Opposition strongman and former Forum for Democratic Change presidential candidate Dr. Kizza Besigye has said that there is a well planned move by government to divert people’s attention from the key issues affecting them to minor issues through the use of media.
The media has this week been awash with the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) elections for major political parties in the country plus the issue of planned constitutional amendment by FDC to have former party presidents stand again for the same positions.
Referring to the two topics, the four time presidential candidate said these are diversionary as there are more pressing issues that the public needs to know but have been neglected.
“It is a strategy by the NRM regime to divert attention and leave out the most pressing issues of the country. This has been ongoing since 2011 when government orchestrated moves to divert people’s minds from paying attention to the most important and grave matters,” Besigye told a news conference at Katonga road in Kampala on Friday morning.
Flanked by Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, and other opposition figures including Chapa Karuhanga, Wasswa Birigwa and Wafula Oguttu whom he constantly referred to as ministers of his government, Besigye said issues like the collapse of the economy and the overpricing of the value of the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway among others are pressing issues that the public needs to know other than the EALA elections that he said the media is portraying as being so relevant.
Referring to himself and his ‘people’s cabinet’, the opposition strongman said issues like the legitimacy of President Museveni’s government need to be highlighted for the public to know other than what is being focused on.
“We are not focusing on the total collapse of our services like health institutions and the M23 rebels who recently escaped and returned to DRC and are a security problem but speaking about EALA.”
On the media reports about plans to have the FDC party constitution amended, Besigye said such “efforts to blackmail opposition figures have been ongoing and are orchestrated by government.”
“These are choreographed to blackmail and also divide us .I was surprised when I saw that story and called some party officials who all denied it. Such movements have been successful to a certain extent because they have been picked up by the media knowingly and others unknowingly,” he said.