Uganda:I will not contest against Museveni again, Besigye said

Darious Magara - newvision.co.ug, December 15, 2013

http://www.newvision.co.ug/mobile/Detail.aspx?NewsID=628264&CatID=1

The outgoing Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party president Dr. Kizza Besigye has said he will not contest against President Yoweri Museveni again.

The retired colonel's decision comes against a background of three unsuccessful consecutive attempts (2001, 2006 and 2011) to beat his closest rival Museveni for the country's top job.

Besigye also ruled out the use of armed force to oust the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party and its leader Museveni from power, with a belief that armed force could capture power but could later stray away from its original mission of liberation.

'Dictator'

"I have said it before that I cannot stand for president when Mr. Museveni is the sitting head of state because he is a dictator. If we are to have elections in 2016, I will not stand as long as Museveni is in power," Besigye, once a personal physician of Museveni during the 1980-86 guerilla war, stressed.

"All we shall do as the opposition is to fight to dislodge President Museveni's dictatorial regime. We can achieve this not as FDC party but as a broad force of the opposition," he was firm.

Besigye made these remarks on Monday while addressing the party's weekly press briefing at its headquarters in Najjanakumbi, Kampala.

"We are pushing for the masses to cause change by themselves in order to change the state of their own affairs," he said.

`No dialogue'

Besigye, who made headlines in both local and international media for clashing with security forces during last year's walk-to-work protests, also distanced himself from any engagement in peace talks with Museveni. In fact, he said he had not been contacted by anybody on the matter.

"I cannot talk with Museveni. We have no personal problem, and if we have to talk, we shall use the established national structures between him and the opposition parties. I have no personal issues with Mr. Museveni."

Can still stand

He explained that his bowing out of the party presidency does not bar him from contesting as the FDC presidential flag bearer in 2016 elections, but still, it is up to him to decide.

"I am free to contest but it will be up to me to decide whether to contest or not. Any member of the FDC party can contest as long as the party clears him or her as its presidential flag bearer," he clarified.

Besigye said he visited Mulago hospital last week and found the condition appalling. "You find children dying due to lack of medicine and personnel to serve them and the picture of Mulago represents what is in other national hospitals."

He said the population is suffering and lacking social services when a few government officials are squandering national resources with impunity.

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