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Bobi Wine responds to Museveni letter
L-R: Former NTV news anchor (now People Power spokesperson) Joel Ssenyonyi, Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi, Mityana Municipality MP Francis Zaake, Kassanda north MP Patrick Nsamba and Kasambya county MP Gafa Mbwatekamwa. PHOTO BY MICHAEL KAKUMIRIZI
What you need to know:
- Flanked by MPs Patrick Nsamba, Francis Zaake and Gafa Mbwatekamwa, Bobi Wine unviled former NTV news anchor Joel Ssenyonyi as his spokesperson
KAMPALA. Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine called a news conference on Tuesday to respond to President Museveni’s letter on demonstrations and a disputed opinion poll that confined him in second position with 22 per cent if elections were to be held last month.
The news comes a day after the singer-cum politician made strong responses to President Museveni’s letter and criticised the way opposition politicians are being tortured and yet still ‘posing with the rhetoric of democracy.’
In his missive on Sunday, the President described himself as a defender of democracy and strongly criticised some Opposition leaders for disrespecting the Public Order Management Act.
“You cannot be rallying and processioning for an illegitimate reason – preaching lies, preaching sectarianism, preaching hate. Those who made mistakes to tolerate such bogusness, paid a heavy price. Did you see the massacre in New Zealand? How about the ones in Sri Lanka recently, in France, in Belgium, in Norway etc.? How about the mega problem that occurred in Rwanda? These tragedies in those areas started with pseudo – and bogus preachers.” The president wrote.
But in a response vilified by the ruling party supporters as “hollow”, Mr Kyagulanye wrote: “The first point was restoration of democracy! Is Democracy rigging elections? Just to remind you of what you did during the 2016 election- you deployed the military on the streets, delivered polling materials many hours later in Kampala and Wakiso, switched off social media and mobile money, arrested agents for opposition candidates, impoverished opposition candidates while blocking their sources of funding, blocked their campaign rallies, beat up our people, manipulated the voting system, and literally declared yourself duly elected! Is this democracy to you?”
He added: “Cracking down on any form of dissent? Suspending journalists from media houses for publishing the truth? Using the police and the military to disperse peaceful citizens whenever they assemble to express their discontent? What democracy is there in framing your opponents with bogus charges, torturing them, and denying them the opportunity to reach the people? What happened to the guns, which your government said were found in my hotel-room in Arua?”
Mr Kyagulanyi also asked: “What democracy is there in plucking Dr. Kizza Besigye off radio stations, and banning my songs from playing on the media airways because they criticize your wrongs? What democracy is there in imprisoning Dr. Stella Nyanzi for speaking out against corruption and nepotism?”
A highly contested poll conducted by Research World International put Bobi Wine ahead of Dr Kizza Besigye who was given 13 per cent. The controversial poll also indicated that if elections were carried out last month, Bobi Wine would be in the second position with 22 per cent just after President Museveni who would get 32 per cent. Many of the opposition politicians have since dismissed the poll as useless, ungrounded, shallow and fake.
Flanked by Kassanda north MP Patrick Nsamba, Mityana Municipality MP Francis Zaake and Kasambya county MP Gafa Mbwatekamwa, Bobi Wine, at the Tuesday’s press conference, unveiled former NTV news anchor, Mr Joel Ssenyonyi as the new spokesperson for his People Power movement.
Bobi Wine said he was in talks with several other people to form his cabinet with time.
"We have been talking with other people and I am hoping that we can get the whole cabinet. We are, however, strategically placed across the whole country and very soon our whole crew will be put before the media," Bobi Wine said.
Mr Ssenyonyi said he had been thinking about joining the frontline for the change the country is looking for and he thinks this is the right time.
"I have been in the media and posting things on social media and talking about many things but I felt this was not enough. That is why I have finally joined today and I am here to stay," Mr Ssenyonyi said.
