The promoters of the New Formation, a new political force and a splinter group from the opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) started by Gen (Rtdl) Mugisha Muntu has asked the mother party to stay calm as they await for more members to cross to the New Formation.
The group led by the former FDC Secretary General, Alice Alaso was responding to the recent comments following the mass crossing of some FDC leaders and members to the New Formation.
A total of 63 FDC leaders all from Ankole Sub- region recently resigned their positions and joined Gen Muntu’s New Formation. They noted that their decision is informed by the sharp differences in strategies that have left FDC divided.
Alaso told Journalists in Kampala that what is happening to FDC shouldn’t be looked at as weakening the opposition in the country but as something that has ever happened and was expected.
“When we made the announcement that we would be leaving FDC, we emphasized that it was a result of having two conflicting perspectives on how to move forward,” Alaso said.
“We mentioned that there are many within the party that felt like we do and that the choice of joining us or not would be entirely theirs just as it is for colleagues from other parties that have signaled a willingness to join us,” she added.
Alaso said that it is quite unfair for FDC to start accusing them of recruiting from their party yet the natural effect of their departure was that there were some people that would join them and others that wouldn’t.
“It would be pretentious not to point out that every political party in existence in the country today went through exactly what we are going through. Indeed FDC itself came into existence as a result of individuals crossing from NRM, DP, UPC and other political outfits at the time,” Alaso said.
Alaso added that FDC must be alive to the fact that since its formation, several people have continued to join them from other parties while others have left.
“What is happening to us is nothing new and will continue to happen over the coming weeks and months; it is equally conceivable that there might be at some point individuals that may leave our formation and join other existing parties or form others.”
Alaso however noted that they are still alive to the initial offer that they made to FDC leadership to set up a joint committee with the duty of managing the post-separation process.
She reiterated that the group is in full gear to finalize preparations of forming a new political party in the country which they will be unveiling soon.