The opposition Forum for Democratic Change has dismissed allegations that it copied the manifesto of UK’s Conservative Party to come out with its own manifesto which FDC President and Inter party Coalition flag bearer Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye is using for his election bid.
IPC candiate Dr. Kizza Besigye and UK Prime Minister David Cameron
The UK’s Daily Telegraph, reported yesterday that Besigye’s manifesto had many identical statements with those of the manifesto of UK Prime Minister David Cameroon whose Conservative party won the elections in 2010.
The paper claims that on their manifestos, both parties believe “real change comes when the people are inspired and mobilised.” It listed a number of other similar sentences in manifestoes and imputed a case of plagiarism by Besigye and his IPC.
But the FDC leader says his manifesto is different from that of the UK Prime Minister’s manifesto for the 2010 UK election since Uganda’s challenges are different from those of the UK.
Besigye who is the closest challenger to incumbent President Yoweri Museveni the flag bearer of the National Resistance Movement says his party and UK’s conservative party might share some democratic ideals that might result in a few similar phrases in their manifestoes but not a clear similarity in their manifestos.
IPC manifesto of Dr. Kizza Besigye
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But in what might be taken as an admission of similarities, FDC Vice President for eastern Uganda, Salaam Musumba said the FDC and UK’s conservative party think alike and if some statements are similar it is not plagiarism.
“If great minds think alike, then that is good for us. The FDC and the Conservative Party want to do the same thing, we want to change politics, change society, we live at the same political address,” she said in an interview.
She said the UK ruling party had also issued a statement to clear the air that any similarity is insignificant and might have come about due to the sustained dealings between the two parties.
The Conservative party says it works closely with a number of political parties around the world who share their values, including Uganda’s Forum for Democratic Change.
Besigye who is challenging Museveni for the 3rd time and expects to take over the country after the February 18th elections is basing his campaigns on the slogan Together for Change.
Recent opinion polls have however consistently shown the incumbent Museveni is headed for victory with more than 65% although the opposition has disputed the poll results.