The FDC icon Col Kizza Besigye doesn’t treat his political nemesis President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni as his enemy.
Besigye’s revelation comes at a time a section of Ugandans have consistently referred to the two principals as the same despite their political beliefs.
Besigye is Uganda’s powerful opposition leader who came out to challenge Museveni in 2001, a man he served as a personal physician during the historic bush war that ushered in the NRM government 1986.
Besigye would soon after taking power serve in different capacities both in the army and government before he fell out with the regime in 1999.
He later launched his presidential bid in 2001 and has since contested three times. He is yet to unseat his former boss.
Positioning himself as the only capable opposition leader who can challenge his arch-rival, Besigye has attracted backlash from sections of the public especially the elite who insist he has obstructed emerging opposition leaders who have the will of the people.
Among the opposition kingpins Ugandans believe have been suffocated by Col Kizza Besigye is Maj Gen Mugisha Muntu a former army commander in the NRM government.
Muntu fell out with Museveni and joined Besigye to form FDC.
Muntu has come out to challenge Besigye three times but lost.
To opposition sympathisers, Besigye has become greedy and a political ‘dinosaur’ who doesn’t want to be outshined in his own establishment.
And therefore many opposition followers refer to Besigye as no different from the person he accuses of overstaying in Presidency since he has also failed to step down as strongest opposition leader.
Response
But Besigye has a complete different version of how Ugandans decipher his long stay in opposition leadership.
He contributes these sentiments to the unfavourable political environment created by the NRM which has since aroused anger among the citizens.
“People are very angry out there. I think that is why some of them say I and Museveni are the same,” Besigye said.
Adding that, “we are the same because we all come from the same area.”
Besigye hails from Rukungiri a district in Western Uganda while President Yoweri Museveni lives in Rwakitura, Kiruhura district also in Western Uganda.
Besigye suggests that to rid that anger from the population, the country needs a political transition to pave way for democratic dispensation.
Besigye made the suggestions in a local television interview on Wednesday.
Using the same platform, Besigye urged the new kid on the block Mr Robert SSentamu Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine not to be deceived by his ‘small support’ and think of contesting against Mr Museveni.
“Bobi Wine can’t win an election, those who are urging him are targeting small positions like councillors and money,” Besigye said.
The four time Presidentail hopeful insists, under the current political atmosphere no political leader can unseat Museveni in an election.
