By Our Reporters
Moments before announcing his departure from FDC, Gen Muntu rang his successor Patrick Oboi Amuriat (POA) and the two agreed to meet at Fairway hotel. Originally Muntu had offered to come over and the two meet at Defiance offices on Katonga Road. POA too had acquiesced to this but the idea was suddenly abandoned after an influential aide to Dr. Kizza Besigye advised against Katonga being the venue. The very thoughtful aide’s argument was that his boss KB would be misunderstood to have set his colleague Gen Muntu up into a very humiliating trap in case the meeting ended in acrimony and respective supporters fought there. Joyce Sebugwawo, who was among those POA opted to come with to meet the Muntu delegation, in fact first drove to Katonga offices oblivious of the fact that the venue had changed to Fairway. Sebugwawo is widely respected and she is one elder KB can’t tolerate anybody subjecting to any form of improper treatment. On seeing how uncomfortable Sebugwawo seemed on being told the venue had changed, the aide contacted Dr. KB and explained why he advised against Katonga being the venue resulting into the inadvertent inconvenience to Owek Sebugwawo.
INSIDE FAIRWAY;
Inside the meeting, the two principals-POA and Muntu-did much of the talking as their delegation members pensively listened and looked on. The Muntu group, at whose instigation the meeting was held, started out presenting their 18 page report which summarized their findings from the countrywide consultation. It had many points which the POA team considered contentious the very reason they insisted they were unable to give immediate answers. The biggest point was the difference resulting from the defiance and party development debate which the Muntu team concluded had become irreconcilable and it was time to move on. As they submitted, the two principals cracked jokes which kept the mood in the room light and livened up. POA took strong exception to the Muntu claim that he had campaigned and became party president on the defiance platform. Saying this was actually untrue, POA made reference to his campaign manifesto (he had a copy on his phone) which he said focused on four major themes including reconciliation and reclaiming KB’s 2016 presidential victory. He said it was latter that was misconstrued for him being the defiance candidate because to reclaim the 2016 victory, one had to engage in defiance activities. So his reference to defiance was a means to an end rather than being an end in itself. POA told Muntu he was still committed to implementing the reconciliation he promised. He said this is the reason “I haven’t reprimanded any of your people who have committed acts of indiscipline including campaigning for independent candidates in by-elections. I would have referred their case to the disciplinary committee as party president but I haven’t yet I’m fully aware of the activities that undermine the party,” POA said attracting laughter as his reference to those who supported non FDC candidates covered Muntu too for his support for Kassiano Wadri in Arua.
As POA explained his 4 point campaign manifesto, one of the members of his delegation came across something on one of the pages inside and said this too must be clarified. What was it? It was a phrase that showed Muntu’s other grievance was that “the party has been stuck with one flag bearer.” This caused massive laughter as the POA team asked Muntu to explain. After he clarified, POA put it to him that it was untrue. He casually said FDC has actually been stuck with “two flag bearer aspirants except that one has been winning each time they competed.” This joke made the Muntu team members laugh at themselves as POA explained that Muntu was as culpable for the apparent lack of many more flag bearers in FDC as the supporters of Besigye whom the document described as the only flag bearer with whom the party is stuck. After seeking clarifications on the different points, the POA team members requested for time to return to Najjanankumbi and convene consultative meetings of the relevant party organs to generate a comprehensive response to Muntu’s grievances. It had also been proposed that the two sides name elderly emissaries to comprise a committee that would oversee reconciliation and re-integration of the Muntu team members that remain aggrieved and have never accepted POA’s win. “The mood at the meeting was so cordial which is why we were all surprised with what Gen Muntu, who seemed to have been under pressure of some of his supporters, eventually announced later that same day. We thought the discussion had just started and hadn’t been concluded at that meeting but that’s what happened. Their departure hurt us but what more can we do about it? We can’t stop them yet the party has to move on,” said one of the members at the meeting sympathetic to the POA camp. For comments, call, text or whatsapp us on 0703164755.
