We Are Looking To Change the System In Uganda — Kizza Besigye

Today, Dr. Kizza Besigye had an interview with Bola Mosuro of the BBC World Service radio

Dr. Kizza Besigye: It is not just about putting a petition; it is about putting a petition that consists of evidence that will achieve the objective that we wanted to achieve.

I have actually been detained since the election results were announced.

Secondly, even now we are not in control of our headquarters, it is the Uganda Police Force that allows whoever they want to allow in and out.

We have hundreds of our agents and leaders across the country in detention from the time of the election and others are in hiding.

BBC:

Even though you did not manage to submit a petition, Mr. Amama Mbabazi MP did.

He is now calling for an annulment of the election based on the votes being declared. Do you trust the Court system?

Dr. Kizza Besigye:

All the institutions of Government including the courts all have problems of not being independent and competent.

This includes the judicial system to which I have presented a petition previously twice.

This does not mean that we cannot test the institution; we shall not only be testing the institution but also the evidence.

BBC:

If you do not trust the Courts and also do not trust the Electoral Commission Uganda that runs the elections, why did you stand in the first place?

Dr. Kizza Besigye:

First of all, these opportunities avail us the chance to present to the country not just to the court the evidence that we have and so the court itself will also be on trial because the population will also looking at what has been presented and what the court is saying.

BBC:

You now have Mr. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni declared the President of Uganda, despite all the protest and causes of a fraudulent election.

He’s not going anywhere, he’s there for the next five years even though you are saying that you are exposing what you say are the ills, it won’t make a difference on the ground?

Dr. Kizza Besigye:

It certainly does, at the end of the day, citizens have the ultimate power and can exercise it with or without an election to change a system of Government. The power of the people of Uganda is not only exercisable at the time of elections.

BBC:

When you say the power of the people and that a system can be changed not just through elections, what are you talking about? Are you talking about a popular uprising? Do you want people to take to the streets? Is that what you calling for?

Dr. Kizza Besigye:

Mr. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni knows indeed, more than anybody else. He did not come to office through an election. Indeed, Mr. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to come to office was after he started a war resulting from rigged elections. He could have gone to court. He went to the bush and took up arms and fought the Government.

BBC:

What do you really want to happen? What was your end result? You have cited the example of Mr. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni what he did when he went to the bush. Are you telling your people to go to the bush? What are you telling Ugandans?

Dr. Kizza Besigye:

No, I was in the bush myself and I know more than anybody else. Firstly, it is a costly endeavour for the country and the whole region. Secondly, it does not lead to the changes that we are looking for.

The changes we are looking for is not just the change of Government, we are looking for a change of system where actually we can have people taking charge of the country and making decisions that are respected and having Government that accounts to the people.

The mandate that the People of Uganda have given us to govern this country is a very clear mandate. We have information that supports that. We are determined to protect, to ensure that it is not hijacked by the military as they are trying to do.

We would like the International community to support our demand and the regional players, the East African community to support our demand for an independent audit of the election.

If these demands indeed fall on deaf ears as this seems to be the case so far, then we shall take our own steps to make sure that we protect the mandate that our people have given us by getting them not to co-operate with the Government at all and to indeed to take actions to de-legitimise this military dictatorship.