Former Presidential candidate Prof Venansius Baryamureeba alias Barya, has warned the opposition FDC must change its strategy or face extinction, Chimp Corps report.
Baryamureeba’s remarks come high on the heels of fierce disagreement in the main opposition party over the selection of the Leader of Opposition in Parliament.
FDC announced Monday morning they would not be appointing the Parliamentary Leader of Opposition for this commencing term, “because FDC is not an opposition party, having won last February’s election.”
The unprecedented announcement came in the middle of intensifying campaigns by some of the FDC members who were seeking to replace the outgoing LoP Hon. Wafula Oguttu.
Ordinarily, FDC owing to its numeral strength in Parliament over the other opposition parties, is supposed to select among its MPs the Parliamentary Leader of Opposition.
The L0P office which has in the past been a major cause of contention in FDC is currently being eyed by Dokolo Woman MP Cecilia Ogwal, Bugweri County MP Abdu Katuntu and Kasese Woman MP Hon Winnie Kiiza.
In a brief statement seen by ChimpReports on Tuesday morning, Baryamureeba reminded FDC on the East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA) debacle.
“Not long ago the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) refused to participate in the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) elections. All the other parties and independents participated. FDC went to court to challenge the legality of the elected EALA MPs from Uganda and lost. As a result of lack representation in EALA, FDC goes through representatives of other parties to present its views in EALA,” said Baryamureeba.
He said the Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LOP) is a very important and strategic position with an annual budget over Shs 2 billion some of which end up at the party headquarters in one way or the other.
“LOP appoints chairpersons and vice chairpersons of accountability committees in parliament. These are also very strategic positions to keep a party politically relevant and it would be a great mistake if FDC lost the control of accountability committees,” said the former Makerere Vice Chancellor.
He revealed that the FDC Members of Parliament (MPs) definitely want the above positions but are afraid of coming out publicly.
The UTAMU University founder went ahead to claim that Gen Muntu seems to be looking for Col. Kizza Besigye’s support to retain the FDC Presidency in 2017.
“Col. Besigye also knows that Gen. Muntu is the best candidate to have as FDC President beyond 2017 because he is easy to defeat for FDC Presidential flab bearer come 2020. Thus Muntu is bent on serving Besigye interests in return for support to retain the Presidency come 2017. So Gen Muntu is now implementing Col Besigye’s decisions regardless of whether the party organs have sanctioned them or not,” Baryamureeba observed .
‘We won’
Others MPs said to be interested include the former Leader of Opposition Prof Ogenga Latigo, MPs Kaps Fungaroo, Elijah Okupa and Odonga Otto among others.
Nganda while addressing the party’s weekly press conference at the party’s head offices in Najjanankumbi said that while FDC doesn’t have the majority MPs in Parliament, they did win the February 18th Presidential elections and are therefore the ruling and not opposition party.
FDC has since February refused to accept the outcomes of the presidential elections in which their candidate Col Dr Kizza Besigye was announced runner-up with 35 percent of the poll, against the incumbent Yoweri Museveni who emerged winner with a little above 60 percent.
Dr Besigye went as far as taking oath as the country’s president elect, which landed him to Luzira Prison on alleged treason charges.
Baryamureeba cautioned that if the impasse on LOP is not resolved fast, the National Resistance Movement Organisation (NRM-O) might use its numbers in parliament to swiftly amend the law to ensure that the Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LOP) is elected by members of parliament from nominated opposition candidates or even come up with an amendment that allows an independent MP to be a LOP.
“This will open a window for a moderate opposition member acceptable to NRM-O to become LOP. As a result even the Chairpersons and Vice Chairpersons of accountability committees would be moderates acceptable to NRM-O. Is this the best strategy to build opposition in Uganda?” he queried.
He said if FDC “does not change strategy and NRM-O remains awake, FDC is leading the crusade to kill opposition in Uganda.”