The alleged harrassment of Kizza Besigye is a figment of his own imagination
Aug 24, 2001
SIR—We have read in complete disbelief in the press of the purported “disappearance†of Col Dr Kizza Besigye from Uganda.
SIR—We have read in complete disbelief in the press of the
purported “disappearanceâ€
of Col Dr Kizza Besigye from Uganda.
We wish to inform the public as follows:
1. The purported
disappearance of Besigye is nothing but a political ploy
by Besigye and his wife
Winnie Byanyima (the Member of Parliament for Mbarara Municipality) to try to
discredit the Government.
2. The alleged harassment
of Besigye is a figment of their own imagination. Instead,
it is Besigye, Byanyima and their supporters who have been intimidating, threatening and blackmailing the Government. The Government reserves
every right to take
precautionary measures
against angry or hungry
opponents to protect the
stability of the country.
3. Besigye and Byanyima are playing some political games but which will be exposed in due course as their scheme comes to fruition.
4. It is part of a general
scheme from October last year when Besigye and Byanyima claimed that the Government had a political hit-list to deal with critics or opponents including an alleged plot to kill Besigye while on his campaign trail in the north.
5. The “disappearance†is a well-planned but futile scheme to attract public attention
and possibly incite people into public demonstration in towns to create the so-called “Yugoslavia†or “Ivory Coast†type political riots.
6. During the campaigns in February 2001, Besigye, Byanyima, Haji Nasser Ssebaggala and former Kawempe Division
chairman Ssebuliba
Mutumba had planned to hide and claim abduction.
This plan was discovered and exposed in the media.
7. It should be remembered that Besigye threatened to
create “popular†riots should President Museveni in the March presidential election.
8. The political situation in the country is stable for any one with meaningful intentions to do business.
9. There is no persecution of members of the opposition.
All other former presidential and parliamentary
candidates like Aggrey Awori, one of the former presidential candidates and a perennial
critic of the Government, is now an MP for Samia-Bugwe North but he does not go about portraying himself as a persecuted man.
Ofwono - Opondo
Director of Information
Movement Secretariat