The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Angry supporters
As the unverifiable assertions rage, the FDC leaders and members have not taken Muntu’s departure as well as many would have expected; especially since they rejected his leadership in 2017 and have labeled him “mole” of the ruling NRM party of President Yoweri Museveni. Many of them have been attacking Muntu in the media, both mainstream and social media for abandoning the party and pushing him to leave. There are reports that FDC has sent groups to campaign against Muntu in the countryside. It is an unexpected twist.
Instead of celebrating Muntu’s departure, forinstance, Buhweju County MP Francis Mwijukye sounded angrier than excited. Muntu is leaving because of greed and selfishness, Mwijukye said.
Former Leader of Opposition Wafula Oguttu, who had carved a career of dishing Muntu also did not sound relieved and instead continued the criticism as if Muntu remains his problem.
“The biggest beneficiary of the MM exit is the dictatorship that promised to destroy opposition in Uganda by 2021,” Oguttu posted on the party’s whatsapp platform. He continued that by quitting FDC, Muntu was aiding Museveni destroy the opposition as he promised.
Perhaps implying that Muntu should not have left, Oguttu told the media that Muntu’s problem was his failure to run the party for 10 years.
Another Muntu foe within FDC, the party’s secretary General Nandala Mafabi said what Muntu did by quitting was “unfair to FDC”. Muntu’s act, he said, showed that Muntu has never worked for the best interests of the party.
As the vitriol gushed, Muntu was flashed his vintage smile, albeit sympathetically this time.
“We believe that this action is mutually beneficial to both the FDC and those of us leaving,” he said, “In fact, if handled well, this could be the beginning of greater cooperation within the opposition.
“Instead of fighting each other over strategy, our departure will allow the current Party leadership to pursue its agenda unencumbered while we also pursue the same objectives in ways we feel better reflect our values. At the end of the day, we are all working towards the same goal”.
But Muntu’s supporters were not so diplomatic. Many questioned why the FDC was bothered by Muntu’s exit, considering that he has always been accused of being a mole that was not able to achieve anything in the party.
During the race for party Presidency against Mafabi in 2012, the latter’s campaign chairman Rubaramira Ruranga told voters everywhere they campaigned not to vote Muntu because he was a mole.
Those allegations have been repeated several times by other members of the party’s top leadership including; the Secretary for Mobilisation Ingrid Turinawe, Mwijukye, and Joyce Sebugwawo
Many accused Muntu of killing the party when he was its President and it was the reason many gave for not supporting him when he sought re-election.
When Muntu rose up to speak in May 2015 at an opposition joint retreat to agree on their response to the government’s rejection of electoral reform proposals, Mafabi, said he could not listen to a person who has never participated in any election.
So when the tone changed recently after Muntu’s departure, some of Muntu’s supporters could not spare Mafabi, Oguttu and others.
“Why are people condemning Mugisha Muntu’s move yet they said he was a mole?” asked the FDC secretary General in Kamwenge George Muhimbise, “If the mole talk is real, FDC should slaughter a cow and celebrate his exit.”
Muhimbise wondered why the departure of a mole who has been selling party secrets, is now being regarded by FDC as a loss.
“What does the party lose?” he wondered, “Why were they willing to stay with someone they never trusted or wanted? Isn’t it hypocrisy of the highest order?”
“Hon. Wafula with all due honesty, how would the FDC function properly with a chief mole?” another Muntu supporter asked Oguttu. “Why are you seemingly bothered by the exit of a stumbling block? Do you want us to believe that his stay in FDC as a mole would precipitate the dictator’s exit?”
“But WAF (Oguttu) and group have worked tirelessly to bring about this incident, which now he claims to be benefitting the dictatorship.” said another Muntu supporter.
“For sure I don’t know what FDC wants,” said another, “I thought you would be jubilating that Chief mole and his spies have left the party.”
Muntu’s gamble
Crispy Kaheru, the head of the Citizens Coalition for Electoral Democracy (CEEDU) who has been watching the back and forth, says it is not good for the opposition in Uganda.
“I think this is a serious crack in the opposition. The opposition generally needs to reflect deeply on what this exodus and splintering means in the current political space.”
“The reality is,” he adds “politics is a game of numbers. Political parties, movements thrive on numerical strength.”
He says Muntu’s exit should bring to an end the mistrust and suspicion that had paralysed the FDC party.
The decision by Muntu and his supporters followed bitter wrangles that rocked the party for years that reached peak during the party’s presidential elections in November 2017, where Muntu lost the Presidency to Amuriat.
While they say the main cause of friction has been the difference in strategies-defiance and organisation, the party had not known any peace ever since Muntu took over the presidency after Kizza Besigye’s early retirement in 2012.
