Opposition figure Kizza Besigye has said he will only retire from politics once the struggle to remove President Museveni from power is over or when he is over [dead].
“The struggle is for what to lead. We don’t have what to lead today. We must first get the country, then we can look for leaders for it,” Besigye said Monday during Forum for Democratic Change [FDC] 15th anniversary at Namboole stadium.
“And it is that struggle in which I will not flinch. I will retire from the struggle when the struggle is over or when I’m over,” he added.
So ladies and gentlemen, let’s be clear, Besigye pointed out.
“Where does this struggle end. This is the struggle like Lord Mayor [Erias Lukwago] said, must have a cut-off point.”
He said the cut off point for this struggle is a transition.
He urged FDC leaders to organise on the grassroots through regional coordinators, saying they don’t have to go to radios to announce anything.
“We have organised intensely leaders who are seen and leaders who are not seen. The ones who are not seen are the most important,” he noted.
Besigye said they are now at a phase where they need to push the “dictatorship” out of power.
“When we announced that year 2019 was a year of action, it’s because we were confortable that the first two phases were done. Now is the phase of action.”
“You know the people who are always terrified about us,” he observed, saying action will continue until the regime/the military dictatorship is gone.
According to Besigye, the first step will be winning over the guns. The second step will be restructuring the power that they have won so that everybody benefits from it.
“That is why we must have another democratically instituted constitution that will give us power to build new institutions including the judiciary.”
Last week, Justices of the Constitutional Court told Besigye to seek justice in his own courts since he swore himself in as the People’s Government President.
“I didn’t know that our judiciary has deteriorated this much. A judiciary is not a judiciary of the regime. When we won the NRA bush war, the chief justice under the Milton Obote regime came in the next day to swear in Museveni,” Besigye lashed out.
He insisted on the need to reunite Ugandans, saying Uganda is a broken country today.
“We hate each other. It takes effort to build one Uganda. Those who have killed our people and those who have stolen our country dry must be exposed.”
“Then we can talk about justice and reconciliation. We forgive you after you accept what you did. For reconciliation, maybe we can give you five kiboko [canes].”
He talked about a negative sentiment against people from western Uganda because of Museveni’s leadership.
“You hear people saying we are tired of Besigye because he is from there [Ankole]. Even when these people are terrorising the country, you see their names written on their chests.”
“I can tell you that even in Ankole people are suffering like anywhere else. Even in Kiruhura where Mr Museveni comes from, people are suffering except for a few.”
He concluded: “Once we have achieved that transition, then we will walk with a swagger. I’m more optimistic than ever. Change will definitely come to Uganda. Nobody can stop change from coming. Insha Allah.”edgeug