My invisibility in public is tactical, says FDC's Muntu

Jul 08, 2013

FDC president Gen. Mugisha Muntu has explained that his invisibility in the public domain is tactical.

By Moses Mulondo

KAMPALA - Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) president Gen. Mugisha Muntu has explained that his invisibility in the public domain is tactical.

The former army commander made the remarks at Hotel Africana while interacting with civil society youths.

Asked why he is rarely seen involved in the struggle against the NRM government, Muntu said, “I have not disappeared. Ever since I was elected I have been working building the party structures only that the kind of work I chose to begin with does not attract the media.”

He elaborated that the opposition has been defeated in the previous elections because of concentrating overly on top leadership while neglecting the grassroots structures.

“Of course any politician would want limelight but it is a matter of choosing priorities and you focus on them regardless of what others are saying.

“Unless you build grassroots structures and attract credible leaders at all levels, you would be floating in the space,” he argued.

Calling upon civil society, political parties and all other stakeholders to carry out civic education on the importance of voting, the FDC leader expressed disappointment that over 42% of Ugandans did not vote in the previous general elections.

Basing on his approach of focusing on rebuilding the party instead of spearheading running battles with the ruling government, several FDC members have been criticizing Muntu, saying his leadership has ruined the party.

Muntu’s approach has fueled allegations against him – that he is an NRM mole within FDC whose mission was to stifle the progress of the party.

But the opposition politician has repeatedly denied these claims.

It is this feeling that has compelled some to even propose that the FDC conducts fresh elections for the party president in the hope of getting a leader who will apply a confrontational approach against government from the onset.

Ever since his narrow win against the leader of opposition in parliament, Nathan Nandala Mafabi and Geoffrey Ekanya, Muntu – whose camp was accused of rigging – has been facing internal resistance from his competitors who have never come to terms with his party victory.

Asked why he rarely participates in the opposition demonstrations, Muntu made it clear that that the solution is not in “concentrating on what we don’t want but in shaping what we want”.

“That is why as the opposition we need to build credible structures and organs. You cannot give what you don’t want.”

On corruption, Col. Kizza Besigye’s successor said the battle will never be won until Ugandans are guided into voting for leaders of integrity who will also ensure that the key public service offices are occupied by incorruptible people.

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