Leave your cars home, use public means to protest age limit, Besigye asks Ugandans

Parliament this week turned into a battle ground for MPs supporting and those against amendment of the constitution to lift term limits, a fight that prompted security agencies to storm parliament and arrested MPs especially those from the opposition.

Speaking at his office along Katonga road in Kampala on Saturday, Besigye condemned the ugly scenes climaxed by the arrest of legislators saying this was an act of rape to the August House by government.

The four-time presidential candidate and a former personal doctor to president Museveni says it is high time the population identify those supporting removal of the age limits from the constitution so they can be isolated.

“We want to get one day in a week so that they (elites) can identify with the population so that the hostage taker is isolated,” Besigye said.

“Associate with people by leaving your vehicle at home, move with them in matatus, boda bodas or even buses.”

He also asked international bodies and organisations to isolate government officials and all people in support of the age limit removal by banning them from flying to outside countries.

Besigye called upon parliamentary organisations throughout the world to also isolate the speaker of the Ugandan parliament, Rebecca Kadaga whom he said clearly demonstrated that she was in support of the move to amend the constitution to lift age limit.

“She definitely had the power to act otherwise but chose to become the hired hand for president Museveni. She should not be allowed to be part of other parliamentary bodies in the world.”

The opposition strongman also urged the population to start shunning events and celebrations organised by those in support of lifting of the age limit as a way of punishing them.

He called upon religious and cultural leaders to become voices of the voiceless by denouncing the removal of age limits or else, they would also be isolated by the public.

The opposition strongman revealed that their isolation campaign would start on Tuesday when they expect the motion to have the private members bill in relation to amendment of the age limit is to be reintroduced to the floor of parliament.

Besigye said the campaign would go on until they have achieved tangible results.

The isolation campaign by Dr.Besigye reminisces the 2011 walk to work campaign where opposition politicians asked people to abandon vehicles at home as they walked to their places of work in protest against the then state of affairs in the country.

The deadly campaign was however quelled by government.There is a proposed bill intended to amend the constitution so as to lift the presidential age limit from 75 years.