By Jamila Mulindwa
Towards the end of last year, former Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) president Gen Mugisha Muntu announced his departure from the FDC. After coming up with The New Formation, General (rtd) Muntu announced that by December 2018 they would have registered a new political party. This has not happened.
Today in the Morning Breeze program on NBS television, Muntu revealed that while he had submitted party registration papers to the Uganda Electoral Commission, EC has not yet responded.
Muntu blamed the delay in part on the new electoral laws coming into effect and staff changes at the commission.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNw287WqDW0
“ The delays happened because the electoral commission transferred some of it's employees at the district level who were to verify the forms we handed in,” he said.
He went on to say, “The electoral law requires for every signatory to be verified, which according to the information we have got so far, a big percentage has been completed.”
Muntu declined to commit himself on when The New Formation will finally be registered. He said, “ We are not giving any timeline now until we get a certificate of registration from the electoral commission.”
The breakaway Muntu said unlike the political parties already operating in the political atmosphere, he and collegues are looking at developing structures that will facilitate change.
He said he disagrees with the notion of “We want change at any cost” because it will lead Uganda into more problems than it solves by change of leadership.
“Change is needed but we need qualitative change, that’s why it’s important to have structures,” is The New Formation's belief.
However, Muntu could reveal that the party will not have a president but a council led by a chairperson.
As soon as the party is registered, “We will elect a chairperson after a year but in the meantime a select council will be in charge of the party”.
Asked if they intend to have a presidential candidate in the coming 2021 elections, he said they would think about it. “We will decide when the time comes," was as far as he would say.
Muntu went on claim that The New Formation has attracted a number of people though he said he could not share the members names just then.
