OUGANDA: Museveni willing to let Besigye rule

President Museveni, who marks 25 years in power today, will hand over power if he is defeated in next month’s election.

In an interview with the BBC World Service, Mr Museveni, the incumbent, said he would retire if he lost in a democratic process but said he expected to win with a big majority.

President Museveni, who is fighting a fourth election and the third against main challenger and former ally, Dr Kizza Besigye, has previously said he would not hand over power to his rival.

People in charge

“The NRM will win,” Mr Museveni told the BBC’s Joseph Warungu when asked if he would stand down in case Dr Besigye won, “but if we are to lose democratically, of course, I would have to come and do my own things here.”

“Power doesn’t belong to me; it belongs to the people.”

The President ruled out the possibility of post-election violence in Uganda, as happened in Ivory Coast and Kenya, saying Uganda is a different country.

“We are a country of freedom fighters, we cannot have a paralysis here.”

President Museveni, who took power in 1986 after a five-year guerrilla war, defended his decision to seek another term in office almost two decades after he said Africa’s problem is leaders who “overstay in power”.

He said: “Hanging onto power undemocratically means that person is hanging to power when they are not supposed to be there. I am not in that situation, I am not hanging on. I am here because people voted for me.”

No specific date

Mr Museveni declined to reveal to the BBC when he intends to leave office, if he wins another term.

“What we need is not just transition of power, it is transition of socio-economic conditions. I can tell you that Uganda is undergoing socio-economic transformation,” Mr Museveni said.

He added: “Yes, we have not changed at least one person on top for the last 25 years but a lot of changes, a lot of socio-economic changes have taken place.”

Giving examples of primary school enrolment and the growth of the economy, Mr Museveni said: “That’s what Africa needs – social transformation – not this circus of changing leaders.”

Mr Museveni said he hoped to achieve, as his legacy, Uganda’s transformation into a first world country – even if it does not happen in his lifetime – as well as regional integration of East Africa into a political federation.

EAC president?

Asked whether his ambition is to become president of a united East Africa, Mr Museveni said: “A leader is not what we are looking for. We are looking for a formula for the future.”

He also told the British Broadcasting Corporation that he would be happy to cede power to another leader as long as the EA federation took shape.

“Absolutely. I would be very pleased to come back here and look after my cows. A small president of Uganda here?”.

“And another bigger President of East Africa somewhere else? I would be very happy to be here and to support them,” said Mr Museveni.

Source: Daily Monitor, Posted Wednesday, January 26 2011 at 00:00