On Friday, Mathias Mpuuga, the former leader of the opposition, was unveiled as the leader of The Democratic Alliance (DA) a new political platform largely made up of members of the DP bloc and former supporters of the National Unity Platform (NUP). While the event created excitement, and hope and made news headlines, there were some issues worth noting. Here are five talking points from the function.
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Old wine in a new bottle
First, the promoters of the new outfit are not new on the political scene and some have had checkered careers. We are talking about Abed Bwanika, Michael Mabikke, Lubega Mukaaku, Henry Lubowa, and the main man himself, Mathias Mpuuga. These may be experienced actors but they come with political baggage.
Mpuuga acknowledged as much when he said the people he had chosen to work with in this new venture were not perfect. However, he added that those critical of his choice of partners should come forth and offer the leadership and sacrifice these people have provided this far.
Mpuuga needs more doses of charisma
He may be a fluent and eloquent speaker but one thing Mpuuga needs at the moment is charisma. Mpuuga has to find ways of getting the crowd on its feet because at the moment, he appears to have more appeal among the political elite than ordinary folks who form the biggest voting bloc. Mpuuga reminds many of Patrick Amama Mbabazi, an eloquent and intelligent politician whose Go Forward platform suffered a stillbirth. He must work doubly hard to strike a chord with the average voter.
Absence of major opposition parties
The absence of major opposition parties at the Rubaga event took some sting out of the function. With the exception of Jeema, there were no representatives from the major traditional opposition parties such as Forum for Democratic Change and UPC. The absence of NUP and DP can be understood given Mpuuga’s previous poor relationship with the two but it would have done his new outfit a lot of good if the other big players and shown up and expressed solidarity with him.
Need for a more creative name
The name of Mpuuga’s new political platform, The Democratic Alliance (DA) is the same as the one given to a loose political coalition formed ahead of the 2016 elections by the opposition. That coalition was called The Democratic Alliance only that its acronym was TDA. This means that Mpuuga and group failed to come up with a unique name. For political watchers and historians, Mpuuga could have missed an opportunity to distinguish himself on the crowded political scene.
Working with Alien Skin has risks, opportunities
Perhaps the biggest highlight of the afternoon was the announcement of the partnership between DA and Fangone Forest headed by artist Alien Skin. On the surface, you can argue that Mpuuga wanted to tap into Alien Skin’s popularity with young people who can’t do without his music and antics. However, the musician can be unpredictable and volatile. When he came on the scene in late 2022, Alien Skin was a self-confessed admirer of Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine, the NUP president. However, last year he started associating with the MK Movement led by Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the first son who declared his presidential ambitions a couple of years ago. On Friday, he said he was in Mpuuga’s corner. How long will he stay there? That is the question.