{UAH} Enact law to make Besigye MP and leader of opposition

As the controversy on Dr Kizza Besigye's exact status following another botched attempt at getting elected President rages on, we all agree he could and must do a lot better. What would someone say of someone who raked in 35.61% (3,508,687 votes) at the polls? This performance was better than he had recorded in the last three attempts to dislodge his former boss, Gen. Yoweri Museveni.

Museveni himself got 5,971,872 votes, representing 60.62%.

Of all candidates, Besigye was a unique in a way that he had contested the most number of times and lost (four in total). He was rivaled by Abed Bwanika who was on his third attempt. The perennial contest by Besigye makes him a career contestant which ties him to 5-year intervals of near-success and nothing else.
Somebody who can rake home 3million votes is certainly no joking subject. He is the only citizen in the history of independent Uganda with such clout other the serial winner, Museveni.

We also know that President Museveni has been more of a benefactor to Besigye than most other partners he has come across in his journey of estrangement, considering how and where they first met. Even as we duel on which correct path to take as a nation, I believe the two principals matter to each other and this is what "we" seek to address within this season.

As a measure of political and moral correctness plus security and economic consideration, it's an urgent test to pass.
A whole lot of resources are spent in security operations maintaining cordons and monitoring of Besigye's activities. For those who may not know, having soldiers and cops on full-time patrol in public places virtually drains the coffers. Think of what it costs to maintain hi-tech machinery and the human resource deployment.

Dr Besigye is the most costly Ugandan, outside of government, only second to LRA's Joseph Kony, back in the day when the rebel group still kicked. Since when he was first a subject of controversy and public stand-offs with the state, I guess billions upon billions have been spent on him.
These are figures that the state would be happy to invest in services that benefit the general citizenry; education, health, road, enhancing salaries for workers and so on.

Besigye should be considerate; the resources spent on containing and monitoring him are much more than would have been spent on him if he was, for example, the (constitutional) Leader of Opposition (at large). There is already a provision for Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LOP). We now need a Leader of Opposition for the whole country. The two could be separate or one individual.

Right now the debate we are engaged in with Besigye diehards is whether it's best for him remain a "tourist attraction" and regular visitor in confinement. Apparently, there are those who find value in this situation but for us we are saying the earlier it ends the better for everyone.

Wanting to be President is one thing but having what it takes to become one is another. I guess so many would love to be but who is naturally and circumstantially gifted enough to achieve that? Very few! In that case, there are other avenues of service to consider. In Luganda they say: nyama ntono okayana eri munkwaaya (while haggling for a large portion, first tuck away the meager one).

Therefore, a legal provision should be enacted (by Parliament, even the current) to provide for a runner-up and/or whoever attains a certain minimum number of votes at a Presidential election, say 500, 000 votes, to automatically become a Member of Parliament.

Clearly, here Besigye would well surpass the billing. He would be empowered to practice what he preaches and that would insulate him against local and strange influences trying to exploit his unclear situation. And, surely, he would be happy to cost the tax payers less, while in their service, than more, while risking their ire since some of them are looking beyond the open campaign of being a victim of change inertia.

And this shouldn't be mistaken for common "coalition talk". A coalition is unofficial and an attempt to smuggle in a whole plethora of players. What we are pushing for is a constitutional provision to include viable losers at Presidential polls to play an active role in governance.

As a country, we aren't children that we can't talk over serious issues. We should give precedence to dialogue, progressive wisdom and practical leadership. That should be done systematically, transparently and legally.

For the state, no matter how credible and legal the justifications are, cleansing the fact that openly detaining such a person doesn't augur well for local and international credibility is another impossible cost. The victim angle is too glaring. The state is portrayed as brutal even when simply exercising a constitutional responsibility.

For my friends on social media, so savvy at creating impressions and images but without the knack for following up on serious objectives, let's be more practical and interest ourselves in having real addresses for aforementioned purposes! I bet these, and other extremists, will protest this very idea I am expressing while President-elect (Museveni), Besigye and aides with open minds will see sense in it.
But we don't have much time left. If the former FDC Presidential candidate is kept in abeyance as is the status-quo, I predict something terrible happening very soon.

Robert Atuhairwe

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