While meeting with the Council of Secretaries General of member political parties at State House Entebbe on Wednesday, President Yoweri Museveni proposed that there should be a law to remove inactive members from the Inter-Party Organization for Dialogue’s (IPOD) funding list.
Formed 8 years ago, IPOD is a platform created by the President to facilitate inter-party discussions to promote democracy. It includes parties such as National Resistance Movement(NRM), National Unity Platform (NUP), JEEMA, Democratic Party (DP), Uganda People’s Congress (UPC), and the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC).
President Museveni, who is chairman of the coalition as well as the party National Resistance Movement(NRM), condemned parties that deliberately refused to participate in IPOD, while urging them to set aside their differences and work together to promote a peaceful, stable country.
Commenting on the remarks, Fatboy said, “One could argue that the regime in its actions have caused members of other political parties to be deeply weary and suspicious. Perhaps if I had to point to a culprit who is helping to foster the divisions, it really is the Government. Like the things they do; you arrest some dude for insulting you on Twitter and then you whip him like he's Jesus Christ in The Passion of Christ movie?”
Olive additionally mentioned the grievances cited by the National Unity platform as reasons for intentionally excluding itself from the activities of the Inter-party Organization for Dialogue.
“The NUP refused to join the IPOD saying that the grounds there are not leveled. That they will not be heard and it will be one party’s decision over others. And they can't be blamed because we've seen what has been happening to them over the months and their representatives. Since it’s free entry and exit, you can't force them to be part of the IPOD,” Olive said.
Each member party of the IPOD acquires shs. 35 billion funding annually to facilitate their administrative expenses.
The Fatboy show is hosted by James Onen aka Fatboy, Olive, Sarah and Lesham every weekday from 6am to 10am on RX Radio.
Comments