By George Mangula
The Second party President of the Forum for Democratic Change Major Gen. Mugisha Muntu has announced his rushed departure from the party, confirming the fact that Muntu and a certain group of misguided others from Western Uganda wanted to run the FDC in disregard of people from other regions.
His miscalculated move from the FDC shows that Rtd. Col. Dr Kiiza Besigye is a true nationalist who has overcome tribal sentiments and has been able to work with Ugandans from other regions right from when he became the party’s first leader and after leaving that post. What is at the centre is the allegation that Dr. Besigye supported Eng. Oboi Amuriat, a decision that so badly hurt Muntu and his inner circle from the West.
Muntu’s departure from the FDC at the time the party was embarking on reconciliation must be condemned by all democrats interested in building opposition political parties. He made a miscalculation that he will leave to regret. He has shown greed for power; leave alone the claim that he is a principled man.
Muntu and the former Leader of Opposition Winnie Kiiza have shown negative tendencies toward the FDC since Eng. Amuriat became the party’s president a few months ago. To them Eng. Amuriat was an “outsider” who was supposed to watch as they ruled.
Gen. Muntu’s unconvincing change from the FDC shows that he has all along been hiding his selfish interests as he operated within the FDC. By leaving the FDC, Muntu has shown his true colours of exhibiting tribalism. He and others found it bitter to accept that an Easterner in the names of Amuriat had beaten them to the presidency of the party.
When Muntu defeated the party’s Secretary General Nathan Nandala Mafabi to become president, the latter accepted to work with him until he was defeated by Amuriat. Nandala had issues with Muntu but for the sake of the party, he did not resign from the party. That is what leaders do for their parties. They go for selfish interests.
Muntu and Winnie Kizza have not shown any sign of reconciliation since Amuriat became president and made changes that saw Kiiza dropped as LoP in favour of Betty Aol from Northern Uganda who has maintained the Shadow Cabinet left by her naughty predecessor now accusing the FDC of being behind threats to her life.
There is no doubt that Muntu and Kiiza, all from the West got angry and lost direction when they were respectively defeated by opponents from other regions of the country. They two individuals should now be treated as ‘political journeymen’ not interested in party building but seeking their own selfish interests.
Though Muntu has not yet shown to which party he will go to, he leave the FDC with shame all shown in his face. He has shown that he cannot be relied on. Parties take years to be built, it is not a short term project. No serious party will welcome him because even the ruling NRM has its own internal problems.
Probably now he will form his own party to use it as an avenue of attracting foreign funding. But no serious democrats will follow him. Muntu has shown he wants to rule. He cannot be ruled, which goes against democratic principles where losers accept to be ruled by the winner of an election.
What Muntu has done is a shame to the development of national politics. He must now tell Ugandans why he exactly went to the bush. In a free and fair election, a true democrat expects to win or lose. You don’t lose like Muntu did and then turn against the winner.
However Muntu’s departure from the FDC was expected by some insiders and so it no big deal as he has no big following like Besigye. FDC will stay as Muntu awaits the next move, including probably listening to offers from the NRM. But that would have finished off his legacy, leaving Besigye as the second prominent politician in the land.