{UAH} SELF- DESTRUCTING: Why Opposition bears the biggest blame for their Perennial Defeats

SELF- DESTRUCTING

Details

 

Category: Opinion / Columnists

Published on 13 January 2014

Hits:24

Why Opposition bears the biggest blame for their Perennial Defeats at the hands of President Museveni

By Stephen K Muwambi

Dr Warren Kiiza Besigye Kifeefe has for the umpteenth time claimed that the opposition has continuously lost to Museveni’s due to the President’s poll foul play.

Besigye made the latest accusations in a lengthy interview with the Weekly Observer newspaper of last week.

But, truth is told. Besigye and his colleagues in the opposition are to blame for their dismal performance at the polls. Yes, the ground is never level at all elections. Some electoral laws are skewed in favor of the incumbent; security break up opposition rallies and so on and so forth. But the truth remains that the opposition is largely to blame for their successive defeats.

And here is why we say so.

Myopic

Unless l am mistaken, I have never heard President Museveni stopping the opposition leaders from coming up with one candidate to avoid splitting their own votes.

On the contrary, its personal greed on part of individual opposition candidates that stopped them from accepting to let one among several of them stand.

For example, where was the sense in Norbert Mao, Dr Kiiza Besigye, Sam Walter Lubega, Dr Olara Otunnu, Betty Namisango Kamya, Dr Abed Bwanika, the list is long, all standing up in the name of the opposition to dislodge Museveni?

Didn’t simple logic mean that the Warrens, Walters, Otunnus, Maos, Betties, Abeds of this world were up to splitting their own votes and by extension gifting Museveni with the ultimate prize: another term at State House? Enough said.

With the time fast ticking away to 2016, the opposition is yet to name a joint candidate. And as things stand, each party will come up with a presidential candidate. Those candidates, who will lose at the party primaries, will of course go it alone, spoiling the opposition party and leaving the eventual winner Museveni chocking on laughter.

Not time conscious

Naming a candidate ahead of the campaign date, gives him or her enough time to market his credentials and programs to the electorates. This elementary knowledge is sadly Rocket Science to our opposition fellas, many of whom boast of intimidating academic qualifications. I am yet to see police, courts of law let alone President Museveni penalizing a political party for naming its candidate well ahead of time.

Grasshoppers

Our opposition politicians act just the same way grasshoppers do when they turn to biting themselves once they have been locked up in a bottle instead of reasoning together to flee themselves.

During campaigns, the opposition candidates spend a lot of time, ounces of energy and breath soiling each other. They wash their dirty linens in public to the consternation of even Museveni himself and in the process fail their project: overcoming their political adversary.

Iscariots

When Dr Besigye filed a petition against President Yoweri Museveni in the past challenging his election, it was fellow opposition colleague Francis Bwengye who swore an affidavit confirming that Kaguta had actually beaten them hands up and legs down.

It’s still opposition members who give away their winning tricks to the ruling candidate for a few pieces of silver and lunch at the yellow table.  Point is that you do not betray your cause and then turn around to point fingers at innocent parties. That is what they call moral and intellectual dishonesty of the highest order.

In-fighting

In FDC, Nandalah Mafabi supporters are fighting party President Gen Gregory Mugisha Muntu. In UPC, several party members are busy fighting their President Dr Olara Otunnu. In DP, party President Norbert Mao does not see eye to eye with Betty Nambooze, Erias Lukwago, Kenneth Kakande, Dr Michael Lulume Bayigga, among other influential party members. John Ken Lukyamuzi appears to have turned the party into a one-man affair.

The above state of affairs only testifies to one fact: our opposition has never come across the biblical wise counsel that a house divided against itself cannot stand. In case they did, it appears the opposition never found any sense in the counsel.

A party divided, cannot successfully compete for state power. Instead, as experience has shown, the party members end up decampaigning each other during campaigns. This has been demonstrated by parties denying members who are deemed unfriendly, but strong on the ground, party tickets.

Whiners

Whereas the opposition in other countries strives to offer alternative policies, ours concentrate on opposing and rubbishing whatever policy government comes up without offering alternatives. Its why the electorates choose to trust the devil they know other than the angel who cannot market itself enough.

As I sign off, I would challenge the opposition to wake up and do what is needed to win the presidency short of which they will continue crying as Museveni notches wins after wins.

They should learn from the Kenyan experience where the opposition defeated the hitherto long-serving Arap Moi aka Mtukufu( the Saint) with all the money and state security at his disposal. With good organization and strategy as well as superior manifesto, our opposition can take State power.

___________________________________

Gwokto La'Kitgum

"Even a small dog can piss on a tall Building", Jim Hightower