By: Tito Tumusiime
Since 2011, Kiiza Besigye has stood firm against the misrule of NRM. He has faced untold torture and intimidation but he has remained undeterred.
He has convinced millions of Ugandans that the NRM to which he once belonged has overstayed its welcome.
He has ruthlessly attacked President Museveni, often reminding Ugandans of the famous saying attributed to the president during his famous speech in 1986 “Africa’s problem is leaders who over stay in power.”
However, after contesting unsuccessfully four times, Besigye finds himself in the same predicament with his nemesis.
Will he let FDC thrive without him? Or will he cling onto the party’s ticket in 2021?
Unfortunately, there are all indications that he won’t let go. For example in 2015, he won the admiration of many Ugandans when he stepped aside from FDC Presidency thereby allowing Gen Muntu to take over the reins of the party.
However, rather than support the good general to build the party, he set up a parallel office on Katonga road.
Today, anyone who doesn’t toe “Besigye’s correct line” is viewed as a mole or someone who has been compromised.
There has emerged a group of radical cadres who won’t entertain alternative views or alternative leadership in the party.
Rather than use this precious time to build the party, FDC is stuck in a defiance mode that is simply a nonstarter.
Whereas the party enjoys good will among millions of Ugandans, it needs to demonstrate that it is a party on the move Not one stuck in failed strategies and personality cults.
Otherwise it will be impossible to compete with the oiled community structures of the NRM. If this continues, the results of 2021 will not be different from the previous ones.
The earlier the party listens to people like Hon Katuntu, the better for them and the better for Uganda.
The party can choose to bury its head in the sand or confront the brutal facts.