20110424
New Vision

Kampala — PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has said he is ready to meet with the opposition to discuss issues of concern to them under the auspices of the Inter-party Forum for Dialogue.

In an exclusive interview with Sunday Vision at State House Entebbe on Friday, the President regretted that the opposition had failed to use the forum and have issues they are raising resolved amicably other than resorting to demonstration.

"We have the inter-party forum which has been there all the time, but most of these people have not used it. They have dialogue with anybody else, but not the inter-party forum. We are ready to have dialogue with anybody on anything," he said.

He, however, added that since there was an election in which the National Resistance Movement won, it (NRM) had the responsibility of accounting to the electorate for any of the decisions it takes.

"Even if we have dialogue, the final responsibility of running the country lies with the NRM. We shall not under any circumstances give up our manifesto. We cannot say for example, that we are going to leave the construction of roads and dams to facilitate people driving cars because in five years' time, we shall have to account to our population who elected us," he said.

The opposition has for the last two weeks staged 'walk-to-work' demonstrations against high fuel prices and other commodity prices, which the President explained are due to international and regional factors, but are subsiding with time.

"They (opposition) have made their point; they should leave it to us to consider. If we don't agree, we shall account in five years for them (opposition) to say that we (NRM) made a mistake, and should be voted out". So why riot? Is rioting elections? There is no other route for them to attain power other than elections unless the Parliament impeaches me," he said.

Museveni encouraged the opposition to go to radio stations and make their point like him since the radios are free, or go for rallies agreed on with Police. "Why do they get youths to go on taking people's property?" he asked.