Otunu should stay in the IPC & also back Dr. Besigye
Dear readers,
Those UPC supporters who say that nobody within the party is against Olara Otunu, i believe they are just in denial and anybody can see it. There is a section of UPC supporters that dont want Otunu in Uganda House and they could do anything to boot him out, but they are making a mistake, actually a big mistake. This group came up with an excuse that Dr.Otunu's election as UPC President was in violation of the party constitution, but if we flip the coins: assuming James Akena had won that election, would they still be crying over spoilt milk? The answer is 'no'.Therefore,i ask James Akena again to come out and distance himself from the group working to bring Otunu down because this is gonna affect UPC in both the short and long term. There are no two ways about it.
The fact of the matter is that the two oldest political parties in Uganda are split into two factions. The Kampala DP faction is understandably and openly working against the Mao factions. There is also DP faction headed by Alhajji Nasser Sebagala which the EC refused to register. Then there is one headed by Mabike which he called the Social Democratic Party (SDC), and it was registered by the EC. Nevertheless, SDC is now part of the IPC.
The Kampala group headed by Sam Lubega is so bitter with Mao such that they will never stop working against his downfall. I understand Mao and his party machine have now summoned some of these members to appear infront of the displinary Committe but this is like adding salt to the wounds. The worst that the Mao group can do is to officially expell all those working with Sam Lubega from the party but will this solve Mao's problems? I dont think so. It will be the beginning of an open warfare which even the DP elders will find difficult to contain. Lubega has got some followers in UYD as is Mao. So we are likely to see these battles throughout the elections and afterwards.
On the other hand, the UPC faction with no address is clandestinely working against Dr.Otunu. This is an open secret. The UPC faction with no address is the one that was against UPC joining the IPC and they are Oboteists. For them, without Obote's ghost or his son or family member, there is no UPC, and probably that's what was broken in the UPC constitution by Dr.Otunu. The legitimate faction headed by Dr.Otunu is pro-IPC but it has got some elements fighting Otunnu within, yet we are less than 190 days away to the 2011 elections. As a result, Otunu has been confused by some elements in his party such that he has not yet picked the nomination forms for the IPC flag bearer. If Otunu eventually decided to pull out of the IPC then it will be a big victory to the Akena group or his enemies. Let him soldier on: pick the nomination forms and then support Dr. Kiiza Besigye as the IPC flag bearer.
Seriously, how can a party be divided internally and still think they can chip any votes off NRM in 2011? DP is in a mess as i write this and so is UPC. By the time, they sort out this mess; probably the 2011 elections would be over. That is why I request both DP and UPC members to rally behind FDC's Dr.Kiiza Besigye, regardless of their party positions, such that the opposition at least gains something in the upcoming elections. We may pretend as much as we want but Dr.Besigye is the best ticket for the opposition right now. I was impressed that Andrew Mwenda of the Independent has so far written two consecutive articles concluding with the same thing.
Let me leave you with a message posted on my blog from one of the most respected elders in UPC. Probably, you will understand what I'm talking about. It was posted on April 21, 2010 at 12:52 am:
”Semuwemba,The fact of the matter is UPC is split and no amount of trying to explain the split away in terms of Jimmy Akena misleading the people of Lango will help Otunnu. As WBK said earlier, in a large measure it is the people leading Akena and not the other way round. An example is what happened just before Otunnu went to Lira. Akena was told in no uncertain terms that he would open a major flood gate into NRM by merely standing near Otunnu. That is the reason you never saw Akena besides Otunnu in Lira, much as Lira Municipality is Akena's constituency. Later when Otunnu met the elders in Lira they told him they would not accept Akena to hold sinecure offices in Otunnu's cabinet.
Semuwemba, let me tell you: it is simply resources which is holding us up from opening a rival office to that Otunnu in Kampala. And let me assure you, were such an office to be opened, you would see a flood of UPCs flocking to that office and not 6th floor Uganda House.” Yoga Adhola.
Byebyo ebyange. Abagala okuwuliliza muwulilize
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Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
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