Muntu a firm government critic
ELECTION 2006<br><b>People to watch</b><br><br><b>By Charles Etukuri</b><br><br>Maj. Gen. Mugisha Muntu has been at the helm of the army leadership as the commander for close to nine years, making a mark as the longest-serving commander, yet he has turned out to be the biggest critic of his for
ELECTION 2006
People to watch
By Charles Etukuri
Maj. Gen. Mugisha Muntu has been at the helm of the army leadership as the commander for close to nine years, making a mark as the longest-serving commander, yet he has turned out to be the biggest critic of his former commander-in-chief of the Defence Forces and President, Gen. Yoweri Museveni.
In the 2001 elections, which were won by Museveni, Muntu maintained silence on which side he supported and as the elections neared, the press reported he had fled the country.
His departure to the US, a few weeks to the elections, sparked off rumours that the general had left the country “to watch the political events from a distanceâ€, because his silence about which side he backed in the controversial presidential campaign was “causing suspicion†in some circles.
The then Speaker of parliament, the late Francis Ayume, had to dispel rumours that Muntu had actually fled the country.
A close friend, who served with him right from the bush war, describes him as “a principled man and during his tenure in the army, he stood by his job as a professional soldier, at times disagreeing with his boss whenever he felt something was amiss.â€
The 1994, Ntungamo elections perhaps heralded the start of disagreement between the two once close friends. There was massive state interference in the appointment of the LC5 chairman with the state backing Joseph Karazarwe, the incumbent LC5 chairman, who was pitied against Tadeo Kacoboye. As Muntu says, “I could see the hand of the state in it. I raised it in a meeting in Ntungamo. It was even covered in the press. I warned Museveni and I told him: Mr President, if this style continues, I can see the beginning of a split in the organisation as it was reported in the media.
Museveni told me I was in the army and should not get ‘excited’ about political issuesâ€.
True to his word, many of the original historical members are now firm critics of the Government they helped put in power and in this camp we have people like Kizza Besigye, Amanya Mushega, Mathew Rukakaire, Augustine Ruzindana, Jack Sabiti, Eriya Kategeya and Bidandi Ssali.
When in 2000 the National Executive Committee met and decided that Museveni be the sole Movement candidate for 2001, Muntu opposed the move.
In the entry to the 2001 elections, he maintained a more or less neutral position despite the fact that it was known he had openly disagreed on major issues and the course the Movement was taking.
Notwithstanding the fact that he had maintained a neutral side, two days to the 2001 elections, an advert was placed on Radio Simba by the Museveni campaign team saying Muntu was urging people to go and elect President Museveni.
Muntu called in and disassociated himself from the Movement.
“I am soldier, yes, but if I see what we have been fighting for getting derailed and if I do not come out and point it out, then what would be the purpose?†he asks rhetorically.
He is one of those soldiers, who quickly rose through the army ranks to the current position he holds. He joined the army in 1982 as a mere soldier, but by the end of the war, he emerged as the director of military intelligence.
Since then, he never looked back rising steadly to the rank of Major General.
An officer who served with him says, “ I remember Muntu as a strict disciplinarian and, during his era, the question of ghost soldiers was not as pronounced as it was after he left. You don’t see his name in all this shoddy army dealings popping up.â€
“If he had stayed in the army, he would have been a General now,†says a friend, who is now a General.
For now, Muntu is one of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) leaders and he is one of the two most popular people for the race of the party presidency, that is, if he decided to go for it. The other is Besigye, who returned from exile yesterday.
Besigye is seen as a favourite to take over the top most seat with a lot of ease.
His Reform Agenda faction has been at it, making sure that their man gets the top seat and that he returns home. However, Besigye’s fate with the state still lies in the balance. As indicated by the Government, he may have some cases to answer. And for this, the Government may be quick to press terrorism charges as they have continuously linked the retired colonel to the People’s Redemption Army, 22 of whose suspects are in Kigo Prison.
In the event this happens, FDC will need a person to put forward and for this, Muntu comes into play.
He is more senior in rank and is seen as more moderate and scandal-free. Those who have had an opportunity to meet and speak with Muntu, say Uganda missed a priest.
He is respected both within and outside the opposition, army and government circles and some wonder what the good general is doing in the FDC ranks.
It was not, therefore, surprising that he was overwhelmingly voted to go and represent Uganda in the East African Assembly as Member of Parliament.
Muntu also has a good military background and in an era where military talk has become common in political power, he is advantaged.
He has often been quoted warning the President that “FDC will not sit by and see their supporters being terrorisedâ€.
Uganda politics has been dominated by the military and the vote is swayed by who can effectively manage the army.
He has been instrumental in the opening of party branches in nearly all the parts of the country as head of mobilisation, whereas his party boss remained holed up in South Africa.
As such, he has traversed the whole country getting to know people at a more personal level.
But of course his critics are quick to point out the fact that his military career was never perfect.
Writing for The New Vision, Ofwono Opondo, the Movement Director for Information, responding to Muntu’s talk on Straight Talk show hosted by Shaka Ssali on Voice of Africa (VOA) early last month, wrote, “Muntu has never, on his own, owned up to mistakes of the army since the Mukura railway incident in which 39 people died, Bur Coro in Gulu (1989), Atiak massacres of May 20, 1995, and abduction of 148 Aboke schoolgirls on October 8, 1996, by Lord’s Resistance Army rebels.
Muntu has never visited these areas to assess the causes of these grave incidents throughout his career, nor has he apologised and/or resigned!
The visitors’ books of Mukura, Atiak, Aboke and Kichwamba Technical College do not contain Muntu’s signature. Instead, Muntu waited until he was dropped in December 1998.
