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Will UPC back FDC�s Besigye?

Col. Kizza Besigye during the launch of the Inter-party cooperation last year

SOME UPC leaders have expressed reservations about the idea of fielding a joint presidential candidate under the Inter-Party Cooperation. *Moses Mulondo* talked to them.

A cloud of uncertainty hangs over the Inter-Party Cooperation as the allying parties FDC, UPC, JEEMA, and CP prepare to elect a joint presidential candidate to represent them in the forthcoming 2011 elections.

But many analysts believe that IPC is an alliance between two national parties (UPC and FDC) accompanied by two constituency (small) parties.

As such, it is believed by many that the alliance between the two parties cannot work because FDC currently occupies political space that used to belong to UPC.

The IPC National Electoral Affairs Committee (NEAC), which has been mandated to manage the process for electing a joint presidential candidate and other joint candidates at all levels, was recently inaugurated at Uganda House.

The committee comprises Maj. Rubaramira Ruranga and East African Assembly legislator Hon. Dan Wandera from FDC, Renowned economist Dr. Nelson Ofwono and prominent Kampala lawyer Kavuma Kabenge from UPC, Dan Walyemera and Edmund Nkalubo from CP, Ibrahim Nsamba and Dr. Mukiibi Katende from JEEMA.

Going by the fact that CP and JEEMA have one MP each in Parliament, many analysts believe IPC is an alliance between two national parties with two small constituency parties accompanying them. As such, IPC is mainly an alliance between UPC and FDC. But given the political realities on the ground, can that kind of alliance surely work?

Moses Ruzindana, the public opinions� political researcher, said it is very unlikely for UPC and FDC to create a joint presidential and parliamentary electoral platform.

�It is very clear that FDC is occupying a political space that used to belong to UPC. At a time when there is UPC glory nostalgia after the emergency of a courageous and inspirational leader Olara Otunnu, it is very impossible for UPC to backing the FDC president. If Otunnu accepts rallying behind FDC�s Besigye, he will face resistance from within UPC,� Ruzindana argued.

He added that over three thirds of the parliamentary seats occupied by FDC belonged to UPC, and if the latter truly want to regain their glory, then there will be a serious battle between the two parties concerning those constituencies especially in the northern part of Uganda.

That is why some people believe an alliance between DP and UPC will have been more effective because the two are Uganda �s oldest parties hand ave distinct political constituencies.

Even FDC spokesperson Wafula Oguttu told Sunday Vision recently that the reason they wanted DP to join IPC was to enable the alliance to have significant acceptance in the central region, which is the most densely populated region of Uganda.

*Sunday Vision* has also learnt that a big group of UPC stalwarts majority belonging to Jimmy Akena�s camp are planning to organise fresh elections for electing a UPC flag bearer in the 2011 elections should Otunnu accept to back Besigye.

A survey done by Sunday Vision across the IPC parties reveals that Besigye still enjoys more support than Otunnu. Even the recent Sunday Vision poll on opposition politicians put Otunnu in the third place after Besigye and DP�s Norbert Mao.

But the UPC deputy spokesperson argued that his president performed poorly in the poll because by the time it was done Otunnu had not yet become the UPC president. Other factors remaining constant, the poll indicated that there is a very high likelihood of Besigye winning the contest for a joint opposition candidate.

But if that happens and Otunnu accepts to back Besigye, he will have put himself in a trying moment within UPC as more resistance is expected to emerge.

A highly placed UPC stalwart, who belongs to Otunnu�s think-tank said most of his colleagues are opposed to UPC accepting to back FDC�s president as their joint presidential candidate.

�We held many discussions on this crucial matter and we have come up with alternatives on whatever eventually choosing Otunnu and Besigye. We shall first mobilise for sufficient support to enable Otunnu win and if he fails we shall have something to do about it,� said the UPC official. Though it was a new kid on Uganda�s political scene in 2006, FDC�s chance of having had the most powerful opposition candidate enabled the party to occupy political space that used to be occupied by UPC.

