The Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Mathias Mpuuga has asked the leaders of the National Unity Platform (NUP) to embrace the idea of emphasizing discipline within the party or else they will collapse before attaining their cardinal goals.
Mpuuga made this warning on Thursday while speaking during the party Press conference held at their new headquarters in Makerere where he asked all leaders in the party to respect each other and resist attacking members whose ideas may differ from the majority.
He also reminded all NUP supporters of the need to move as a single unit with one command centre. He warned them that while every member has a right to free speech, an uncoordinated movement of troops, blackmail and propaganda will derail the party’s cause and in turn, it will benefit their opponents.
“The English say, “Too many cooks spoil the soup,” while the Baganda say, “Amamese amangi tegesimira bunnya.” Not everyone will be a commander. Instead, we must have commanders at each given level, all getting direction from one centre of command,” he said.
“We need everyone in this cause but everybody must know that for us to have a successful battle, commands must come from one direction, not everybody can be a commander. Mr president, we need to know that we are in the battle with an enemy who can do everything possible to ruin us, therefore it’s only unity that will help us to survive him.”
The Nyendo Mukungwe legislator also asked all members to understand that the party has structures with responsibilities to handle disputes within but not to attack members and blackmail them on social media.
“Our duties as leaders is to show those we lead how leadership is handled in respect with those in charge, that is a major duty! I want us to understand that battle-hardened soldiers that do not adhere to commands will never succeed because the dictator we are fighting is everywhere and we can only defeat him with discipline. Let’s all wait for commands from our president then we follow. Let’s not scatter our leader! Let’s wait for his commands and we shall defeat the enemy,” Mpuuga said.
“President, I want you to get focused, we are a technology generation and this is a smart generation, therefore, I encourage you to use technology to act smartly and know where the enemy is, let’s not use it to attack each other. We can solve issues amicably if it’s a legislator report to me if I’m in the wrong report to Kyagulanyi but let’s stay united.”
Mpuuga’s call for discipline within NUP comes at a time when some party members are accusing him of witch-hunting lawmakers loyal to party leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine. Others have accused him of meeting President Yoweri Museveni to negotiate the release of NUP’s political prisoners.
However, Mpuuga, who is also the deputy president of NUP in Buganda, has refuted the allegation and on severally occasions has asked his accusers to table the evidence pinning him.
Meanwhile, the blackmail and attacks on Mpuuga started last year when Mityana Municipality Member of Parliament Francis Zaake was censured and removed from being a commissioner of Parliament. He was accused of failing to stop the censure.
The recent attacks still on Mpuuga stemmed from the release of lawmakers; Muhammad Ssegirinya-Kawempe North MP and his counterpart Allan Ssewanyana-Makindye West after spending 15 months on remand following the alleged murder of 20 people in Greater Masaka region in August 2021.
Mpuuga’s critics allude that he went behind the back of his party leadership and negotiated with President Museveni and other big figures in the regime to see that the two are released.
However, Mpuuga on Thursday assured NUP supporters who accuse him of having a hand in the release of Ssegirinya and Ssewanyana, that when the time is due, he will come and tell the country whatever transpired.
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