Many commentators have
been critical of Besigye's decision to run for President for the fourth time
after he had vowed never to contest in the same election with President
Museveni. Besigye's point was clear, he detested the experiences of contesting especially when electoral reforms are not implemented. But Besigye's real Achilles heel in 2016 is his ability to safeguard the integrity of the ballot box and prevent
adulteration of ballot counts.
We now understand that
Museveni has no interest in implementing real electoral reforms. The current
laws favor them well enough that they see no need to pander to the wishes of
the Opposition and civil society. And, for a regime as mindlessly corrupt as
the NRMO, issues of legitimacy and morals are subordinated to their
Machiavellian thrusts.
We should appreciate
that the NRM is formatted to operate without an Opposition, or a civil society to start with. The engine of the system
still operates on the "All inclusive, individual merit" communist
deception, where certain leadership positions are ring-fenced. The notion of
"sole candidacy" is Stalinist and not peculiar to NRMO. In 1946,
Stalin was declared a sole candidate with his infamous Fourth Five -Year Plan.
Recently, Amanya
Mushega, a former Museveni Minister, and now Opposition FDC elder, revealed
that the sole candidacy idea was mooted way back in 2001 when Besigye emerged
to challenge the status quo. Subsequently, the emergence of Hon. Okot Felix
Ogong and others, to challenge the NRM leadership, made ring-fencing of the
Chairmanship of the Party inevitable.
Given the prevailing
developments, one can draw a logical conclusion that President Museveni is
opposed to elections and democracy. His refusal to effect electoral reforms
draws from his fear of the exercise of people's power that he has usurped.
Typically, the President likes to super-impose himself above others, to exploit every advantage and
vulnerabilities of his opponents until he fully exerts his absolute dominance (and eventually
oppression). He is the type who
derives excessive pleasure at boxing and kicking an incapacitated opponent.
Given the challenges of
dealing with someone who is diabolically opposed to civil methods of moderating
and distributing state power, Dr. Kiiza Besigye should change his approaches
from the ones he used in the last three elections. It is clear that for the
2016, Besigye will again emerge as the legitimate challenger to President
Museveni. The other opponents are there to bid for the perpetuation of the
Museveni hegemony. They play important role in legitimizing the electoral
process, however fraudulent, so that the mainstream opposition is pressured
into participating.
Besigye's place in the
conscience of the nation is long consolidated, as that of a President in the
waiting. Besigye and his team ought to take advantage of this, before they
start to fade. Besigye and the FDC should not spend too much time in campaigns.
They have already proven to be competent at proposing the more superior policy
options at every election. Unfortunately, policy
proposals weigh very little to the forthcoming
elections. The real thrust of any serious opposition to President Museveni's
might, given his inexhaustible incumbency advantages, is to draw concrete,
convincing and viable steps towards subverting the looming electoral fraud;
ballot stuffing, and adulteration of results.
To this end, the Elect
Besigye Team requires help from good will Ugandans from every corner of the country. There are two critical
points that require special attention. The
role of the army and security intelligence in adulterating election results, and the complacency of the Electoral Commission
in creating uneven playing field.
Under a Museveni elections, glamorous campaigns
with large crowds mean nothing! The integrity
of the ballot box and results are the definitive issue in such elections.
Without any proper methods of safeguarding the ballot box and ballot counts,
the entire opposition will have been defeated. This disgraceful ballot
circumstances represents the gruesome moment of squander of people power. Such deliberate acts of electorates'
dis-empowerment, dampens the zeal and confidence, and generates apathy towards
elections and politics. END
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