MUSEVENI'S "BANNING" OF POLITICAL ACTIVITY -

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KAMPALA 00745


E.O. 12356: DECL:OADR
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL SCOM UG
SUBJECT: MUSEVENI'S "BANNING" OF POLITICAL ACTIVITY -
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.

REF: STATE 76433


1. CONFIDENTIAL - ENTIRE TEXT.


2. SUMMARY: LOCAL, NAIROBI, AND US MEDIA HAVE CARRIED
STORIES RECENTLY TO THE EFFECT THAT PRESIDENT MUSEVENI
HAS BANNED ALL POLITICAL ACTIVITY. THESE REPORTS APPARENTLY
STEM FROM OFF HAND REMARKS MADE BY THE PRESIDENT AT A
MARCH 4 CEREMONY SWEARING IN NEW LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS;
THEY ARE CONSISTENT WITH MUSEVENI'S PREVIOUS STATEMENTS
DISTAINING PARTISAN POLITICS, AND DO NOT CONSTITUTE A
LEGAL BANNING, AS WE SEE IT. MUSEVENI'S ULTIMATE
OBJECTIVE REGARDING POLITICAL PARTIES REMAINS UNCLEAR;
AS INSTITUTIONS THEY CONTINUE TO EXIST BUT ARE DISCOURAGED
FROM PARTISAN ACTIVITY END SUMMARY.


3. ON TUESDAY MARCH 4 PRESIDENT MUSEVENI BRIEFED UGANDA'S
TWENTY-FOUR NEWLY APPOINTED SPECIAL DISTRICT ADMINISTRATORS
(SDAS) ON THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES. PART OF THE BRIEFING
CONTAINED REMARKS ON POLITICAL PARTIES. FOLLOWING IS
RELEVANT PORTION OF THE OFFICIAL MINISTRY OF INFORMATION
SYNOPSIS OF MUSEVENI'S REMARKS.


4. BEGIN UNCLASSIFIED TEST: ON A SERIOUS NOTE, MR. MUSEVENI
SAID THAT IT HAS COME TO HIS NOTICE THAT SOME OF THOSE UGANDANS
WHO BROUGHT RUIN TO THIS BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY ARE BENT TO CAUSE
TROUBLE AGAIN FOR THE PEOPLE OF UGANDA. HE HOWEVER WARNED
THAT BY DOING SO THEY WILL GIVE THE NRM A WELCOME CHANCE
TO CRUSH FOREVER WHAT HE CALLED THESE GOOD-FOR-NOTHING
ELEMENTS. PRESIDENT MUSEVENI POINTED OUT THAT SUCH ELEMENTS
HAVE ABUSED THE NRM'S HIGH SENSE OF MAGNAMITY, AND TOTALLY
MISCONCEIVED ITS GOOD MORAL SENSE FOR WEAKNESS. THE SDAS
WERE CALLED UPON TO SEE THAT SUCH APPARENT MISCONCEPTION
IS ERASED AND THAT SUCH BANKRUPT, AND MISGUIDED POLITICIANS
ARE EXPOSED AND DENIED GROUND TO NURTURE AGAIN. MR MUSEVENI
CAUTIONED THE SDAS NOT TO MAKE PUBLIC STATEMENTS AGAINST
NRM ALLIES WITHIN THE BROAD-BASED GOVERNMENT AND THOSE
OUTSIDE IT. HE CHARGED THEM WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY OF
IMPROVING THE NATIONAL CHARACTER OF THE BROAD-BASED GOVERN-
MENT AND BY ALL MEANS DESIST FROM CAUSING UNWELCOME
DISRUPTIONS. ON THE APPARENT PUBLIC MEETINGS AND RALLIES
BEING OVERTLY OR COVERTLY CONDUCTED BY AGENTS OF THE OLD
POLITICAL PARTIES, THE PRESIDENT DIRECTED THAT VARIOUS
LEADERS RESPONSIBLE FOR THESE PARTIES SHOULD SUSPEND
FORTHWITH SUCH MEETINGS AND RALLIES. THIS DIRECTIVE
HE SAID HAS IN CONSIDERATION THE CURRENT MILITARY SITUATION
AS IT IS OF NOW IN UGANDA AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE
MINIMUM POLITICAL PROGRAMME IN THIS INTERIM PERIOD
MR. MUSEVENI STRESSED THAT THE SUSPENSION OF OVERT OR
COVERT PARTY MEETINGS AND RALLIES DOES NOT MEAN AT ALL
THAT POLITICAL PARTIES ARE BANNED BUT IT MERELY SUSPENDS
POLITICAL PARTY ACTIVITIES WHICH AT THE MOMENT WOULD DELAY
OR COMPLETELY ARREST UGANDA FROM REGAINING STABILITY
THE ONLY PUBLIC MEETINGS PERMITTED WILL BE THOSE GEARED TO
ENHANCE NATIONAL UNITY AS ADVOCATED IN THE FRAMEWORK OF
THE NATIONAL RESISTANCE MOVEMENT. HE SAID UGANDANS
SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT NRM WAS NOT CONCEIVED TO BE A POLITICAL
PARTY BUT A MOVEMENT OF ALL UGANDANS WHO GOT CONCERNED ABOUT
THEIR MOTHERLAND AND TOOK ACTION TO BRING TO A STOP AND
CAUSE ABOUT (SIC) CHANGE OF COURSE AWAY FROM THE ROAD
LEADING TO DESTRUCTION AND DISINTEGRATION BACK TO THE ROAD
OF STABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT. END UNCLASSIFIED TEXT.


