of Ugandans. Appearing on a weekly Capital FM radio political talk show, The Capital Gang on Saturday, Museveni who has now ruled for 28 years and is likely to seek another five-year term in office in 2016, said whenever he wants to retire “people say tajjagenda, tajjagenda (he will not go).” Museveni said his main interest in running the country is ensuring peace across the country. Museveni’s comments are likely to spark a huge political debate considering that main opposition rivals have previously accused him of facilitating the amendment of the Constitution to scrap presidential term limits to entrench his hold onto power. He has also been pinned for arresting political opponents and suppressing political dissent. Museveni started his presentation with the history of the liberation struggles in the 1970s which would later metamorphose into a full rebel movement called National Resistance Army in 1981 that finally fought its way to power in 1986 after capturing Kampala from Gen. Tito Okello who had overthrown Milton Obote through a coup d’état six months earlier. The opposition member Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, who is also the member of Parliament for Kyadondo East, had accused Museveni in the same show, for trying to concentrate powers in his hands and sideline potential challengers such as Amama Mbabazi who was recently fired from Cabinet and sent on forced leave as Secretary General. Responding to Ssemujju, whom he first praised as being biologically young but “ideologically mature,” Museveni repetitively stressed that he is not lacking a place to retire to but only mindful of what remains next for the country. “Most of you opposition members are always obsessed with my retirement and the entire time talking nothing but my exit. I am not dying for this power you people are obsessed with, I have a home to retire to and peacefully stay,” said Museveni on Saturday. “As I earlier said in the short history of the struggle, I am only interested in a peaceful and a progressively transforming Uganda that is why I am still around and not power.” Museveni also observed that not all powers are centralized around him but only heads one arm of the government, the Executive while Judiciary and Parliament are different centres of power leaving him with lobbying position which at times he succeed and at times he doesn’t. “Not all the powers belong to me as my son Ssemujju says. I only lead one arm of government and the rest are controlled by their heads. I can only lobby and not all the time.” Museveni added.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Dec 2014 11:06:45 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015