The animosity started with the challenge of Muntu’s election as party President in November 2012 where he defeated Budadiri West MP Nandala Mafabi and two other contestants.
After Muntu’s defeat, his supporters who had tried to dissuade him from seeking re-election and leaving the party even before the November 2017 elections insisted it would not be wise to stay in the party. His supporters’ worry was that Muntu would win the election and spend another five years putting out fires denying him the opportunity to pursue the strategy he always advocated for-building structures.
But Muntu did not listen to his supporters and even after his loss to Amuriat, refused to leave the party right away and opted for country-wide consultations.
The consultations which ended in early September and as he had promised, Muntu met the party leaders. But apart from informing them about his consultations, he also announced his departure.
Uncertain future
Renowned constitutional lawyer and FDC stalwart Wandera Ogalo says Muntu could now pursue the strategy he has always believed in of building structures.
Ogalo is also hopeful Muntu would tap into the support of the moderates both in FDC and the ruling National Resistance Movement party who do not see either party as the best alternative.
The FDC has dominated the opposition politics since political parties were reintroduced in Uganda’s politics in 2005. It has been the only party to appoint the opposition leadership in Parliament and has had the biggest say in proposals for joint opposition candidates. Now, if Muntu’s gamble succeeds, his political formation could pose a threat to the FDC’s position.
Appointing the leader of the opposition has become coveted since the position started attracting perks equivalent to a cabinet minister; including huge emoluments, chauffeur driven official car, police escorts, and endless travel and visibility opportunities.
It is so important that it is said to have sparked Muntu’s exit. According to this line, although Muntu had for over a year toed with leaving FDC, his resolve turned into action after the FDC President, Patrick Oboi Amuriat on Aug.03, shuffled the FDC leadership in parliament and kicked out Muntu leaning MPs.
All, except Kiira Municipality MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda (who maintains an ingenious presence in both camps), were replaced with those loyal to Muntu’s nemesis; four time president candidate Kizza Besigye and Amuriat.
The reshuffle saw the dismissal of Kasese Woman MP Winnie Kiiza as the leader of opposition and replaced with Gulu woman MP Betty Aol Achan, Bugweri county MP Abdul Katuntu from the leadership of the Committee on Statutory Authorities and State Enterprise (COSASE) Soroti Woman MP Angeline Osegge and Ntungamo Municipality MP Gerald Karuhanga and Chairperson and Vice chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee respectively.
Dokolo woman MP, Cecilia Ogwal, was also dismissed from the parliamentary Commission and replaced with Buhweju MP Francis Mwijukye.
Muntu’s group took decisive and deliberate steps to leave the party, starting with defying Amuriat and openly campaigning for an independent candidate Kassiano Wadri in Arua Municipality where the party had an official flag bearer.
Now, it appears, an unnamed FDC member who posted online that Muntu had just taken the struggle against Museveni backwards by more 10 years, could have the final word.
“History will judge Muntu. It’s clear we are going to have NRM Vs FDC Vs Third force,” the member said, “Who is the beneficiary here?” That must wait until the 2021 general elections, at least.
Dear Ugandans, Come what may, Mugisha Muntu poses no threat to the establishment. He is neither a politician nor a strategist. He is just a bemused diplomat who in his self-centred modal deceit, feels his next position is to become a President of this country Uganda. Note however that, he was FDC President for two full terms but he actually failed and or did not even attempt and or just touch his so-called grass-roots mobilization/ drive for membership for FDC. To then claim that he will do it in his “New Formation Arrangement” could just be as good as day-dreaming gesture and or self-internal appraisal to say the least.
Well, Ugandans are still here and they will tell, but the truth is MM is here to ensure his colleague M7 rules for ever with “a scattered-opposition.”
Eric Jumaa
#10 ejakait engoraton 2018-10-03 17:07
AS humans we have this element that as far as human or personal development is concerned, things should stay the same.
Thus we tend to think in the “school mentality” that if you are a class above someone, you will always be above them.
THIS for a very long time is what is disturbing many UGANDANS vis a vis the RWANDESE situation where they think that because many of the ruling elite were merely refugees, they still view them in that context. This then extends to the individual level.
Enter MUGISHA MUNTU who has never overcome the fact that the person who was his junior at Basiima House and later as overall commander a one PAUL KAGAME is now a president while he is left scrapping for goodness knows what.
MM is forever left ruing how things would have turned out if he was not the army commander at the time of the exodus.
And that is what informs the majority of his actions
AS humans we have this element that as far as human or personal development is concerned, things should stay the same.
Thus we tend to think in the “school mentality” that if you are a class above someone, you will always be above them.
THIS for a very long time is what is disturbing many UGANDANS vis a vis the RWANDESE situation where they think that because many of the ruling elite were merely refugees, they still view them in that context. This then extends to the individual level.
