Q&A with Col. Rtd. Dr. Kizza Besigye on Wimeja

By Patricia Aceng (aceng.patricia@vol.co.ug)

Lira

Bonny Otim Ogwal: “You have been traversing through the different parts of the country, in your home area, and now in Lira, for an ordinary Ugandan in Lango subregion, what does this consultation tour mean for Ugandans?”

Col. Rtd. Dr. Kizza Besigye: “Yes, we have been moving around meeting FDC leaders and members regarless of the party, we are trying to reorganize the party following the problems we had for the last 2-3 years and these problems have now been referred to the 2 centres, in Najanankumbi and Katonga faction, a very unfortunate development against FDC Motto.

The disagreement is in the party leadership not in the membership.”

Bonny Otim Ogwal (Interjection) “You said there is only a challenge at the leadership level not the members, but, what we now see is also the duo faction yet having people aligned to both, doesn’t this show contradiction?”

Col. Rtd. Dr. Kizza Besigye: “The contradiction is not from the members of FDC  but a leadership failure

When leaders develop problems, they introduce them to the members that is why they are giving different perspectives

It is important that members listen to all and make their independent decisions

You are also aware that all leaders in Uganda have been removed by guns and those who have come to take power have also used the same including Museveni.

The purpose of FDC is to make sure every Ugandan has full control over their resources and power.”

Bonny Otim Ogwal: “Were these challenges between the leaders too big to be discussed and have FDC reconciled?”

Col. Rtd. Dr. Kizza Besigye: “The fact that it did not happen means they were indeed big, FDC has been working for about 20 years, we have had problems we resolved so the fact that we were not able to resolve this particular one means they were serious problems and we could not. The whole problem is with the ‘head’.”

Bonny Otim Ogwal: “If you say the party’s contradiction is triggered from the head, who do you look at?”

Col. Rtd. Dr. Kizza Besigye: “Let me explain where these problems actually came from, FDC was set to liberate Ugandans from captivity by Museveni’s family, this is not an easy task by any standards to stop guns from controlling the country that is why it has been impossible in the last 62 years.”

Bonny Otim Ogwal (Interjection) “But the same person you are accusing has always defended himself saying, since 1996, he has been having elections every after 5 years and it is the people who decide on who leads them.”

Col. Rtd. Dr. Kizza Besigye (Interjection) “At this point, I wouldn’t want to engage in the problems of Museveni and the lies he tells, I want to first deal with the problem of those who want to remove him because everybody knows Museveni is a liar

It is not Museveni to talk about elections, if he had any respect for elections, he wouldn’t have gone to the bush, I was part of NRM, I was a leader who brought NRM to power, I left my profession to bring NRM to power and when it did, it betrayed me.”

Bonny Otim Ogwal: “In the event of a split up, don’t you think it will be a very bad legacy for the party that stood as one of the most formidable parties to lose truck?”

Col. Rtd. Dr. Kizza Besigye: “Yes, it would be very disappointing, this is why the people who have created the current problems need to reflect because all this is happening under their watch, General Muntu and others had the same contradictions with these leaders and they never resolved and stepped apart, whether he was right or not, it happened under the watch of the same people we had entrusted with the party.”