Therefore, taking personal responsibility that Muntu claimed on VOA is false.†But that notwithstanding, Muntu should be watched.
People to watch
By Charles Etukuri
Maj. Gen. Mugisha Muntu has been at the helm of the army leadership as the commander for close to nine years, making a mark as the longest-serving commander, yet he has turned out to be the biggest critic of his former commander-in-chief of the Defence Forces and President, Gen. Yoweri Museveni.
In the 2001 elections, which were won by Museveni, Muntu maintained silence on which side he supported and as the elections neared, the press reported he had fled the country.
His departure to the US, a few weeks to the elections, sparked off rumours that the general had left the country “to watch the political events from a distanceâ€, because his silence about which side he backed in the controversial presidential campaign was “causing suspicion†in some circles.
The then Speaker of parliament, the late Francis Ayume, had to dispel rumours that Muntu had actually fled the country.
A close friend, who served with him right from the bush war, describes him as “a principled man and during his tenure in the army, he stood by his job as a professional soldier, at times disagreeing with his boss whenever he felt something was amiss.â€
The 1994, Ntungamo elections perhaps heralded the start of disagreement between the two once close friends. There was massive state interference in the appointment of the LC5 chairman with the state backing Joseph Karazarwe, the incumbent LC5 chairman, who was pitied against Tadeo Kacoboye. As Muntu says, “I could see the hand of the state in it. I raised it in a meeting in Ntungamo. It was even covered in the press. I warned Museveni and I told him: Mr President, if this style continues, I can see the beginning of a split in the organisation as it was reported in the media.
Museveni told me I was in the army and should not get ‘excited’ about political issuesâ€.
True to his word, many of the original historical members are now firm critics of the Government they helped put in power and in this camp we have people like Kizza Besigye, Amanya Mushega, Mathew Rukakaire, Augustine Ruzindana, Jack Sabiti, Eriya Kategeya and Bidandi Ssali.
When in 2000 the National Executive Committee met and decided that Museveni be the sole Movement candidate for 2001, Muntu opposed the move.
In the entry to the 2001 elections, he maintained a more or less neutral position despite the fact that it was known he had openly disagreed on major issues and the course the Movement was taking.
Notwithstanding the fact that he had maintained a neutral side, two days to the 2001 elections, an advert was placed on Radio Simba by the Museveni campaign team saying Muntu was urging people to go and elect President Museveni.
Muntu called in and disassociated himself from the Movement.
“I am soldier, yes, but if I see what we have been fighting for getting derailed and if I do not come out and point it out, then what would be the purpose?†he asks rhetorically.
He is one of those soldiers, who quickly rose through the army ranks to the current position he holds. He joined the army in 1982 as a mere soldier, but by the end of the war, he emerged as the director of military intelligence.
Since then, he never looked back rising steadly to the rank of Major General.
An officer who served with him says, “ I remember Muntu as a strict disciplinarian and, during his era, the question of ghost soldiers was not as pronounced as it was after he left. You don’t see his name in all this shoddy army dealings popping up.â€
“If he had stayed in the army, he would have been a General now,†says a friend, who is now a General.
For now, Muntu is one of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) leaders and he is one of the two most popular people for the race of the party presidency, that is, if he decided to go for it. The other is Besigye, who returned from exile yesterday.
Besigye is seen as a favourite to take over the top most seat with a lot of ease.
His Reform Agenda faction has been at it, making sure that their man gets the top seat and that he returns home. However, Besigye’s fate with the state still lies in the balance. As indicated by the Government, he may have some cases to answer. And for this, the Government may be quick to press terrorism charges as they have continuously linked the retired colonel to the People’s Redemption Army, 22 of whose suspects are in Kigo Prison.
In the event this happens, FDC will need a person to put forward and for this, Muntu comes into play.
He is more senior in rank and is seen as more moderate and scandal-free. Those who have had an opportunity to meet and speak with Muntu, say Uganda missed a priest.
He is respected both within and outside the opposition, army and government circles and some wonder what the good general is doing in the FDC ranks.
It was not, therefore, surprising that he was overwhelmingly voted to go and represent Uganda in the East African Assembly as Member of Parliament.
Muntu also has a good military background and in an era where military talk has become common in political power, he is advantaged.
He has often been quoted warning the President that “FDC will not sit by and see their supporters being terrorisedâ€.
Uganda politics has been dominated by the military and the vote is swayed by who can effectively manage the army.
He has been instrumental in the opening of party branches in nearly all the parts of the country as head of mobilisation, whereas his party boss remained holed up in South Africa.
As such, he has traversed the whole country getting to know people at a more personal level.
But of course his critics are quick to point out the fact that his military career was never perfect.
Writing for The New Vision, Ofwono Opondo, the Movement Director for Information, responding to Muntu’s talk on Straight Talk show hosted by Shaka Ssali on Voice of Africa (VOA) early last month, wrote, “Muntu has never, on his own, owned up to mistakes of the army since the Mukura railway incident in which 39 people died, Bur Coro in Gulu (1989), Atiak massacres of May 20, 1995, and abduction of 148 Aboke schoolgirls on October 8, 1996, by Lord’s Resistance Army rebels.
Muntu has never visited these areas to assess the causes of these grave incidents throughout his career, nor has he apologised and/or resigned!
The visitors’ books of Mukura, Atiak, Aboke and Kichwamba Technical College do not contain Muntu’s signature. Instead, Muntu waited until he was dropped in December 1998.
Therefore, taking personal responsibility that Muntu claimed on VOA is false.†But that notwithstanding, Muntu should be watched.