Kizza Besigye told the people
that the NRM had forgotten about the people of Masindi long ago, and was
not interested in its citizen except for a small favored group of people.
He said that available statistics show that Bunyoro region is behind all
other regions of the country except northern Uganda, and that while nearly
40% of Ugandans live in abject poverty, 50-60% of those living in abject
poverty come from this region. He further said that the reason for
Bunyoro’s stagnation was because the people there had applauded Museveni
for a long time and it is well known that the more you applaud Museveni
the more he ignores you. He illustrated this using his home district
Rukungiri which gave Museveni 99% votes in 1996 but he refused to tarmac
their road. It was not until 2001 that Museveni finally got to tarmac
that road after KB stood up to challenge him.
Kizza Besigye said
fortunately the whole country if united because of lack of medicine, poor
roads and infrastructure and they have decided that Museveni must go and
he will go. He asked if anyone from Bunyoro had ever got a scholarship
from State House and the response was ‘No!’ On cooperatives KB attacked
Museveni’s government for shutting them down because they were the
backbone of planning in Uganda. Yet the government spends only 4% on
agriculture to take care of 90% of Ugandans.
He promised that FDC will
revive the transport network with emphasis on railway lines which were
sold by NRM. On taxes Besigye said in 2001 Museveni had not known that
people in Bunyoro were sleeping in bushes because of graduated tax and
when KB sounded drums against the tax it was scrapped. He now wants to
reduce all remaining taxes. Besigye said that at first when Museveni
heard people telling him to go, he complained that KB is shouting at him
‘Agende’ and wondered where he should go. After hearing the bitter truth
from the majority of Ugandans, Museveni has now abandoned that talk and
has started packing his bags. FDC has an ambitious program to make
Bunyoro kingdom as proud as it used to be. KB promised to explain more on
FDC’s policies on the radio tonight.
'Lazima Atawondoka!’ KB addresses FDC supporters at Kabango (Masindi).
At the rally KB was honored
by the people of Masindi who gave him the ‘empaako’ (Kinyoro pet name) of
Amooti. As he was leaving Masindi KB’s entourage met a group of 50 people
on the outskirts of town who stopped the group and handed the candidate a
symbolic key to State House.
The presidential convoy
passed through Budongo forest to Kabango trading center in Bugenge county
where Kizza Besigye waved to about 15,000 people and addressed them very
briefly in Swahili saying ‘Lazima Atawondoka!’ The convoy then proceeded
to Butyaba near Lake Albert in the new Bullisa District. There were about
5000 people whose main issue was that people from Rwanda and Congo were
grabbing their land and the government had not come to their rescue.
Kizza Besigye explained that government has failed to put in place
adequate laws to address the issues of land and the solution could only be
found by a new government. He told the people not to vote for Museveni on
23rd February but to vote for FDC if they wanted a solution to
their land problem. He cautioned people that the only resource they still
had was Lake Albert and it would soon be sold like other resources if they
voted for NRM-O to return to power.
Kizza Besigye then proceeded
to Hoima arriving at 7:30 p.m and will address the people of Bunyoro
tonight on Radio Hoima. Tomorrow the entourage continues its Western tour
in Kabarole after a rally in Hoima town.
Ends.
FDC Reporter
OUR SON.