Many world political researchers have concluded that the major source of strength for a political party is having a powerful inspirational leader like DP and UPC lacked in 2006, leading to the loss of their members and political space to the newly formed FDC. Many commentators have repeatedly said with the emergence of the inspirational former UN diplomat Olara Otunnu on Uganda�s political scene, the current state of affairs within UPC is completely different from that of 2006.

Since he took over the leadership of UPC, Otunnu has always promised that he would rejuvenate the glory of UPC as the most powerful party in Uganda. To fulfil this promise, Otunnu even appointed a UPC council of elders to act as the go between the party leadership and the aggrieved senior party members, who had either crossed to other parties or stopped working for the party.

A senior IPC steering committee official, who is from neither FDC nor UPC said choosing between the Besigye and Otunnu will be a very complicated task for them.

�Both men are equally good. Many of our colleagues are arguing that since Otunnu has brought international pressure on the NRM Government concerning democratic reforms, he would easily defeat Museveni. Otunnu is equally daring in challenging Museveni. But Besigye also has the advantage of being a household name in Uganda known by everybody,� he said.

It is that kind of background that creates the unlikelihood of these two parties agreeing on a joint presidential candidate and joint parliamentary candidates.

But a senior IPC Steering Committee official, Asuman Odoka, who is also JEEMA�s secretary for policy analysis said the IPC presidents have held several meetings and have all agreed to back the one who will go through.

�Many of us also doubted whether the four presidents would agree on backing one candidate as our joint candidate but they have repeatedly assured of us that they will act as the IPC protocol requires them. Each one of the four has convinced us that he will back the winner,� Odoka stated.

Some people within IPC are now suggesting that of Otunnu and Besigye, one should become the running mate of the winner.

Published on: *Saturday, 26th June, 2010*

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On Fri, Jun 25, 2010 at 3:12 PM, ssentongo j.b.m wrote:

I hate in particular when Dodd and Fwank are involved in anything to do with manipulating the financial system. We have already seen how they milk it for all they can get and play favorites with it. May be a good thing but I seriously doubt it with this crew in the mix.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CHICAGO_GUN_BAN?SITE=OHMOU&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAUL

When my friend Ingrid Turinawe and her team of “Women for Peace” fell in police hands, I was out of Kampala, as I still am, but after Black Mambas in Uganda’s High Court and kiboko-wielding thugs on the streets of Kampala, with impunity, I thought nothing in this town could shock me anymore, but forcing pepper gas down someone’s throat? I wish you quick recovery my sisters and I admired your focus when you promised to get out of hospital and go after Eng Kigundu again. My worry though, is that in Uganda we argue and fight over so many things but always ignore their genesis – electoral malpractices, kiboko squad, disruption of opposition parties’ rallies, tear-gas, temangalo, presidential pledges, MPs salaries and Ministers’ 200-million-shillings cars, patriotism clubs, CHOGM funds, name it, we argue about everything, everyday. We curse, threaten and demonstrate about everything, but we forget to remember that there is one reason for all the evils that have been visited on Ugandan, by all regimes, beginning with the Queen’s colonial regime – to cling to power so that the regimes get unrestricted access to our national resources, which are collected and stored in one basket. During colonialism, the basket used to be stored in London, to be used at the sole discretion of H.M. The Queen’s Govt. After colonialism, the basket was relocated to Kampala, and is used at the absolute discretion of the Queen’s heir, H.E. the President(s) of Uganda.

The colonialist imprisoned, tortured, intimidated and exiled people who threatened their hold onto power – their access to our single, national treasury. The Queen’s heirs, without exception, have dealt exactly the same hand to anybody who ever threatened their hold onto our single basket of money. Is it possible for a moment, my Sister Ingrid, that you can stop and consider why the Eng Kigundus of this world exist and why elections get rigged? Of course it is to extend Musevenis tenure of State House. But surely merely being the occupant of State House cannot be the motivation to rig elections, it is only a means to reach and “own” the ever-over-flowing national basket of money. If the single basket is the problem of Uganda, why don’t Women for Peace go directly for the basket, instead of attacking Eng Kigundu, who, even when he resigns, it is still President Museveni’s constitutional prerogative to appoint another Electoral Commission Chairman. What if he appoints Natasha his daughter and Parliament endorses her, like recently happened with his sister Kajubiri (not that I have a problem with her appointment if merit was on her side). Are you going to fight Natasha, who might be replaced by Tamale Mirundi? When do you see your war ending?

