DP at the crossroads once again

There was a time when the Democratic Party (DP), was well-regarded. But that, according to older folks, was at a time when the party was engaged in constructive engagements both within and outside.
Critics and scholars alike at times, argue that was 60 years ago. The party was, after all, formed to fight for Uganda’s Independence and national unity, in spite of its largely Catholic and Buganda-centred composition. It had an ideology grounded in the clarion call for truth and justice for all, a direction, and social cohesion which was always built-on and within even after hitting hard surfaces in the tumultuous times that it has been forced to bear.
The party has not known much peace lately. It has been sitting on fluid political magma defined by internal crises, dwindling mass appeal, dysfunction but none more ruinous than schisms within party ranks. At the start of the new millennium were fights between the 1996 party presidential aspirant Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere versus Francis Bwengye.

The mid-2000s brought John Ssebaana Kizito vs Nasser Ntege Sebaggala. Worth mentioning is that each fight left a negative mark on the party. Then Norbert Mao vs the rest of the party in 2011 and now Mao Vs Lukwago.
In 60 years the party has held power only when it won the 1961 general elections and one of its founders became first prime minister from March 1961 to October 1962.
The party’s Secretary General, Mathias Nsubuga, told Daily Monitor in an interview that they are very aware of the changing terrain of politics. He, however, also firmly spoke about the party’s foundation on an ideology that encompasses truth, justice, rule of law, democracy and human rights.

“We don’t go to the street; we don’t believe in violence, we don’t throw stones. We believe everything can be achieved peacefully and there are many [political] parties across the world that do it,” he said.
This perhaps explains why the DP finds itself in a less than ideal situation not much unlike what happened in the run up to the 2011 elections. It seems to be at a crossroads again. Some of its members are outraged by the ‘gentleman politics’ under Mr Mao.

Kampala Lord Mayor Eriasa Lukwago two months ago created a pressure group, Truth and Justice Platform (TJP), which he defends as a revolutionary wing of DP. Launching the group in Kampala, Lukwago assumed the presidency deputised by former presidential candidate Samuel Lubega.
He also declared that TJP’s purpose was to restore DP’s lost glory, sanity and to capture political power come 2016. But how? In fact as Ugandans prepare for the polls between February and March next year, many must be wondering: What now?
In an interview last week, Lukwago, said, he was driven to act by the lack of action on the present political terrain.
“The biggest disappointment is the failure on the part of actors in the Opposition to appreciate that while we have political parties listed in statutes on paper, in essence we don’t have a multiparty dispensation.”

The terrain has metamorphosed and “I think we need to change along”, he said. Worse still, he added, is the fact that whilst there could be a few individuals still committed to the cause of the Opposition, many have since succumbed and become “accomplices to the machinations of” the ruling NRM and President Museveni.
In late July as DP convened its delegates conference, the Lukwago splinter group instead chose to hold meetings in the Luweero countryside, ostensibly to popularise their cause. The party President Mao polled 898 votes to fend off his only rival, Buikwe South MP Lulume Bayiga garnered 360.
The other reason Lukwago gave to justify staying away was that the elections to choose new party officials were flawed and held in a system manipulated by the incumbent (Mao).

Mr Mao, 44, a lawyer endorsed by even his opponents as a great orator, is no stranger to trouble.
Sometime in 2010 after snubbing the Opposition party coalition of the time, Inter-Party Coalition (IPC) to stand as DP’s flag bearer, he left a bitter taste in the mouths of members led by Lukwago and others like Dr Lulume Bayiga, Betty Nambooze (Mukono Municipality MP), Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi (Butambala MP) and Medard Lubega Sseggona (Busiro East).

The ‘aggrieved’ members formed a special purpose vehicle named “Ssuubi” and rallied behind FDC presidential candidate, Dr Kizza Besigye, after the IPC coalition collapsed months to the polling date. Other members like Michael Mabikke went on to form the Social Democratic Party (SDP). The flamboyant former city mayor, Nasser Sebaggala also broke ranks with DP and formed the Liberal Democratic Party -- which he later placed at the disposal of the NRM party.

