In as many weeks as the memory can recall, yesterday opposition presidential candidate Dr Warren Kizza Besigye beat police surveillance at his home in Kasangati and attended Sunday service at All Saints Church, Nakasero, and later attended a burial in Namutumba, several kilometres outside Kampala.
Now, this Besigye saga of beating security surveillance is not a new issue; it started over 10 years ago when he managed to elude a round-the-clock watch at his home in Luzira, only to turn up in South Africa.
But back to his latest escapades; the headline ‘Besigye beats police surveillance again’ has now lost the pull power in newsrooms since almost all editors have used it to wear and tear levels.
That noted, there have been varied public opinions as to whether the type of security accorded to Dr Besigye is justified. One school of thought seems to suggest that the numbers of security personnel deployed around him seem to be more than what is needed. Intriguingly too, they argue that when Besigye moves around unrestrained, the crowds around him seem to be manageable as most people just want to have a glimpse of him and then go about their own work, that involves fending for the next meal. In other words they say the police has helped boost Besigye’s political profile!
Then there is a group, among them some security officials and businesspeople in the Central Business District (CBD), who argue that for the sake of peace Besigye should be restrained. Indeed, for the businesspeople, they argue that he disrupts their activities, which is also understandable.
However, in the face of the two suppositions, a common ground that favours both groups should be sought, and that might involve the police allowing Besigye to move freely, while at the same time according him reasonable escort that fits the status of a national politician.
Perhaps, if that is done, Besigye’s crowds will no longer see reason to become chaotic, and in the process the country will bring to an end an episode that has usually left the police with egg on its face.