If the real problem of Uganda is leaders who will not give up power, that being their unlimited access to our money-basket, shouldn’t Women For Peace go for the money-basket, deflate it, thus deal a final blow to the reason leaders wont give up power? If all successive regimes of Uganda, beginning with the Queen’s, have manipulated elections, why do you go for poor, little Eng Kigundu, a job-seeker of little consequence, with a knife at his throat, when you know that his replacement will face exactly the same motivations, threats and choices as Kigundu? If Women for Peace were fighting for federalism, the system that would deflate the national basket by splitting it up into many regional baskets, making it unattractive any-more, the way they have done in most developed and developing countries, I would join them. I admire your stamina, drive, commitment, patriotism and focus, my Sisters, but who do you think will appoint Kigundus replacement and what are your expectations of elections without Kigundu? I invite you to join the crusade for federalism because that is the way to deal with Presidents who won’t move away from Uganda’s money basket. Non-the-less, I wish you a quick recovery and Aluta Continua.

Beti Olive Kamya

because it deals with Christians peacefully distributing literature on public property in Dearborn Michigan… There is a video showing that the evangelists were peaceful… Does matte’s frieds believe in Free Speech???

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2010/06/026594.php

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2010/06/four_christian_evangelists_arr.html

Mengo officials form group to hunt votes Tuesday, 22nd June, 2010 [image: E-mail article] E-mail article [image: Print article] Print article

*By James Kabengwa*

FORMER Buganda premier Joseph Mulwanyamuli and former kingdom ministers have formed a political mobilisation group called ‘Suubi 2011’ to support what they called a highly desired change in next years’ general elections.

The initiative was announced yesterday at Christ the King Hall in Kampala.

Former ministers Medard Seggona Lubega and Mathias Mpuuga were present.

Democratic Party MPs Erias Lukwago, Betty Nambooze and Dr. Lulume Bayiga, who support the Inter-Party Coalition, also attended.

The group, according to its coordinator Sseggona, will partner with all bona fide and legitimate forces of change.

“The prevailing political atmosphere in our country has created a state of hopelessness. The country is infested with corruption, human rights abuse and all freedoms are inhibited. We need to give Ugandans hope that things can change,” Sseggona said.

In a statement released to the press, the group vowed to move to all villages in the country to mobilise votes for change.

They also said they would identify candidates for every electoral position. The group will be launched in two weeks.

“But in the meantime, we will engage with the IPC to identify areas of common interest,” Mulwanyamuli said.

http://doctorbulldog.wordpress.com/2010/06/22/muslim-landowner-offers-to-remove-chains-from-11-year-old-christian-slave-if-he-converts-to-islam/#more-23795

First of all, I’d like to assure everyone that I’ve been very productive since cutting back on my posting here. I’ve been able to edit a lot of things that needed work but that I’d been neglecting. In fact, I was so involved in that work that I failed to notice that there has been

*AN ARREST IN THE DUBAI ASSASSINATION CASE!*

Clarice and the other usual nitwits here (Hey, how’s that Dubai investigation going?) will be surprised to learned that the arrested person was an Israeli, not some Arab from a rival terror group.

There are a number of informative accounts. Here’s the Haaretz article: Report: Suspected Mossad agent arrested in Poland over Dubai assassination . Although the initial arrest took place in Warsaw, the offense took place in Germany. The arrest by Polish authorities took place at the request of the German government, which is now seeking extradition: Arrest of Suspected Mossad Agent Strains German-Israeli Relations .

Some excerpts from the Der Spiegel article:

Whatever the outcome, the political consequences of the Dubai debacle and the arrest in Warsaw are probably unavoidable. Germany has a unique

I keep thinking of how CNN lied to us about Iraq just so they could stay there furing the Saddam days. I also remember the lies of their news chief at the speech in Davos and the other lies from their news heads. Will this happen again or will CNN at least for a time stick to the truth.

http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/CNN-AssociatedPress-newspapers-decline/2010/06/21/id/362617?s=al&promo_code=A1E8-1