5. MUSEVENI'S REMARKS WERE CARRIED ON UGANDA RADIO, AND
HAVE BEEN GIVEN WIDE PLAY IN LOCAL, NAIROBI, AND U.S. MEDIA
(FOR LAST SEE "CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR" SYNOPSIS OF
REFTEL),ALL EMPHASIZING THE "BANNING OF POLITICAL ACITIVTY "


6. COMMENT: MUSEVENI'S REMARKS IN FACT DO NOT GO ANY FURTHER
THAN PREVIOUS STATEMENTS ON THE ISSUE OF PARTISAN POLITICS
MUSEVENI HAS MADE NO SECRET THAT HE REGARDS PARTISAN POLITICS
AS ONE OF THE CAUSES OF ONGOING TURMOIL IN UGANDA BECAUSE
THE PARTIES ARE BASED, BY HIS LIGHTS, ON ATAVISTIC ETHNIC
AND RELIGIOUS CLEAVAGES FOR THIS REASON MUSEVENI WOULD
LIKE PARTIES TO REMAIN "DORMANT," FOR THE TIME BEING.
WHAT EXACTLY BEING "DORMANT" ENTAILS HAS NOT BEEN SPELLED
OUT. UGANDA'S FOUR PRINCIPAL POLITICAL PARTIES HAVE
ALL ISSUED STATEMENTS SUPPORTING THE MUSEVENI GOVERNMENT,
WHILE PRIVATELY EXPRESSING A WAIT AND SEE ATTITUDE TOWARDS
THE NRM'S NON-PARTISAN APPROACH IT IS CLEAR THAT MUSEVENI
WOULD LIKE TO DO AWAY WITH THE TRADITIONAL PARTIES, BUT TO
DATE HE HAS SHOWN NO INCLINATION TO COERCE THE POPULACE
INTO ACCEPTING THE NRM'S IDEOLOGY.

THE SPECIFIC OBJECT OF MUSEVENI'S REMARKS WAS PROBABLY NOT
THE LEGAL OPPOSITION, BUT RATHER A SHADOWY GUERILLA
ORGANIZATION THAT IS BELIEVED, BY THE NRM AT ANY RATE, TO
HAVE SPRUNG INTO EXISTENCE. UGANDAN PRESS HAS REPORTED
THE ARREST OF SOME INDIVIDUALS IN BUSOGA (AREA AROUND JINJA
TO THE EAST OF KAMPALA) WHO ARE SAID TO BELONG TO AN
ORGANIZATION CALLED "FORCE OBOTE BACK AGAIN" (FOBA).
GIVEN OBOTE'S WIDESPREAD UNPOPULARITY, WE FIND IT HARD TO
BELIEVE ANY CREDIBLE ORGANIZATION WOULD CHOOSE SUCH A
NAME, BUT MUSEVENI APPARENTLY TAKES THE THREAT SERIOUSLY
ENOUGH TO HAVE MADE SOME RATHER CRANKY REMARKS TO HIS
FIELD STAFF ABOUT THE PROBLEM.


HOUDEK