When Rubabramira defected to NRM in October last
year, I wrote an article on my blog titled, “Welcome Home Rubaramira, Things fall apart and FDC’s imminent demise.”
One of my Facebook friends who read it booed me for writing ‘fwaaaaa’ without
facts. He further accused of following media allegations, attacking Muntu and
Mafabi and so on. This is the greatest challenge I have since I started
blogging.
Five months later, FDC has been torn apart by
antagonistic camps. Mafabi supporters who seem more stubborn continue to
indirectly protest against Muntu camps after the latter dropped the former from
leader of opposition (LOP) last month.
Muntu’ decision’s as party president are respected
by Mafabi supporter. First, Sironko FDC chairman Polly Mugoya, one of many
grieved Mafabi supporters publically claimed that Uganda has failed because
it’s led by a soldier. He further said that FDC is failing because it’s has
been led by soldiers. This meant that he was indirectly referred to Muntu.
Secondly, when he appointed Wafula Oguttu as leader of opposition,
Oguttu himself first declined to take over from his friend Mafabi. It was after
persuasion from senior party members such as Augustine Ruzindana and Munini
Mulera when Wafula accepted to lead the Opposition in Parliament.
There is no reason why Wafula should have declined replace Mafabi as LOP
even though he is not ambitious. Actually, he would also dream like all other
politicians to elevate his political CV.
Thirdly, this
week, FDC plunged deeper into a crisis after Serere Woman MP Alice Alaso
declined an appointment as chairperson of the coveted Public Accounts Committee.
On Wednesday, MPs Odonga Otto (Aruu County) and Oddo Tayebwa (Bushenyi
Municipality) rejected appointments to the shadow Internal Affairs ministry.
All of
them gave lame excuses of inexperience in the dockets which they had been
appointed to head. Surely which docket did for example Alice Alaso want other
heading PAC?. Yes she would have wanted to be LOP, but since it had been
occupied by Wafula, Alaso should have been contented with the appointment. All
of them knew how sceptical public is about divisions within the party so they
would at least snubbed appointments secretly other than tainting FDC image
further.
The roles
political parties play in society from policy making to recruiting people
depends heavily on party’s internal organisation which FDC is lacking now. The
better a party is organised internally, the stronger its responses when faced
with unprecedented challenges such as election ridging and pressing incumbent
government to deliver.
The
question is will FDC walk through this state of purgatory with these internal
squabbles to a successful future? Or it is heading to hell-to join the league
of failed political parties such as UPC and DP.
I don’t think FDC’s future is bright.
Publically, it is losing support since departure of party founder-Besigye who
used criticise government, join common people in demonstration. Instead of
learning from Besigye, Muntu has always kept quiet about issues of national
importance and Besigye is still active in leading demonstrations.
More so
senior grieved senior party members may decide to part-away from FDC activities
or directly leave FDC like Rubabramira Ruranga. They can even stop or reduce
their funding of the party thus weakening it economically.
In the
coming presidential elections, if FDC fronts Muntu as party flag bearer, he is
unlikely to even score 20% of the votes.
Truly, Besigye is the man to aid
FDC from this state of purgatory.
The author is an undergraduate Journalism and
Communication student at Makerere University
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