Opinion: The Bobi-Besigye Alliance is a Marriage of Convenience

It’s fashionable now that every time a new election period draws nearer in Uganda, a number of ragtag coalitions are formed with the aim of removing the incumbent president from office. Again as 2021 general elections come close, a new coalition has been formed between FDC and a movement promoted by Kyadondo East Member of parliament going with the name tag–People Power.

A political coalition or political alliance or bloc is an agreement for cooperation between different political parties on common political agenda, often for purposes of contesting an election to mutually benefit by collectively clearing election thresholds, and a coalition government can then be formed when a political alliance comes to power, or when only a plurality has not been reached and several parties must work together to govern.

A coalition government is a form of an arrangement in which political parties cooperate, reducing the dominance of any one party within that “coalition”. The usual reason for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the election. However, this is a self-defeating reason since most of our participants claim to have what it takes to win, so why would they fight to combine forces in order to defeat one person.

The difference here is that as coalitions elsewhere, especially in liberal democracies, is based on an agreed-upon comprehensive political agenda with an agreed-upon common purpose, in Uganda it’s an arrangement promoted and designed not for winning elections but for fund appropriation from the western donors who dictate to the recipients on what must be done and individuals who simply want to make themselves some free dollars.

The scenario here is that you get two to three people who initially were arch-rivals; force them to work together if they are to receive your money.

And in most cases, these have failed to deliver because they lack a binding glue, with no serious agenda regarding the interests of the people but selfish individual interests. The leaders of these makeshift organizations disappear as soon as elections are done, after all, they get their share or after developing, disagreements and the alliance in most cases suffer a stillbirth.

Isn’t it laughable to see Dr. Kizza Besigye and Mr. Kyagulanyi on the same platform under the same coalition, it’s just yesterday when they were exchanging bullets over methodology and appreciation of what they called national issues and one group accusing another of having been around for a while and the need for fresh ideas.

However, at least unlike The Democratic Alliance (TDA) of 2016, these have something in common, they all strive through violence and defiance, so, now we have very radical leaders with two radicalized support bases coming together for the camera opportunity, and eager to jump onto each other’s throats given an opportunity. We saw this at Bulange when Bobi’s supporters attacked Dr. Besigye and was only saved by police and some of his supporters. Defiance and violence have made them what they are today, so, by the same sword they must live, and it’s the only glue here. The very reason the FDC split up was that a section could not fathom taking our nation towards the direction of violent storms. The Besigye-leaning group wanted nothing else but seeing Kampala in smoke prompting the liberal-minded group led by Gen Mugisha Muntu to quit.

Uganda as a country has had its share of failed coalitions in its history; the 1966 crisis is still fresh in our minds and the price we have paid as a result of opportunists exploring such avenues for personal benefits.

These political alliances with the sole purpose of winning elections have no space in our nation, you simply can’t imagine a coalition government of Kasangati and Magere rag tags, Uganda would be in the worst position than Libya or Somalia in just months as Eddie Mutwe and Muhamad Segirinya engage each other in our streets or Ingrid Turinawe and Stella Nyanzi taking on their counterparts from Magere Women’s League.

Imagine a government of two groups with no ideological clarity at the helm of leadership in Kampala, one group that doesn’t believe in social and national values with another that doesn’t believe in order, we would have a Libya scenario here.

It’s no secret that Dr. Besigye has stifled his party, by refusing to give way to “elected leaders in his party” to shine, he has maintained a grip on FDC by creating a ragtag outfit in the name of People’s Government with headquarters at his office at Katonga Road and left Najanankumbi just as an empty shell, all for the purpose of dictating how the party is led, via defiance and violence.

So, the alliance between Besigye and Kyagulanyi is simply a personal project that would see the former tap into foreign resources and also still give him a platform because his former colleagues abandoned him and formed A.N.T and now he is simply trying to find a tree on which to gasp for breath while Kyagulanyi must also seek a base since he has none and as dictated by their funders too he must find one, but all the main political parties won’t commit.

The funders know that Dr. Besigye is a spent force and they need a new toyboy to do their bidding. However, they also know that Bobi Wine has no chance and needs a father figure to hold his hand hence the Besigye factor.

Elsewhere, Gen. Muntu is a gentleman who won’t soil his hard-earned image by hobnobbing with someone like Kyagulanyi. This is also the reason we haven’t seen Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) coming out to publicly support the Besigye-Bobi political marriage as they usually do. If not, they are just operating behind the curtain after the TDA embarrassment.

The rest can only watch or even issue statements here and there but won’t be part of the coalition because they know that nothing will come out of it, they have tried it before, supported Besigye four times with no results at the end and now he wants a fifth trial and they are saying enough is enough, unfortunately, he can’t see himself missing on the ballot. He may actually stop breathing, it’s what keeps his blood pumping that maybe one day he can accidentally lead Uganda,  while Mr. Kyagulanyi having made a lot of noise and knowing he has no structure, would want to ride on FDC’s remaining base like he has been doing.

So the coalition between Dr. Besigye and Mr. Kyagulanyi is just an agreement between two radical groups that want to sip on their cup of tea as they see Uganda burn for their self-amusement and not for winning an election and leading Uganda.

It is also a strategy to ring-fence some positions so that one group won’t be supporting those opposed to candidates nominated by another group, for example, FDC or people power against each other, so nothing tangible really but selfishness and greed for money and power on both sides

This is a group that lacks ideological campus that can help them lead a nation.

Ideology is the lens through which a person views the world,   it’s broadly understood to refer to the sum total of a person’s values, beliefs, assumptions, and expectations. It shapes our thoughts, actions, and interactions, along with what happens in society at large, but it’s on record that the Magere group lacks an ideology driving them, their group is built on mere populism and support from homosexuals abroad, the rainbow group and this makes such a group not suitable to be at the helm of leadership for they don’t stand with our national values.

Coalitions in Uganda unlike somewhere else is about money-making as many of our politicians are not about serving people but making money, while in other places like Kenya and  Europe where political coalitions exist have money to sustain themselves and are not in politics for employment or careerism but service.

This country doesn’t need a coalition, we have no political or leadership crisis warranting such, those who feel are ready must present themselves to Ugandans without hiding behind anyone within or outside and let Ugandans decide based on one’s ability as it has always been.

For God and the Pearl.

Mr Paddy D. Kayondo is an Educationist and political analyst