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60 defect from FDC to Muntu’s party in Ankole
FDC party president Patrick Amuriat and Gen Mugisha Muntu, The New Formation leader
What you need to know:
- Gen Muntu conceded defeat and accepted the results…a significant number of people who believed in both strategies felt uncomfortable in a party pursuing a sole strategy as a means of capturing power and transforming this nation,” they said in their statement.
Dozens of Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) leaders and influential members in Ankole Sub-region have announced that they have resigned from the party to join the new party that Maj Gen Mugisha Muntu is forming.
They made the pronouncement in Mbarara District on Friday. Mr Daniel Kafureeka, the FDC general secretary for Mbarara District, read the resignation statement with names of 61 people they say will be joining Gen Muntu.
“We, FDC leaders of Ankole Sub-region gathered here, hereby inform members of the press and the general public that with effect from today, have officially resigned our leadership positions in FDC party and therefore have ceased to be members of the Forum for Democratic Change,” the statement declared.
It added: “We feel greatly humbled to inform you that we as gathered here today, going forward, we will be part of ‘The New Formation’ a political platform in the process of forming a new political party by December 25, 2018.”
They are from Mbarara, Kiruhura, Ntungamo, Ibanda, Mitooma, Rubirizi, Bushenyi, Isingiro and Sheema districts.
The statement was signed by Mr Kafureeka, Mr Rutahwaire Anthony, FDC chairperson for Isingiro North Constituency; Mr Mweteise Bintabara, FDC chairman for Kiruhura and Ms Mary Francis K. Semambo, the FDC general secretary for Mbarara Municipality.
The rest have their names listed, though about 43 people, including FDC chairman for Ntungamo District George Karamira, FDC chairman for Rubirizi Moses Muzoora and FDC Youth leader for Bukanga Sub-county Sadat Kashaki, attended the press conference at Freedom Gardens and expressed their support for Gen Muntu’s The New Formation.
The group said there have been differences in strategies that the party should follow in a bid to capture power and liberate the nation.
They said while the group that supported Mr Patrick Amuriat in the 2017 election for party president campaigned under strategy of ‘defiance’, those who supported Gen Muntu campaigned on the platform of ‘party development and defiance.’
“In the end, the defiance group emerged victorious in the November 24, 2017 elections.
Gen Muntu conceded defeat and accepted the results…a significant number of people who believed in both strategies felt uncomfortable in a party pursuing a sole strategy as a means of capturing power and transforming this nation,” they said in their statement.
“As leaders, we have tried everything humanly possible to engage our fellow leaders from the defiance group on how best we can harmonise these tendencies and be accommodated within the party but all our efforts yielded no fruits,” they added.
What fdc says...
The FDC party president, Mr Patrick Amuriat, said on Saturday:
“Someone who wants to leave should write to us officially. They are expected to leave the party in a more formal way; organising a press conference (to announce that they are leaving) doesn’t help them or anybody. I have seen the list (of those said to have left), and most of these people were supporters of Gen Muntu in the last election; they campaigned for him. There is a claim that anybody who supported Gen Muntu is with him now, which might not be the case. Already Mr Grace Bagyenyi (FDC chairperson of Kashari Constituency) has said he is not part of them.
The best way to judge that somebody has left is to communicate to us officially. However, we don’t conscript members. They join when they want and can leave when they believe something is wrong. Like I said earlier, Gen Muntu did not have any serious reason to leave the party; there is no serious reason they should leave the party.”
What some leaders say ...
Mr George Karamira, FDC chairperson for Ntungamo District: “I have been chairperson of FDC for Ntungamo since 2005. I have decided to join the new party - The New Formation for a number of reasons. As district chairperson I have been having a challenge of building the party from the grassroots. And the strategy which FDC approved as defiance, at my age, I find it very difficult. I believe in building the party from the grassroot, which is what The New Formation is aspiring to do. Ntungamo is where the leader of the new party (Gen Muntu) comes from. In my decision to join the new party I have not come out alone. I am going to mobilise other people from Ntungamo to join it.”
Mr Mweteise Bintabara, FDC chairman for Kiruhura District: “I have served as FDC district chairperson for Kiruhura for the last 14 years. Now over 60 members of FDC, we have crossed to The New Formation. All along we have been in FDC working together but with some disagreements; that’s why we are leaving. Misunderstandings started long time ago, we have been working with different ideologies. We left NRM because we never wanted dictatorship. Even now we have left FDC because we are not together in decision making. Amuriat’s decision of defiance can’t take us anywhere because our target is to get power.”
Ms Mary Francis K. Semambo, the FDC general secretary for Mbarara Municipality: “I have been in Opposition politics for the last 16 years. I was a founder member of FDC. We are here now as The New Formation; we are putting our country first; country before self.
I left NRM and joined FDC in 2001, it was not easy at that time because people did not understand why we were leaving NRM and joining FDC but I thought I should join a party that was strong and pro people. I have, however, been disappointed as a woman and as a Ugandan. I have been disappointed by people who have been in FDC, including the founder party president because of stunting our original ideas of growing this country.
