Why does Musumba fear a fair path to democracy?

Apr 20, 2010

Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Salaamu Musumba’s attack on the Democratic Party (DP) beats both law and logic.I read with utter dismay and sympathy the erratic and defeatist statement attributed to Musumba attacking DP’s stand on the Inter Party cooperation (IPC) saying that “DP can go to h

By Mwaka Lutukumoi

Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Salaamu Musumba’s attack on the Democratic Party (DP) beats both law and logic.I read with utter dismay and sympathy the erratic and defeatist statement attributed to Musumba attacking DP’s stand on the Inter Party cooperation (IPC) saying that “DP can go to hell”.

Musumba was telling DP to stop its demand for fairly agreed strategy to come up with a joint candidate for the opposition. The moral question is, why does she fear a fair path to democracy? This statement, coupled with a myriad of other attacks on DP suggests something about the motives of FDC leaders on DP. No wonder even President Museveni ridiculed DP president general, Norbert Mao as “a joker”! You may ignore DP at your own peril.

Mahatma Gandhi once said that that “at first they (your rivals) will ignore you, ridicule you and finally you defeat them”. There is no animosity between DP and any opposition party. DP will always attack the real opponent at hand and that is the NRM. But it is absurd that our friends are eyeing the wrong target, like creating an enemy and failing to attack the real enemy. But we shall not waste time kicking the legs of those without the ball. It is Museveni with the ball.

DP has analysed the statement of FDC party president, Col. Kizza Besigye made about DP failing to attend the first IPC meeting at Kololo. He said that they can’t wait for DP! One can tell that something is sick in some opposition parties.

Later, FDC spokesperson Wafula Oguttu immediately after the DP delegates conference attacked the DP. He said that he did not know which DP faction he should deal with and also attacked Norbert Mao for appreciating some of the Government’s programme in Northern Uganda. That is not simply bad but bad manners!

DP believes that the IPC will only be relevant if the parties don’t act out of ignorance and replan the IPC to make it work from the foundation of democracy. The IPC must not only see Museveni and his one-man rule removed but set a strong framework for the governance and principled cooperation with well agreed procedures of electing an overall President.

The IPC does not mean the opposition or one single party cannot beat Museveni’s NRM. The DP has reorganised and has set structures all over the country and has penetrated the opposition stronghold and even the NRM strongholds in Buganda and now heading to the west. Even the most savage beast should understand that a political party must exist to take over power.

Musumba’s argument that DP, a legally registered party should “go to hell” beats both law and logic. It is however not late for the opposition to plan for a comprehensive way forward which might include letting the many parties without strong structures to set them up if they are to come up with genuine 100 delegates for final opposition delegates conference or even go for the adult suffrage way on regional basis. As for DP, our executive is sitting soon to decide on joining the cooperation but let no one pre-empt the minds of the executive council on the matter.

Currently, the FDC, UPC, CP and JEEMA are already in the cooperation except DP which Musumba belittles forgetting that DP is now strong enough to go it alone. Cooperation means listening to the other side but not taking an arrogant stance. It is in the interest of DP that Uganda must be democratically liberated from pseudo-democracy.

DP fought for the opposition, including gaining victories in court defeating obnoxious laws that had kept parties in limbo. For example, Article 269 was repealed giving birth to multiparty politics.

DP initiated the idea of cooperation as early as 1996. Even now we are still committed to cooperating with all parties but on principle. State- making in Uganda has been the art of war; governments were marred by arrogance, corruption, ethnicity and intolerance. These led to bloodshed and created a spiral of violence in Uganda. DP believes in fairness, truth and justice.

We should play sustainable politics for the future of our country. This needs understanding and not behaving militaristically.
The writer is DP National Spokesperson

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