Years later, cohesion seemed to have returned to the party and prodigal members returned. But early this year, Dr Bayiga authored letter to Mao pointing out some issues irritating members like the delayed holding of a delegates conference. But he also offered solutions to keep the party hierarchy intact. Indeed, Mao has tried to change, even when recently took break from party activities for about two months due to ill health, he was not ousted.

Lukwago, who has a preference for the activist brand of politics championed by Dr Besigye says he has not left DP but emphasised that “the kind of struggle he believes in takes precedence over party values.”
“My membership to DP in the environment we are in becomes secondary. My primary consideration is not where I belong. I am a life member of DP whatever the party values are,” he noted.
However, the party SG Mr Nsubuga, insists that they do not entertain incendiary politics. “Whoever believes in violence has no place in DP. If that is the direction he chose then good luck for him.”

Attempts to reach Mao himself were futile for several days as he was deeply immersed in the activities of the 2016 opposition coalition, The Democratic Alliance (TDA).
Lukwago cites the example of President Museveni, who in 1980 ascribed to the Uganda Patriotic Movement (UPM). UPM had participated in the 1980 polls but lost miserably while DP itself is said to have been rigged out of victory by Milton Obote’s Uganda Peoples Conference (UPC). Museveni laid out his best plans in the subsequent months and waged a guerilla war against what he called despotic, corrupt and sectarian Obote’s government.

DP is said to have won the 1980 elections with 75 seats out of 108 although UPC disputes this claim.
In the bush struggle, Museveni, who in earlier years during the struggle against President Idi Amin operated under the Front for National Salvation (FRONASA), joined forces with other rebel outfits like the Prof. Yusuf Lule’s Uganda Freedom Fighters (UFF) and Andrew Kayira’s Uganda Freedom Movement (UFM)—to later form the National Resistance Army (NRA), which later captured power In 1986 and years later metamorphosed into NRM.

“To go to the bush did Museveni require permission of UPM? But Museveni continued to espouse the party’ ideals until his revolutionary force (NRA) spread its wings,” Lukwago argues. “It is well known worldwide that political parties cannot fight revolutionary wars because they are too organised. For that matter you need parallel groups to check the excesses of the government.”

But Mr Nsubuga countered Lukwago’s Museveni/UPM argument, saying: “When UPM lost and Museveni went to the bush; he never returned to the party at any one time nor did the one candidate (now Dr Crispus Kiyonga) of the party who had sailed through go to the Parliament then. Kiyonga fled to exile for fear of his life though later joined NRA. So that argument does not hold water.”
“We don’t have problems with him (Lukwago). We only have problems with him wanting to start a fire he knows he won’t put out nor go through it while at the same time trying to associate with us.”

TJP, Lukwago, says is a pressure group in the league of Ssuubi, Activists for Change (A4C), For God and My Country (4GC)—one leading to another which mobilised mass civil disobedience after the 2011 elections in the name of ‘Walk to Work’ protests. Later, Sirens for Change was born to spearhead the campaign for free and fair election but after going through the tunnel emerged from the other side as TDA.

“Political parties can organise workshops and seminars for whatever event. But all avenues have been explored and tested they can go nowhere under Museveni,” he added. “Those who are fainthearted can enjoy the comfort of party headquarters and claim to be building party structures but once you massage a dictatorship you simply embolden it. Us, who believe in something else, can try working it out against the dictatorship. Once you aspire and inspire the support is naturally there. The driving force is all you need.”

Currently, DP has 15 members of Parliament. Mr Nsubuga revealed that they are in the process of implementing their roadmap for next year’s polls and results from grass root elections will be revealed soon. He said primaries for the parliamentary seats have returned 254 candidates across all districts who are set to go through a vetting exercise. Time will tell how DP will emerge of its latest troubles.

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