Enter MUGISHA MUNTU who has never overcome the fact that the person who was his junior at Basiima House and later as overall commander a one PAUL KAGAME is now a president while he is left scrapping for goodness knows what.
MM is forever left ruing how things would have turned out if he was not the army commander at the time of the exodus.
And that is what informs the majority of his actions
What does it mean being in the opposition in Uganda?
“It is not safe because the government doesn’t like opposition. They harass the opposition; [they] deny them jobs, they persecute them and sometimes kill them. They hate you for nothing, just because you don’t like the bad things they are doing. They are selfish, they are greedy, they steal government property, they grab land and misuse government money.”
These are the words of the late Boniface Byanyima. So this is the situation pertaining in Uganda today, so tell me how do you build so called grassroots structures most especially as it states at the grassroots in the villages without all the things mentioned by Mzee Byanyima happening to you.
And MM is talking about building grassroots structures.
Very DIVERSIONARY if not outright SABOTAGE with a view to leading people to their death
MM has a tough ride ahead of him he says he will build grassroots structures,let us wait and see how he gets to the villages and sub counties with our PISOs and GISOs waiting for him,then he talks of building an alliance of parties/political leaders ,will he be willing to let MAO or ABED be president ? or how will he work with Bobi wine whose only strategy is seems to be defiance?Then when disagreements on strategy eventually arises as it is bound to happen within the new formation will he again quit to form another new new formation.
Poor MM,never a leader of men was shielded by a very strong and capable commander in chief when he was army commander and once out of the institution of the army he has been terribly exposed.
The article forgets to mention the big cracks brought by the TDA greed and eventual refusal by KB to vacate FDC leadership. Why for God’s sake does KB still give press conferences at the expense of the party leadership. It looks like the timing by POA to change the LOP backfired. Can anyone really align to the notion that POA is politically stronger than MM?
THAT MM left FDC was a question of WHEN rather than IF once he lost the election to AMURIAT.
To me the signal, despite all the circuitous route of the so called consultations, was when his “trumpeter in chief” MUNIINI announced that he was quitting politics- read FDC.
TO me MM is a serial defector/traitor who has no loyalty to a person or cause for that matter.
MM is the son of a man who was best friends with OBOTE, with whom he lived in exile in Tanzania and who OBOTEs sons will tell you was one of the few people they knew as “uncle” when they were in exile.
IN any normal situation, you only quarrel/fight let alone pick up.arms against someone when you have exhausted all other avenues, as was the case with ANC in South Africa or MAU MAU in Kenya. Or if you are mad as was the case in Uganda with the NRM and KONY.
As a person he considered his own father, did MM talk to OBOTE before joining an armed struggle to know what was exactly going on.
AND conveniently after finishing his studies at Makerere. If he felt so strongly why not before. And if he is a principled man as it is made out, what abuses – rigging of elections, abuse of human rights etc- that took place during Obotes time are not taking place at an even worse magnitude , so why does he not take up arms as he did then, let alone advocate for militancy against the regime.
AND he wonders why he was being suspected as a mole in the bush. MM at the time was the biggest “catch” for M7 who believes in “humiliating” his opponents, real and imagined by having sons/daughters/spouses etc on his side as he is doing by having TITO Okellos son, Ben Kiwanukas son serving at his pleasure, just like having his son marry the daughter of the man who humiliated him in the 80 election.
Likewise MM being appointed army commander had nothing to with his qualification experience in the army as I am sure even the likes of KASIRYE, KORETA etc had better credentials
IT was more to do with M 7s known style of doing things where he wanted somebody who was a nobody so that he would owe total allegiance as MM eventually did.
MM had no friends especially in the army, and he himself has adduced , he was suspected by his friends.
This was a good trait for M 7 because he was the least likely to master the means to mount a coup, unlike the likes of say TINYEFUZA , KYALIGONZA etc.
SO whatever MM is , he is the making of M 7 , he would not be what he is if it was not for M 7 , the reason M 7 sees him as a non threat politically and militarily.
Also, while other opposition leaders have suffered the wrath for as much as passing wind, some even to the extent of losing relatives , MM has almost received protection and his brother, HERBERT NUWAGABA is a staunch NRM who is a political appointee.
SO , you can not blame those who think that he is a mole .
And what a stupid reason to give, that you are being called a mole.
No politician worth their name has not been called names, and to be in politics you have got to have a thick skin. People will say all sorts of things about you for all sorts of reasons and that is why Tony Blair was nicknamed “Teflon Tony” because according to the press, whatever they threw at him he was able to shake off and it never stuck.
And the Ganda aptly say ” omwogeziyogezi takusuzisa kayanzi ko” meaning that do not listen to public opinion where it hurts your interests.