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KABALE — The increasing detention of political opponents is a sign of
a regime about to crumble, former Army Commander, Maj. Gen. Mugisha
Muntu, has said.
Muntu, also the chief of mobilisation of the opposition Forum for
Democratic Change (FDC), stressed in Runyankore that “buri gavumenti ku
eza kugwa etandika kukwata abakugihakanisa (when a government is about
to fall, it persecutes its opponents).”
But Senior Presidential
Advisor on the Media Mr John Nagenda said the Movement government is
strong enough and is not about to crumble. “I am not saying the Movement
is perfect, but at the same time it is not about to crumble,” he
added.
Nagenda said if the legislators arrested were implicated in the
murder, it is up to the courts to decide their guilt or innocence. He
said unless Muntu had evidence that the accused were innocent, it was
not possible for him to comment on a case before court.
Muntu’s statement follows the arrest and detention of two opposition
Members of Parliament, Mr Reagan Okumu and Mr Michael Nyeko Ocula last
Thursday.
The two are accused of murdering Mr Alfred Bongomin, an LC3 chairman
of Pabbo camp in Gulu district on February 12, 2002.
Addressing a
big gathering of supporters in Kabale town where the party opened its
district branch office, the retired Major General warned that Ugandans
were tired of wars and political persecutions.
“We thought the NRA bush war in Luweero would be the last but our
friends seem to have forgotten so fast,” Muntu said to wild cheers.
He added: “We shall not allow anyone to be above the law. If they
want to be above the law, we shall bring them down so that we are all
equal before the law.”
Muntu said, “We shall kneel before Museveni and ask him to desist
from indulging into unconstitutional acts that could incite more
wars.”
He said MPs were joining Maj. Kakooza Mutale’s Kalangala Action Plan
(KAP) because they feared that if they did not, they might lose support
from the NRM come the 2006 elections.
The Major General said MPs had
been bribed to make laws that would entrench Museveni’s leadership.
“If these MPs joined Kalangala Action Plan with intentions of
intimidating and terrorising Ugandans during campaigns and elections,
they have misfired,” he said. “We are ready to defend FDC supporters
countrywide without fear or favour.”
Muntu advised the people not to penalise their MPs who have joined
the Kap, saying they have been threatened that if they refuse,
government would identify political opponents to challenge them during
the 2006 parliamentary elections.
Kap, which is led by Presidential
advisor Maj. Kakooza Mutale, recently recruited more than 150 Members of
Parliament, including ministers.
The FDC’s Mr. Musinguzi Garuga revealed at the same meeting in Kabale
that 17 lawyers had been hired by the party to defend the rights of
their colleagues being persecuted and jailed unjustly. Several FDC
supporters have been linked to the rebel People’s Redemption Army and
have been arrested and charged with treason.
Speaker after speaker
made scathing attacks on the Kabale RDC, Lt. James Mwesigye, who is
reportedly involved in endless intimidation of FDC supporters.
Musinguzi said although the RDC represented the President he could
best be employed as a gate-keeper, given his academic qualifications.
He warned that if the RDC continued to harass the opposition, “he
should count me among those who will fight and defeat him.”
Musinguzi
said he would not do it violently but through the courts of law.
The FDC top leadership vowed to secure the release of their two
supporters and MPs Reagan Okumu and Nyeko Ocula from jail in two weeks’
time.
Party vice chairman Prof. Ogeng Latigo, who is also MP for Agago,
said the government was persecuting the legislators because they were
political opponents.
The government investigated and knows who killed Bongomin but wants
to slam the murder charges on the opposition MPs deliberately, he
said. | 
