It’s time to discuss Besigye’s succession

Jul 03, 2007

ASWA County MP and FDC secretary for foreign affairs, Reagan Okumu, has expressed interest in leading the party to the next general elections in 2011. <b>John Odyek</b> asked him whether he wants Col. Besigye out now.

ASWA County MP and FDC secretary for foreign affairs, Reagan Okumu, has expressed interest in leading the party to the next general elections in 2011. John Odyek asked him whether he wants Col. Besigye out now.

QUESTION: Are there signs that Besigye wants to stand again in 2011?
ANSWER:
He is keeping it to himself and that is why we are asking.

Why should he say it now?

It is prudent for any leader who wants a smooth transition to prepare the way early.

Isn’t it too early to discuss this?

If Besigye waits for the last minute and says ‘I am quitting’ and there is a vacuum, the party will be in a crisis. Throughout the world leaders are groomed early. For example, it had been known for long that Tony Blair was going and that Gordon Brown would succeed him.

Shouldn’t FDC be dealing with other issues like raising funds and setting up branches?

FDC is addressing all these issues. We are doing fundraising locally and abroad to get the party financially sound. But the whole issue of party structures hinges on leadership. I don’t see a contradiction.

Has Besigye clung to power as you seem to imply?

I don’t think he has been in power for long. He was elected in 2005 as the first party leader. Initially he was the leader of the Reform Agenda. We don’t have term limits in the FDC. But if Besigye had won the last presidential elections we would not expect him to go for more than two terms. Even now we would not expect him to go beyond two terms as a party president. We think 10 years is enough for any leader. Beyond that you can play other roles like chairman of the party or envoy.
We don’t want FDC to be like UPC and DP where the leadership was pegged to individual and when the time came Paul Ssemogerere to exit and when Obote died there was total chaos.

Would you stand against Besigye in primaries?

I respect Besigye as a leader. If he offers himself, and that should be the last time, I will give him the benefit of doubt and support him and wait for the next time. In any case he is not too old and he has not been around for a long time.

You talk of respect for Besigye. Is that the only reason to stop you from standing against him?

I campaigned for him twice in Northern Uganda and he has won twice in Northern Uganda, in 2001 and 2006. I think there is still value in him because he has not been tested at national leadership.

You said “After him (Besigye) there is no other person to take over apart from me.” Are there only two people in FDC who can lead Uganda?

In politics if you don’t sell yourself who will sell you? I look at myself as better placed within the party structure. I have been chairman of the working committee which established this party. I know the party in and out, more than any other person. There are many senior people but I consider myself the most senior. Given the leadership we have, after Besigye I would offer myself and contest with the rest who may offer themselves. There are over 20 people who can stand. Unlike the NRM, in FDC one man does not dictate everything.

Won’t you cause a power struggle?

I don’t see any power struggle. Power struggles emerge when there are weaklings who want to protect themselves. If anybody tries to come up they want to push them down. But in FDC there is always consensus. For example, there were many ambitious people who wanted to take over the party leadership. Among them was Dr. Besigye, and the name of Maj. Gen. Mugisha Muntu was being floated. Many people said if you elect Mugisha Muntu who was supported by the Parliamentary Action Forum (PAFO), then the Reform Agenda group would fall away. Eriya Kategaya also wanted it on condition that he is not subjected to the process of election and we found it strange.

He thought he had found an organisation he was just invited to lead. David Pulkol also walked away empty-handed. He thought he would be elected party president and when that did not materialise, he felt insecure having fought Besigye all through. When Besigye was elected in FDC we demonstrated maturity and we all worked together.

Should Besigye have a say on who succeeds him and when?

As a leader he must encourage as many people as possible to come up. He is in a better position to identify leaders who are competent and capable and he should have a pool from where FDC should pick. Having identified the pool he should leave it to the democratic process. He usually delegates responsibilities and he is grooming many people. He does not hold power to himself. That is the way to identify future leaders.

You think he should have a time frame to declare a successor?

He should have a time frame when to exit and work towards that period. We don’t want a state of confusion like what is happening in the ANC. Thabo Mbeki was groomed but he is not grooming anybody.

Why do you think you are the best alternative and not Mugisha Muntu who is from the west and a former army officer like Besigye?
It is wrong to think that you should be a soldier to lead Uganda. The army should be trained for a national vision to protect the state rather than the ruling party. At the moment this army is partisan. Listen to the army spokesmen, read what they write, talk; it is purely partisan. These fellows are trained to support NRM and to look at the other parties as enemies, which is wrong. Now you see the military escorting prisoners which shows the other branches of the state are weak. The military and individuals must be trimmed. Army officers must have a national outlook.

It is also a wrong mentality to think that Uganda should continuously be led by people from the west. That is very unfortunate. In any case the population pattern is changing. In the next few years Northern Uganda will have more voters than the rest of the country. If we become sectarian, only Northerners are going to be leaders. We should move away from that. That is why we have supported Besigye. We saw in him unique leadership qualities and we went and sold him. Selling Besigye in 2001 in the north was like squeezing a dog’s testicles; people said these are the same NRM people and that if you rejected satan, you should reject all its colours.

Won’t your announcement that you want to lead FDC split the party?

We don’t want to be docile like people in the NRM where they claim there is a queue. In FDC everybody must be in the queue. If somebody comes up tomorrow, I will not undermine that person. We would work and wait for the democratic process.

What are your strong selling points?

FDC supporters know me since 2001. Before we joined the Reform Agenda I was known because I was MP since 1996. I have had a good record of performance as MP. People in FDC know my contribution to the party.

Do you think a northerner can sell outside Acholi? Say in Buganda and the west?

That is NRM politics. This propaganda only sold around 1986-1990s. People have realised the myth that northerners are not man-eaters. They are human beings like the rest. By supporting Besigye we have demonstrated that we don’t hate westerners. By supporting Dr. Ssemogerere in 1996 we showed we don’t hate people in central Uganda. The challenge is nation building. If people want to break this country further, they will continue selling that kind of politics.

Would FDC be the same without Besigye at the helm, given that the opposition says NRM cannot survive beyond Museveni?
FDC will be intact. Our party is not dependant on personalities. It will be strong with or without Besigye.

Are you a mole in the FDC?
If there is anybody in FDC the NRM has given up on talking to, it’s me. They even offered me jobs. NRM cannot disorganise our party. What can win me are the values of good governance and a free society. I believe freedom is something that cannot be negotiated but should be given to our people.

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