Hand over or we force you out, Mao tells Museveni

Kampala:

President Museveni has the choice to peacefully hand over power and retire to his country home in Rwakitura or face a brutal end like former Libyan president Muammar Gadaffi, Democratic Party president Norbert Mao, has warned.

Speaking at a public dialogue on constitutionalism organised by Centre for Constitutional Governance and Makerere University’s Public Interest Law Clinic, Mr Mao said: “I want to see Museveni retire to Rwakitura and watch his grandchildren play but if he doesn’t hand over power peacefully, we shall force him out and he will end the Gadaffi way. It won’t be our choice, it will be his choice, so the ball is in his court.”

The former Libyan strongman was on October 20, 2011 killed following a wave of protests that destabilised Libya, Egypt and Tunisia in North Africa.
Gadaffi, who ruled Libya for almost 40 years, was found hiding in a culvert and captured and killed by National Transitional Council forces backed by North Atlantic Treaty Organisation troops and secretly buried in a desert alongside his son Mutassim Gaddafi and defence minister Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr.
In drawing this parallel as a possible option for Mr Museveni, now in power for 28 years, Mr Mao did not specify how the Opposition would treat the 70-year-old leader ‘the Gadaffi way’ and when this would be.

However, he reminded the audience that in 1996, Mr Museveni publically warned, “that he would not just hand over power to anybody even if they won with Gen David Tinyefunza [now Sejusa] telling Ssemogerere he would not salute him if he won.”
Mr Museveni’s actions since then, Mao argued, show no sign of a leader interested in a peaceful transition.

Former Forum for Democratic Change president Kizza Besigye has repeatedly said force is not out of the window among options that the Opposition has lined up to dislodge Mr Museveni.

Renegade Gen Sejusa, now in exile in the United Kingdom has also publically cited the use of force as an avenue for change in Uganda.
Ms Mary Mutesi, who represented Media Centre boss, Mr Ofwono Opondo, countered Mr Mao saying: “You cannot solve a catastrophe with a calamity.”
She also warned the youth: “When Besigye started walk to work, some people under this tent shouted we go we go, but we saw them hide in yam gardens when police came so don’t listen to them.”

They said
Miria Matembe, Former ethics and integrity minister and now self-styled ‘political activist’. “He duped us into believing he respected constitutionalism and democracy. He told me this is the best gift he can give Uganda but now I understand he doesn’t even know what constitutionalism is.”

Rubaga South Mp John Ken Lukyamuzi. “Museveni is a catastrophe. He does not respect the Constitution. He only needs a calamity to get him out.”

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