Highs and lows of Muntu-Besigye debate

FDC president Mugisha Muntu and former FDC president Kizza Besigye (R) during the debate in Kampala on Sunday night. Photo by Michael Kakumirizi

Kampala- With presidential debates still uncharted territory for Ugandan politicians, the second face-off between principals jostling for FDC positions was food for thought for other political parties fine-tuning leaders for public offices.

From the sharp questioning by the moderator to unorthodox topics like homosexuality, Dr Kizza Besigye and Gen Mugisha Muntu tried as much to win themselves favours ahead of tomorrow’s contest for the FDC presidential flagbearer.

The engine of an engaging debate is a firm inquirer, brave enough to ask the uncomfortable questions while also tackling taboo subjects.
The questioning was no holds-barred, handling matters as diverse as FDC performance in recent elections and domestic and foreign policy.

This was what Mr Charles Mwanguhya, the moderator, brought to the debate and he largely caught the warring duo off-guard with indicting statistics of FDC’s failure to field candidates in some constituencies in the 2011 polls and the question of homosexuality-which Ugandan Opposition parties are happy to sweep under the carpet.

Wary not to upset powerful Western groups but also cautious not to dismay staunchly conservative Ugandans, both protagonists chose to take cover under the fact that the party is yet to formally come up with a position on homosexuality.
But Gen Muntu hazarded something more.

Preceded by a tense silence that triggered cheeky laughter in the audience, Gen Muntu gathered the courage to give a bolder response, quoting the Bible on love before warning that homosexual groups reportedly recruiting school children must be reined in.

Though he issued a disclaimer that it was a “Muntu position” and not an FDC position – he beat Dr Besigye on this.

“The Bible talks about love thy neighbour as you love thyself. Homosexuals should not be castigated. However, from a spiritual perspective, they can be healed from the situation in which they find themselves,” Gen Muntu said.

Dr Besigye, on the other hand, shrunk and chose to cower under the defence that the party is yet to formulate a position.
“I am guided by my moral values. But it is also a political question which our party must take a position on,” said Dr Besigye.

Then there was the tricky question that required a strictly yes or no answer on whether the winner of tomorrow’s contest will be on the ballot come February 2016.

Dr Besigye has been speaking in tongues on the question of whether he backtracked on his promise not to contest without reforms and he again minced his words.
Caught unawares on a question he has preferred to answer with long-winding qualifiers during campaigns and media engagements, Dr Besigye attempted to challenge the moderator before abandoning the question.

Gen Muntu answered “yes”- albeit after briefly qualifying his affirmative response with an explanation that he would be on the ballot in February if he goes through the FDC race and TDA procedures.

The regrets
Both protagonists seemed to be caught unawares, when asked what they consider to be the major mistakes in their long careers.

Gen Muntu harked back to his military days, only after a hint from the moderator, pointing to the failure to neutralise the LRA and ADF rebellions as a bloat on his military career and also the failure of FDC to unseat President Museveni on two occasions as his political regret.

Dr Besigye chose to speak in coded language revealing that he has learnt not to trust people. An old member of the audience cheekily commented that Dr Besigye had borrowed a leaf from President Museveni, his compatriot-turned-archrival, who told Daily Monitor in a 1993 interview that he had no friends, but only colleagues.

Those in the know interpreted it as barb against his intra-FDC critics.hen there was the question on what the duo, having helped to bring Mr Museveni to power, think are some of the incumbent’s achievements.

They read from the same script here, saying Mr Museveni’s long stay in power – especially after superintending over the 2005 deletion of term limits – has nullified “whatever achievements he had initially registered”.

The TDA question
Not that Dr Besigye didn’t have his moments to savour. He boxed Gen Muntu into a tight corner on his position on The Democratic Alliance (TDA) pronouncement on fighting for reforms before elections - to which the he is a signatory. Gen Muntu skirted around this, vaguely finding solace in his pet subject of organisation.

“Whether we talk civil disobedience as a legitimate path, whether we chose electoral processes, organisation is key. If you are not well organised and you go through an electoral process, you will be cheated,” Gen Muntu responded as Dr Besigye put him on the ropes on whether he has reneged on TDA pronouncements.

Both protagonists conveniently dodged the question of how they would deal with the candidature of former premier Amama Mbabazi, who flirted with the Opposition alliance through his sister-in-law Hope Mwesigye, before announcing that he would give a shot at the presidency as an independent candidate.

The dull points
Although the debate had its electric moments, it also had some dull and low points.

Whether it was anxiety to blame, or caution not to re-open the wounds of the 2012 Muntu-Mafabi face-off, or the onerous 57-day campaign stretch, this was not a bare-knuckle discourse that most people expected.

Dr Besigye was shorn of his signature take-no-prisoners talk, somewhat brunt and on the defensive.

Gen Muntu, abandoned the tough-talking style he has picked up of late and chose a more laid-back and withdrawn style-marking him out as inconsistent.

Though Dr Besigye was cheery and free, almost bordering on haughty with some responses, laying into the moderator while faulting him for asking “winding questions” didn’t earn the retired colonel plaudits, even with a band of his unflinching supporters christened the “Besigyeists” who had taken position to his left.
An eerie silence enveloped the room each time Dr Besigye interrupted the moderator and Gen Muntu.

This was not the Dr Besigye of yore who gave Presidency minister Frank Tumwebaze a hiding at a similar debate in May last year.

There was also the problem in time-keeping where both the organisers and Gen Muntu’s handlers stand indicted.

The debate that was scheduled to start at 9:35pm kicked off at about 10:15pm, after Pastor Joseph Serwadda’s prayer-cum-speech, that rumbled on and on, ignoring requests from the moderator to keep it short.

After the first break, Gen Muntu took a long break that delayed resumption of proceedings for more than three minutes.

When all is said and done, with the two men facing off in the delegates’ conference tomorrow, the debate was a welcome curtain raiser.

Muntu, Besigye campaign trails
Besigye: Former FDC president Kizza Besigye launched his campaigns with rallies in Kasangati in Wakiso District and Kawempe in Kampala on July 9, where he named his campaign team, led by Margaret Wokuri Madanda, the spokesperson of the “Elect Besigye National Task Force”.
After the launch, Dr Besigye held rallies in Entebbe and Kajjansi before heading to Nakaseke and Luweero districts to meet FDC delegates and other countrywide districts.

Muntu: The “Muntu for Uganda” campaign team led by Soroti District woman MP Angeline Osege launched their campaigns on July 11 in the Kigezi region. According to their campaign programme, Gen Muntu met delegates from the districts of Kisoro, Kabale, Rukungiri and Kanungu on July 11 before proceeding to other destinations. The winner of tomorrow’s poll, will lead FDC to The Democratic Alliance summit which will select a joint candidate for the Opposition.