The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party has joined the growing number of people condemning the attack on former FDC Presidential candidate Col Dr Kizza Besigye as he made his way out of the studios of CBS FM where he had just been hosted on a talk show. In a statement,the NRM party called for […]
The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party has joined the growing number of people condemning the attack on former FDC Presidential candidate Col Dr Kizza Besigye as he made his way out of the studios of CBS FM where he had just been hosted on a talk show.
In a statement,the NRM party called for the arrest of the youths involved in the attack. The youth who included known activists of the People Power pressure group under MP Robert Kyagulanyi, shouted anti Besigye slogans, “We Want Bobi Not Besigye,” and engaged in a fist fight with the former presidential candidate’s supporters.
They were reportedly unhappy that Besigye, who has unsuccessfully led an opposition front against the current regime under President Yoweri Museveni, was being afforded a platform on CBS, rather that someone in the People Power movement.
The former Presidential candidate was however fortunately helped into his vehicle by his aides and sped off.
The NRM party says authorities should hunt for, and arrest the people behind the incident.
“We condemn the assault on (Kizza Besigye) and call upon Police to apprehend those responsible,” the party said in a statement.
“We ask of our colleague parties and competitors to discourage any forms of violence within their ranks, and embrace fair competition, by encouraging debate and principled engagement.”
In the same statement, however, the NRM said blamed the Opposition parties and some of their leaders for nurturing such hooliganism.
“The violence and hooliganism we’re now seeing in Opposition ranks is the inevitable outcome of years of belligerent, street-based, populist politics for long conducted by the opposition & encouraged by some elements within its leadership,” the NRM said.
However, Kyagulanyi whose supporters are being blamed for the ugly incident claims the attack was stage-managed by government.
“Followers of the politics of this country will understand that such stunts and machinations have in the past been stage-managed by the state and other actors to achieve political objectives”
