Monday’s announcement by Bugweri MP Abdu Katuntu that he broke ranks with Kizza Besigye, the former FDC presidential candidate, continues to draw sharp criticism from party officials.
Ingrid Turinawe, the FDC secretary for mobilization, told The Observer on Tuesday that Katuntu was no longer in touch with his party, which is why he thinks defiance is solely a Besigye campaign.
“The problem that Katuntu has, he is not in contact with the party. Defiance is not a strategy of Dr Besigye, it is for the party,” Turinawe said.
This public falling out follows an interview in the New Vision newspaper, in which Kantuntu said he stopped supporting Dr Kizza Besigye, the four-time FDC presidential candidate, because of his defiance campaign.
“I do not believe in it [defiance] and I cannot be partner in that strategy. We believe in the principle of change with Besigye but the strategy he has taken has made us part ways,” Kantuntu said.
Turinawe, however, said that before the February general elections, there was an FDC primary election in which members chose their presidential flag bearer and the strategy of changing government.
“We had two candidates in Gen Muntu and Dr Besigye; they campaigned on issues, Dr Besigye campaigned on the defiance platform; he won,” Turinawe said.
She added that it was the same platform that Besigye campaigned on and “won” the general election. She added that even if Katuntu doesn’t support defiance, it was wrong for him to speak publicly against his party.
“He should know that whether he supports the party policy or not, the party will move on,” Turinawe said.
Another supporter of the defiance campaign, Betty Nambooze Bakireke, the Mukono municipality MP, said there is no contradiction between building party structures and the defiance campaign.
“No activist has stopped Katuntu and people who think like him from setting up party structures. The problem is that they only talk about it [building structures]; they don’t implement it. My question is, can you build party structures in a country where everything is monopolized by the state?,” Nambooze said, adding:“To me, the most logical thing now is coming together as the opposition and dislodge the dictatorship; then after that, all of us can go back to building our parties.”
Katuntu, in the interview, promised to support FDC boss Mugisha Muntu’s presidential run in 2021 – because he emphasizes building sustainable party structures.
But Nambooze said everyone should be left to make whatever contribution they can to the struggle. All of us have weaknesses but we should focus on the strength that someone brings to the struggle other than their weaknesses.” she said.
On social media, many opposition supporters attacked Katuntu, but NRM sympathisers praised him.
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