Why Kiiza thinks postponement of National Dialogue is time wastage

By Stephen Kalema

Winnie Kiiza, the former leader of opposition has disagreed with the idea of changing dates of National Dialogue Uganda.

The Kasese Women Legislator argues that postponing dates is time wastage especially on the side of opposition and Dialogue organizers whereas to President Museveni, it is a playing game.

This came after Dialogue organizers met President Museveni on Sunday at State House Entebbe and changed dates of the launch from November 21 to December 18.

“Changing dates, first of all is just buying time so that possibly we go into a critical time when each party is busy campaigning which will not to help us because the same the problem will appear,” said Kiiza, adding that instead of postponing dates it would be better if each side to faced each other and settled the general problems affecting the country.

“We need it only that those having power are not committed. Museveni is just looking at it as a game of hide and seek until we reach election process. Then he will say let them go for election after elections he will say let them go to the court,” she told Watchdog thus week.

She, however, said the organizers must know that president Museveni has never been in position to dialogue since he thinks opposition wants his power.

Kiiza said, “President Museveni has never been willing to share his powers, but we are not about power sharing. We want the best for Uganda. We want Ugandans to feel safe and even participate in a purely free and fair election.”

She added that postponing dates has always been Museveni’s political mind games of dodging such dialogue.

When asked whether organisers had met their requests as opposition, Kiiza said;“ At the beginning we wanted to dialogue on particular issues but in the absence of those issues, we think Uganda is bigger than us and we are looking at Uganda for everyone including those who don’t believe us. That is why we are still insisting that this dialogue is important.”

Kiiza however reminded National Dialogue Uganda that in absence of the raised issues by the opposition, dialogue will solve nothing.

“I caution the organizers that we need the issues sorted because if not sorted they will come back again and the same question will occur. Not settling them now is like postponing a problem and postponing a problem is not curing”