Forum For Democratic Change (FDC) seems to be ‘defiantly skipping’ today’s Inter-Party Organisations for Dialogue-IPOD Conference as all the political parties represented in Parliament are having a meeting at the Commonwealth Resort, Munyonyo to deliberate on the upcoming national dialogue, but FDC has not yet registered appearance. The parties under their uniting umbrella, the Inter-Party […]
Forum For Democratic Change (FDC) seems to be ‘defiantly skipping’ today’s Inter-Party Organisations for Dialogue-IPOD Conference as all the political parties represented in Parliament are having a meeting at the Commonwealth Resort, Munyonyo to deliberate on the upcoming national dialogue, but FDC has not yet registered appearance.
The parties under their uniting umbrella, the Inter-Party Organisations for Dialogue (IPOD) say that the FDC was invited and a chair for the party president is ably represented on the high table but Patrick Amuriat and team seem to have decided to sit the morning dialogue out as reflected in Government spokesperson, Ofwono Opondo’s tweet.
It looks like @FDCOfficial1 having recently got split, the remainders led by @PatrickAmuriat are unsure of the direction to take on this #IPODConference today. Not yet seen at the venue @ubctvuganda @nbstv @ntvuganda @newvisionwire@DailyMonitor @UgandaMediaCent pic.twitter.com/CJCpaRb6k9
— Ofwono Opondo P'Odel (@OfwonoOpondo) December 12, 2018
#IPODConference starting from extreme left @norbertmao, empty seat for @FDCOfficial1 president. Asuman Basalirwa of JEEMA, @NRMOnline Chairman @KagutaMuseveni and Jimmy Akena of the UPC @UgandaMediaCent @ubctvuganda @nbstv @ntvuganda @newvisionwire @DailyMonitor pic.twitter.com/lmFGntgyLm
— Ofwono Opondo P'Odel (@OfwonoOpondo) December 12, 2018
When contacted for a comment, deputy party chairman, Proscovia Salamu Musumba who is also a resident member of the IPOD said the Najjanankumbi-based party had nothing to say at the summit especially with a president who does not want to listen.
“We wanted to dialogue with a fellow party chairman of a sister party but instead, we got the President of Uganda. If we are not at the same level, how can we have a serious conversation about the state of multipartism and democracy in our country?”
Musumba rubbished claims by some sections of the public that the FDC has only adopted a defiance position on almost everything and are allergic to dialogue saying that such comments are unfounded on logic and unrealistic in every sense.
“Some people speak as if they live in Dubai. Anyone who lives in Uganda knows that there’s no democracy. We have the most number of MPs in parliament among the opposition but we can’t campaign anywhere in Western Uganda, no electoral reforms and the institutions of the state are used against us. What is there to talk about?”
Yesterday, Democratic Party President , Nobert Mao, said the summit will not hold much meaning without FDC.
According to DP president Norbert Mao, whose party has since returned to the summit after an earlier boycott, said the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2010 by all parties under IPOD indicates that no single resolution can be arrived at in the absence of one of the parties.
“If one of the IPOD members is missing then the summit will be more of a consultative meeting because you cannot come to a conclusion when one of your members is absent,” Mr Mao told journalists at their weekly press briefing in Kampala on Wednesday.
He added that he has attempted to convince FDC leaders to reverse their position on boycotting the summit in vain.
