Mugisha Muntu's dilemma within FDC

May 06, 2016

Muntu has to fight really hard so as to appear as radical as Besigye, Semujju Nganda and Ingrid Turinawe, but for sure, Muntu is not in control of FDC and does not determine how its sails move.

By Ofwono Opondo                                               

Ordinarily, retired Major General Greg Mugisha Muntu, the embattled and lame-duck President of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) is supposed to be a descent man, in fact a gentleman. But, because as the saying goes, that all politics is local, Muntu has now found himself in  a Catch 22 situation, between a rock and a hard place of very unreasonable and unrealistic FDC supporters.

For starters, Muntu's election as FDC president in 2012 to complete Dr Kizza Besigye's term came with costs and through controversies that appear not to vanish because his nemesis, Nathan Nandala Mafabi, who he had defeated returned last year with a massive victory as the Secretary General of the party and they are supposedly jointly running the party, although many doubt.

Muntu had defeated Mafabi with just 32 votes. So, now Muntu has to fight really hard so as to appear as radical as Besigye, Semujju Nganda and Ingrid Turinawe, but for sure, Muntu is not in control of FDC and does not determine how its sails move.

That Besigye's ‘unfinished' term is coming to an end sometime next year, and so, Muntu who is eligible for a second term, if he wishes, will be surely facing either Besigye or Mafabi and, therefore, he must play by the radical wing of FDC, if he expects any votes or to be re-elected.

Muntu had campaigned on the platform that he would ‘build' organisational structures from the village to national level that can deliver electoral victory to the FDC and faulted Besigye for being inward looking and focusing only at the national presidency.

In fact during the contest between Besigye and Muntu as to who should be handed the FDC presidential flag for the 2016 general elections, the issue of viable party structures was a major borne of contention with Besigye out-rightly dismissing Muntu as a ‘non-performer'.

Indeed, at its national delegate's conference at Namboole, the majority of FDC delegates agreed with Besigye and so handed him the flag.

And the results from the presidential elections, which gave Besigye 35% seems to vindicate him as many analysts believe it is a feat that Muntu couldn't have achieved, especially so looking at the performance of former prime minister and NRM Secretary General John Patrick Amama Mbabazi at 1.5%.

The party structures that Muntu claimed he had built are neither visible on the ground nor did they produce sufficient candidates for MPs and LCs countrywide; the consequence of which is that FDC will have only 36 MPs in the Tenth parliament and five district local government chairpersons.

This performance is an indictment on both Muntu as it is on the whole party although no one wants to take the blame preferring to load all of it on the ‘unlevel playing filed', NRM and President Yoweri Museveni.

Accordingly, Muntu may have no justification to seek re-election as party president again next year, and if he does, he will be within the shooting range of Nandala Mafabi who now believes that ‘Westerners' as he prefers calling them, have had their fair share in FDC leadership and it is time people from other regions took over.

It is even more daunting for Muntu because he has nothing to show as FDC support in his home district of Ntungamo or neighbouring Sheema, Bushenyi, Mbarara or Mitooma districts.

Under these circumstances, therefore, Muntu has to hold on to Besigye and his radical fringe's tails to remain relevant or just to appear loyal to FDC because, after all, his known vocal supporters like Alice Alaso, who was accused of ballot stuffing in his favour or Abdu Katuntu were either knocked out or are sitting on the fence fearing to rub the radicals the wrong way.

Muntu has had a hard time consolidating his position as FDC president with a number of FDC members, either openly questioning his leadership style or taking backstage from party activities and his flagship campaign to build grassroots party structures across Uganda to succeed NRM is being by foes and allies alike.

At the beginning of 2014, in an effort to stamp his authority on FDC, Muntu sacked Mafabi as Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LOP), replacing him with Wafula Oguttu who has now lost his parliamentary seat. Muntu will again be put test this round because there are elements within FDC who want LoP to be elected instead of being appointed by the party president.

The writer is the Executive Director of Uganda Media Centre and the Government Spokesperson

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