Emergence of Muntu's political party exposing FDC's weaknesses

By David Serumaga 

On 28 July 2005, Uganda experienced a democratic development under the NRM government when it restored the multi-party system of politics. This is a great milestone achieved for creating a favourable political space for all citizens in their political parties because during Amin's time no one could form a political party because space was restricted.

From 2005, a number of political parties have been introduced, some have stayed while others have disappeared and as of now no one can trace them. This proves that the emerging political parties are not emerging, they are doomed.

Recently, the Alliance for National Transformation emerged under the leadership of the former Forum for Democratic Change President, Maj. Gen Mugisha Muntu. This one was registered and later launched on 22^nd May at Serena Hotel in Kampala. As NRM, we congratulate him for completing all the criteria that were required to fully enjoy the multi-party politics space.

However, much as we are in a multi-party dispensation, all opposition political parties have distended their wings into fighting the National Resistance Movement (NRM), fighting other opposition leaders and having unresolved internal disputes instead of building their party structures just like the NRM has done for the time it has been in power. I think Maj. Gen Mugisha Muntu exited the FDC party and launched ANT mainly because there were unending disagreements in FDC which his once comrades failed to resolve.

Secondly, his diplomatic ways of going against defiance a campaign that is spearheaded by Dr Kizza Besigye who is also a former party president of the FDC whereby as a top leader, Muntu had to introduce and implement his strategies of which Dr Besigye couldn't allow to be buried by any of Muntu's policies. 

Although Dr Besigye and his group have decided to live on defiance as something that drives their agenda, it has started to cost them since they proved that even on issues that unite and build this nation like dialogues. It is hypocritical for FDC with the advice from Dr Besigye to continue getting Inter-Party Organization for Dialogue funds and attending the secretary generals meeting yet when it comes to having talks with President Museveni, they deliberately refuse to attend.

Maj. Gen Muntu was right to quit FDC because he could not manage to move with a group of people who obstruct even the easiest things like dialogues.

It is unfortunate that he has launched his political party at a time when the opposition political space is already occupied by leaders who abuse themselves in media, insult security leaders, building politics on popularity, and those who encroach on FDC's space on the opposition side is fought hard.

FDC's fear is; other entities are trying to occupy their privileged space and they think that being defiant to everything will lead them to take over the country. As they have been attacking NRM on many issues, they should also know that their misunderstanding within themselves is forcing many to leave FDC and form other political parties for example; the ANT leader seems to have left FDC with almost 80% of the Members of Parliament and a number of FDC leaders on different levels and supporters.