Charles Mwanguhya, Evelyn Lirri and Robert Mwanje
6 August 2008
Kololo — Dr Kizza Besigye's Forum for Democratic Change yesterday signed a protocol for cooperation with three other opposition party leaders, opening the door to the possibility of fielding a joint candidate in the 2011 election.
Dr Besigye, Ms Miria Obote of the Uganda People's Congress (UPC), Mr Kibirige Mayanja of the Justice Forum Party (Jeema) and Mr John Ken Lukyamuzi of the Conservative Party (CP), signed the 12-page memorandum which seeks "to explore possibilities of adopting a common electoral platform for the 2011 general elections".
However, an empty chair on the high table and the solitary presence of Kawempe South MP Sebuliba Mutumba as the only senior official from the Democratic Party (DP), signalled the bumpy start to the cooperation journey heading into the 2011 elections.
The DP, which participated in all the preparations of yesterday afternoon's announcement and even helped secure permission to use Kololo Independence grounds for the signing ceremony, reportedly declined to sign the protocol yesterday morning with party officials saying they needed more time to consult their members.
Currently DP is dogged by internal fights over the election of a new secretary general. Friday's election of Bukoto South MP Mathias Nsubuga as new the secretary general has been contested by the supporters of Dr Micheal Lulume Bayiga, the outgoing acting secretary.
Yesterday's coalition follows an earlier protocol, agreed upon between 2002 and 2003 forming the Group of Seven (G7) which comprised DP, CP, Jeema, UPC, the National Democrats Forum (NDF), The Free Movement, and the Reform Agenda which later evolved into FDC.
That cooperation later became the G6 and later G5 after the merger of Reform Agenda and NDF and later the withdrawal of The Free Movement.
The cooperation was short-lived, collapsing towards the 2006 elections as DP and UPC walked out.
UPC party President Miria Kalule Obote was elected chairperson of the leaders' summit, the top organ in the cooperation. She is expected to hold the office for three months under a rotational arrangement.
"Today, Uganda is at crossroads of a possible happy return to genuine multiparty democracy and sustainable peace and development or a slide into anarchy and possible genocide," Ms Obote said in her first public speech as the leader of the inter-party cooperation. Ms Obote accused the Electoral Commission of failing to organise free and fair elections and claimed that the country was turning into a failed state.
She said: "When persons connected to the highest office in the land are arrested on allegations of attempting to purchase chemical and biological weapons; when citizens are abducted by state agents and held in illegal detention and rampant violation of human rights; when diseases ravage the entire nation and when government stands helpless as to stop the carnage of school fires...it is now imperative for political parties in this country to cooperate and rescue our country from sliding into a completely failed state."
Before heading to Kololo for the signing ceremony, the opposition leaders held a long meeting at the residence of Ms Obote in Kololo, in what Daily Monitor learnt was a crisis discussion on how to deal with the DP's sudden withdrawal. They later resolved to go ahead and sign and urge DP to join as soon as it could.
UPC Secretary General Peter Walubiri read out the details of the protocol before a small crowd comprised mainly of officials from the participating parties and journalists at Kololo. The agreement notes in part that it was put together upon the realisation that, "the country risks being plunged into political economic and social chaos."
The objectives of the cooperation among others includes; "advocacy for the removal of all constitutional, legal, electoral, administrative, economic, security and any other form of obstacle to the full realisation of free and democratic multi party governance in Uganda."
They also agreed to identify areas of national life "where there is urgent need for corrective action to be taken by government and to jointly campaign and take such action to bring pressure to bear on government to take such corrective action," among others.
FDC leader Kizza Besigye said the country was in urgent need of liberation from what he termed as the bondage of NRM dictatorship.
Speaking about the possibility of fielding a singular candidate in the 2011 polls, Dr Besigye said he would be open to accepting any other candidate even if not from his own party, but if agreed upon by the cooperation.
"Cooperation cannot be weaved around an individual but it can be weaved around issues," he said. "There is no doubt at all that inter-party cooperation is a necessity when dealing with a government that has appropriated people's power unto themselves," he said, adding "there is need for liberating Uganda."
The Spokeswoman of the ruling NRM, Ms Mary Karooro Okurut, said yesterday: "This is not the first time they have done that. In 1996 they did it and we defeated them. This is a very free country let them do whatever they want to do. We are not scared because 90 percent of the people are our supporters. We are unshakable."
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This is a positive development at this point in Uganda's history. There is no way Uganda can rid herself of the self-styled military dictatorship of NRM other than by uniting and fighting on and with a common front. DP, like all other parties and their leaders have to abandon their parochial interests and egos for the good and future of the country. Werikhe, if he is old enough should know Mbale, like Jinja, Tororo, etc are shells of themselves. These were vibrant towns that have been reduced to selling menvu or sweet bananas, all because there is no government that cares for and loves Uganda and Ugandans: in short truly a patriotic government that sees Uganda beyond their cushy offices in Kampala. Ugandan's should stop listening to the Bidandi Salis or the Kategayas or the Tinyefuzas of Uganda who know the right from wrong have conveniently chosen to do the wrong: aiding and abetting the killing of true aspirations of Uganda for political freedoms, democracy, and human rights. Bidandi Sali ever content to be the life Minister of Local Government now says the political parties should build institutions first; same old politics of delaying tactics. Uganda needs democracy yesterday, the institutions he refers to have always been there but NRM has manipulated, abused, and destroyed their raisons d'etre, to the point where they are now impotent to do anything but do the bidding for NRM dictatorship. Recently when the dictatorship with impunity arrested the Mengo officials here goes Bidandi Sali cautioning them not to expose themselves to the NRM forces of coercion all because they dared to make fun of Museveni's nose. It amounted to blaming the victims. And Bidandi goes on to say the opposition shouldn't be focused on removing Museveni. Is he really being serious or disingenuous, or out right lying. Museveni is the NRM and he is the dictator in chief and has been and continues to be the main stumbling block to Uganda's democracy. Ugandans have run out of time and patience watching charlatans destroying their future. This is the time for well meaning Ugandans to join hands and not sit on their hands while the country is sinking deeper and deeper into totalitarianism. The number one reason claimed by the NRM for going to fight the bush war was or is the establishment of a true democracy. After 22 years in power everybody knows what a mockery them have made of democracy. NRM has unleashed a never before known despotic kleptocracy. And then there is Karooro Okurut, a woman who changes parties faster than she changes panties or knickers. First she was in bed with the Amin thugs, then came the UNFL/A bumblers, and then followed Obote II, when she apparently loved UPC so much so that she married Okurut one of Obote's senior ministers, and now she is the ardent supporter of NRM ? Please.