FDC honcho Dr Kizza Besigye’s defiance campaign has not only radicalized the Ugandan society but also appears to have polarized the party, with a senior member calling it quits.
Bugweri County MP, Abdu Katuntu, who is credited for recovering Shs 47bn from thieving Chinese road construction firms and spearheading the passing of Access to Information Act, said he abhors extremism which has in recent years reared its head in FDC.
“I do not believe in defiance strategy and I do not support it,” said Katuntu.
Katuntu said in the interview published by New Vision on Monday that opposition can influence decision making by talking to the people in power.
“You do not influence decisions of the government by throwing stones at them,” said the MP.
“Anybody who thinks that I need to be an extremist is mistaken,” said Katuntu, the only opposition MP in Busoga sub-region who has been elected four times, adding, “I don’t believe in politics of extremism.”
Katuntu’s remarks come against the backdrop of increased concerns about the extremist approach to politics by the opposition especially FDC.
Over time, moderate opposition politicians have been vilified and accused of cooperating with the current government.
Insiders say the radicalization of politics by Besigye has left the FDC founders in shock. These include Amanya Mushega, Maj John Kazoora and Abdu Katuntu.
FDC president Maj Gen Mugisha Muntu has previously expressed his discomfort with Besigye’s style of mobilisation.
Katuntu said his colleagues in the opposition are always “labeling me, making all sorts of wild accusations…sometimes your party and comrades in opposition would want to use purely an opposition agenda, even when it is not in the interest of a country.”
He emphasised: “I do not believe in that kind of approach of politics.”
Asked if he would back Dr Besigye in the 2021 presidential elections, Katuntu, observed: “No, because he has adopted the strategy of defiance…we believe in a principle of change with Besigye, but the strategy he has taken has made us part ways.”
Katuntu said he agrees with “Muntu because he has emphasised building sustainable party infrastructure that can deliver durable change. I will support Muntu for FDC presidential flag-bearer in 2021 and for national president because he represents the politics I believe in.”
While Katuntu praised Besigye as a “strong man” who “will walk any distance to achieve what he believes in”; the MP emphasised that, “Anybody who expects me to participate in an activity of an extreme nature should know that I am not available.”