Does north still love Besigye?

BEATRICE Alanyo, 31, is a mother of two and a widow. She lost her husband Patrick Olara to a disease she only describes as strange.

Alanyo recently returned to Opit village after spending much of her life in a camp for internally displaced people. She has gardens of food and her children go to Modem Primary School, also in Opit, Gulu District. they are pupils under the Universal Primary Education scheme.

Alango is happy there is peace but dissatisfied with the rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts by the Government in the region.

Sunday Vision found her at Kizza Besigye’s rally at Opit trading centre.

“I voted for Besigye in 2006 and will vote for him again,” she says.

“I want change and Besigye will deliver on his promises to us,” Alango said.

Alango was forced out of her home aged only 11 years, as were hundreds of other children in northern Uganda. She grew up in the camps.

Her views on the elections are shared by older residents like Alphonsio Odur, 68, and Constantino Lokung of Palabek, 64.

“Twenty five years is a long time. We want change and want to see what Besigye can do for us,” said Odur.

Lokung points to a more pertinent issue.

“We are resting, just resting, Joseph Kony is still alive and can come back any time,” he says.

the three agree on voting for Besigye but doubt if he will be president when the votes are counted on February 18.

“We don’t know how the rest will vote. Northern Uganda is always votes Beisgye,” says Odur.

Northern Uganda, including Acholi, has always votes against President Museveni — Besigye 2001, 2006 and Paul Ssemogerere in 1996.

Besigye’s campaign message is focusing on the cause of the 20-year war and the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the region. But above all, he laboured to point out that this time round, he will win the presidency.

While Besigye’s supporters assured him of their votes, they kept asking if their vote would not go to waste like in the 2001 and 2006 elections.

He told the people that the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) is now much more organised and has got structures.

Besigye said in 2001, political parties were not allowed to operate and in 2006, when the political parties were allowed to function, FDC was only a year old and in addition, he spent more time in Luzira Prison.

“My answer to the question of whether it is possible to defeat Museveni is a definite yes and he will be defeated,” Besigye said.

“What remains is for us to guard the ballot box. We shall collect our own results and there is nothing in the law that will stop us. the law allows for that,” he said.

He told supporters that because of re-organisation, FDC defeated NRM in Mbale Municipality, Bugweri and Mukono constituencies.

“these are signs that we have gained the capacity to protect our votes, even in areas where the NRM was rigging,” he said.

Besides, holding three main rallies in Acholi sub-region, he changed tactics this time, holding several small rallies in the villages where supporters, tending to their gardens or selling foodstuffs welcomed him. His message to them was of the looming change, assuring his supporters in Luo: “Alokaloka tye kabinu” (change is coming).

“Be confident, be firm, change is coming,” he would assure them.

At the rallies, Besigye said people in northern Uganda were right all along for voting against the NRM as it never kept its promises to Ugandans.

Results of the past three elections, show Museveni’s popularity dropping by 10% in each election and Besigye noted that come February, Museveni will not garner the needed 51% to be declared winner.

Besigye said what used to be favourable areas for Museveni like Buganda, Busoga and Bunyoro were no longer going to vote for him after the many problems the Government inflicted on the people in the past few years.

He said the factors playing in their favour include the current stand-off between the central government and the Kingdom of Buganda, the closure of Bugisu Co-operative Union (BCU), the land wrangles in Bunyoro and the jiggers killing the people of Busoga.

Leaders and MPs from Buganda led by former Katikkiro Joseph Mulwanyamuli Ssemogerere, told the voters that the people of Buganda were united in their support for Besigye and “we are sorry for not having voted for Besigye in the past”.

Nandala Mafabi, who led the group from Bugisu, cited the current developments in the management of BCU as reason enough to vote out Museveni.

Besigye told the people that for 25 years, the people of Busoga supported Museveni and yet there is no much development in the area and the “Basoga are dying of jiggers”.

At each of his rallies, he ran through the pertinent issues that the IPC hope to implement once in power. Top on the list is the reconstruction of northern Uganda and the sectors of education and health where he promises to double teachers’ pay in next year’s budget and make available free healthcare services to all.

He said Museveni and his Government should not claim credit for the prevailing peace in the region, as they opposed the peace talks in Juba.

Besigye said there was need for Museveni to take responsibility and apologise to the people for the atrocities committed against them during the two-decade conflict while he was President.

Besigye described NRM leaders in the north as “brokers”, who knew nothing about the yellow bus they were calling people to. He regretted having worked as Museveni’s doctor during the five-year bush war that brought him to power.

“I have more responsibility than all the other Ugandans because I am responsible for bringing Museveni to power. If I had not treated Museveni during the war, maybe these problems would not have been there,” Besigye said.

Besigye was a personal doctor to President Museveni during the National Resistance Army bush war, from 1980-1985.

Besigye said his government would correct the wrongs the NRM Government had committed against Ugandans.