Opposition is too weak, says DP MP Luttamaguzi

Outspoken opposition legislator Paul Kasana Luttamaguzi has said unless opposition leaders undertake a paradigm shift and agree to form a long-term joint opposition platform, the opposition in Uganda is headed no where.

Addressing journalists on Tuesday at parliament Luttamaguzi said, "The biggest failure of the current top opposition leaders has been the failure to subdue their personal interests and egos to prioritize the unity of the opposition without which, it is impossible to uproot a deeply entrenched regime."

The Nakaseke South MP said if the opposition had built one political platform in last general elections, they would have won more seats in in the parliamentary and local government elections.

The DP stalwart explained the major reason alliance efforts have failed in the past is because they are created hurriedly, a few days to the general elections.

"A strong alliance has to be created early enough before the campaign season sets in.  Many of our current opposition leaders have not been good team players as they ought to be," he elaborated.

Luttamaguzi lamented that the opposition is too weak to resist President Museveni on anything that he wants to do.

"The opposition has no capacity to fail Museveni from doing anything. There is no serious national decision that can be made in Uganda without the approval of President Museveni. He controls everything including parliament. This parliament you see is not independent. That is why if President Museveni tomorrow decides to remove the age limit from the constitution, it will easily pass because he has about 80% of MPs who dance to his tune," Luttamaguzi elaborated.

In last year's general elections, out of the 431 parliamentary seats, FDC has only 34 and DP 15 and UPC only 7 seats and about 90% of the local government seats were won by the ruling NRM.  

Other factors he gave that have led to a weak opposition in Uganda include failure to build strong party structures and opposition leaders who are paid money to keep opposition in a weak state.