FDC Should Engage Disgruntled Middle Class – Muntu
Maj Gen Mugisha Muntu, the Forum for Democratic Change President, says there is need for the party to penetrate the middle class who have disengaged from the movement but not joined the opposition political parties.
meeting district chairpersons and secretary generals from all over the country in Lweza this morning, Muntu says it is time the party prepares potential candidates in elective positions at all levels. These include LC 3, 5, chairpersons, Mayors, councillors and Members of Parliament in order to develop a dual strategy.
The party shall elect a presidential candidate ahead of the 2016 general elections in 2015.
Gen Muntu says in the event that an FDC Presidential candidate takes power, it will be difficult for him or her to deliver promises of service delivery to the people with very little support from local government and Parliament.
The FDC has 39 members of Parliament. Alice Alaso cites districts such as Soroti, Serere, Kaberamaido, Sironko, Ngora, Bushenyi, Dokolo and Rukungiri among the towns that the FDC has a strong local government representation.
However, Gen Muntu emphasizes the need to increase support and cultivate in areas that are NRM strongholds.He notes that the general audience has a negative attitude towards the party because they believe all it aims at is take over power and stay redundant. But it is time that they appreciate the party for its policies that favour the mass interests.
The Masindi district secretary general Baguma Isaac also says it is time the party changed its ways of seeking for government attention considering people in his area know FDC as a chaotic party because of its former President Dr. Kiiza Besigye.
However, some district chairpersons from Gulu, Buikwe and Mbale wondered how the party expects to expand and get more local councillors yet they do not get any facilitation. They complained that the party does not have strong party structures, so it may take a while for them to gain the required support.
Meanwhile the party is in the process of reviewing its policies on all sectors in the country to counter what the government in power has.
Munt is also hopeful that in the next ten years, the party is in position to call on a minimum of 10,000 people who are able to voluntarily contribute 100,000 shillings to the party without feeling the pinch.With the on-going electoral review commission carrying out its investigations after the 2011 presidential elections, Muntu revealed that they are going to start up an electoral review process after every election period. This is to focus on all institutional weakness that so as to avoid and resolve conflicts in the next election period.
The current commission which started its work on Wednesday this week has 30 days within which to resolve the 2011 presidential election petition.
This is a good strategy which is going to work and people will embrace the party because they have Naturally liked the Party.