The Interparty Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) is still engaging the National Unity Platform (NUP) so that it joins them.
In a document released by the IPOD council chairperson who doubles as the National Resistance Movement (NRM) secretary general, Richard Todwong, he said as leaders of different political parties, they are still engaging NUP as ato convincine them to join IPOD. “We want them to work together towards finding solutions to the governance and political challenges we may experience as a country,” he said.
After the 2021 general elections, NUP took over as leader of the Opposition after sending more opposition MPs to Parliament than the other opposition parties. According to the current IPOD memorandum of understanding (MOU), it provides for any party with representation in Parliament to be eligible to join IPOD.
However, the same MOU states that it is up to the political party to join or not. Recently People’s Progressive Party (PPP) was welcomed into IPOD which made it the sixth party in the coalition. Other parties are NRM, Forum for Democratic Change (FDC),
D e m o c r a t i c Party (DP), Uganda People’s Congress (UPC), and Justice Forum (JEEMA).
Todwong said the current MOU that was signed in 2017 has expired and they are in the process of drafting a new one. Different party secretaries general and party presidents agreed to extend the current MOU for a period not exceeding January when they will officially sign a new one.
NUP POSITION
However, during a phone interview with David Lewis Rubongoya, the NUP secretary general, he said their position as NUP has not changed. “We made our reasons for not joining IPOD clear. If they are not willing to listen to what we are saying, we shall not join them. It is only if they adjust that we will also change,” he said.
FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19
Todwong said the Ggovernment’s tireless efforts in the fi ght to prevent COVID through sustained engagements have yielded enormous results. He urged Ugandans who have not yet received their jabs to do so and also continue observing SOPs, especially as the country is faced with the contagious Omicron variant.
HARASSMENT OF UGANDANS
Todwong said IPOD strongly condemns the continued harassment of Ugandans by security personnel and wants perpetrators stopped. “Some overzealous security offi cers continue to act in a manner that is not refl ective of our national values. We request the President to continue restraining and guiding them to use non-combative means while engaging wanainchi so that our beautiful country is not cast in a bad light,” he said.
PARTY DISCIPLINE
Todwong decried the increase in political party indiscipline. “This indiscipline, from our understanding, is informed by ideological disorientation, disempowered leaders, lack of enforcers in the parties as well as the politics of radicalisation among others,” he said. He said as IPOD, they are laying down strategies of working towards ensuring that party discipline is enforced and ideologically grounded politics is promoted. “We intend to engage political parties through a cross-party platform to ensure that politics premised on ideology and policy is enhanced,” he said.
SECURITY
Todwong said they are cognisant of the challenges and threats the country has faced lately, especially with the ADF terrorists worrisome incidents such as panga-wielders attacks on people of Masaka and the recent bombings in Masaka and Kampala respectively
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