Daily Monitor had an interview with Mugisha Muntu who is the leader of the oppositon part, FDC, whose flag bearer Kizza Besigye in the last presidential elections has, according to the Electoral Commission, lost the Presidency few days ago. He( Mugisha Muntu) claims that Besigye is the winner of the elections despite the fact that Electral Commission announced Museveni to be the winner.
You said Col Besigye won and Mr Museveni lost. How do you arrive at that?
That’s why we are saying we want an independent audit. Over a period of time, the rot within the regime has been eating it up to its core. This time around, whatever haste was making them do what they were doing in the process of rigging this exercise; I think they forgot to put on their gloves because they have left fingerprints all over the place. Those are the fingerprints we want to prove through the audit.
Can FDC prove that it won and not the NRM? What are the fingerprints?
If you look on the surface of things, you may get to the conclusion that NRM is strong. If they are strong, why are they scared to death? Why would they have police all over the place?
Why would they have police outside the headquarters of registered party? They are so many people talking about peace. Justice is the bedrock of peace. In any situation, if you see people talking about peace, if there is no justice; that peace is simply a facade.
We want to get down and ensure that there is justice. That is the only way you can have sustained peace. When you hear generals shooting each other in a simple election, you think that is peace.
How helpful will the audit be in comparison to the petition?
There are 50 polling stations that all registered 100 per cent turn-up. All of them voted for one candidate.
Actually there are people who died in those polling stations. An independent audit will go down there and prove those things. There are some stations where the voters are more than those registered.
There are so many stations where only one declaration of results (DR) form was issued. Other party agents would not have DR forms. We have been very conscious and want to be very systematic so that when we bring out the evidence we have so far have, it will be laid out in full readiness for everybody who wants it.
Is Dr Besigye going to denounce the defiance campaign so that he can regain his freedom as the police have demanded?
The candidate is not at the party headquarters but there is police outside the party headquarters, there is police all over the country. Our candidate is not all over the country. Museveni is trying to make it seem that this issue is about the candidate.
This issue is not about the candidate. It is about our rights and freedoms as a people. We intend to break the arrogance of the regime and the sense of impunity that they have. We are 39 million people. We have our rights and freedoms, they need to be observed.
In the past elections, many Ugandans, despite their desire for change, voted for stability rather than voting for their choices because they feared that if they voted against Museveni, the country would go to war, the same scare stories were used this time, they did not work.
On possibility of dialogue with Museveni
The story of the dialogue that is making rounds; it is not the first time. In 2011, the same story was floated.
We sat as FDC, working together with other parties that are represented in Parliament, and agreed on four points. First, we would have well-structured negotiations. It would have an agenda; there would be an independent, neutral arbiter.
It would have to be broad – not only involving FDC, and that there would have to be a guarantor, so that whatever is agreed upon is implemented. We sent it [the four points] to the emissary that had been sent to us by President Museveni.
We never got a response – neither written, nor verbal. If it’s the same story, I think we all know where it’s leading. Unless there is something new…
Could the audit alter the election result?
Absolutely, that’s why the regime is scared to death.
What will you do if police does not withdraw?
We will continue fighting on. There are rights and freedoms which are enshrined in our Constitution. We have no intention of compromising; we have no intention of backtracking. To whatever extent, we intend to see that those rights are exercised by all of us.
What if President Museveni just ignores you?
It’s not just up to him. Unfortunately, that’s the impression he has created in the whole country. Some things just pass and people do not realise. This country is changing, and really changing concretely.
Let me draw your attention to what happened just one month ago. You remember the story about the presidential debate? You remember what President Museveni said about the first one? Why did he go to the aecond one? The situation which is happening in this country is irreversible. What is required is Ugandans to remain steadfast and not to compromise.
UM– USEKE.RW
