The alleged harrassment of Kizza Besigye is a figment of his own imagination

SIR—We have read in complete disbelief in the press of the purported “disappearance” 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