DP troubles: Mao vs Lukwago

David Mukholi



The Democratic Party (DP) has two presidents. One is Norbert Mao elected by the national delegates' conference and the other Erias Lukwago.

Mao was re-elected last weekend during the party's national delegates' conference in Entebbe.

With 898 votes he beat his only rival, Dr. Lulume Bayiga who polled 360. A section of the party led by Lukwago stayed away arguing the elections were flawed and accused the incumbent of manipulating the process to his advantage. But the claims can also be countered by the advantage of incumbency propositions.

Lukwago and company dominated by legislators and politicians from central region have since opted to set up a pressure group, Truth and Justice Platform (TJP) with him as president.

According to Lukwago, TJP will not break away but work within the party structures "to restore DP's glory, to revive objectives truth and justice, as set up by the party founder Bendicto Kiwanuka." But the objectives are unachievable with two leaders opposed to each other and carrying the same title.

It is discernible Mao is the national president having been elected by a national delegates' conference. On the other hand it is evident Lukwago's constituency comprises some DP MPs from Buganda region with their followers, which has easily handed Mao reason to brand them as tribalists.

As long as the core has MPs: Latif Ssebagala Sebuliba Mutumba, Mathias Mpuuga and Moses Kasibante it is going to be hard for them to shrug off the accusation. It only gets worse with former Kampala central mayor, Charles Sserunjogi and Samuel Lubega, who ran for president in 2011 as an independent, being part of TJP.

Lubega, like Lukwago, rejected Mao's leadership despite his landslide victory in the 2010 delegates' conference in Mbale. Like they are doing now, they argued the elections were not free and fair but the pro-Mao faction then responded saying they were fighting a duly elected DP president general on tribal grounds.

The tribal card dates back to the DP founding in 1954 when it was presented as a Buganda and Catholic political party. Now a section of the party nostalgic and wistful for the past, more of a destructive force is fighting one attempting to take a progressive path. Consequently, a struggle, a blend of the old and new dimensions, has split the party.

Since its founding, DP has been led by Catholics and one Anglican. This could also tempt the Muslims to support Lugwago's ambition to go for the top party position. But, however, plausible this might be, it, does not negate the fact that some also want the party headed by a muganda.

In 2010, when Mao was elected for his first term, delegates basing on religious considerations, decided to vote him instead of Hajji Nasser Sebaggala. Probably their decision sent a wrong message that they could not fathom DP under the leadership of a Muslim. But in the mix, tribal bigotry also reared its ugly head when SUUBI, a Buganda-leaning pressure group broke ranks and embarked on righting Mao.

SUUBI in its scheme, though not a political party, became a member of the Inter-Party Cooperation (IPC), a loose opposition political parties' alliance with the aim of fielding one opposition presidential candidate.

From the start Mao was not in support of the sole candidate formula in the bid to oust President Yoweri Museveni and the National Resistance Movement (NRM) but SUUBI's admission discouraged him further. It drew a tribal front line which Mao and his supporters responded to.

Today SUUBI might have fizzled out in name but it is still alive in a few individuals. Some of them are in DP (read TJP) and others are playing central roles in the Democratic Alliance {TDA}, a new coalition umbrella to continue with the objective to accomplish the IPC mission.

Lukwago, in 2011, was among those who backed the opposition sole candidate under the IPC arrangement and also successfully ran for Kampala mayoral seat as an independent. Now he is preparing for 2016 and 2021, and his DP faction's game plan is linked to Dr. Kizza Besigye in the run-up to next year's elections. With Besigye as Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) flag bearer and Lukwago of DP running under the DA as presidential candidate and running mate respectively.

He contends chances of him, a Muslim and muganda, leading Uganda in future are bright. The proposal for running mate is among those the opposition came up with in the campaign for electoral reforms. Even if it is not adopted, TDA plans to use it to project the alliance as a national movement.

If TDA wins 2016 elections, Lukwago as a running mate becomes a vice-president raising DP close to power and thereafter preparing grounds for him to run for president in 2021. This explains why Lukwago and company want Mao out. But in their schemes they underestimate the power of numbers.

DP delegates from the rest of the regions outnumber those in Buganda, which gives Mao electoral advantage. 

 

trueTwitter: @dmukholi1

Email: dmukholi@newvision.co.ug