By Apollo Mubiru DEMOCRATIC Party (DP) MPs will not serve on the shadow cabinet, party officials annou-nced yesterday.

The officials also threatened disciplinary action against any DP MP who defies the party’s policies.

DP deputy secretary general Dr. Lulume Bayiga told a weekly press conference at Kabusu, a Kampala suburb, that the party National Executive Committee (NEC) had not okayed members to serve on the shadow cabinet.

“Our stand as NEC is that DP MPs can have a substantial critic of the government programmes without necessarily joining the shadow cabinet. You do not need to be in a shadow cabinet to follow up the government programmes. That is why the party President General named DP MPs on the party cabinet, where they were assigned specific resp-onsibilities,” Lulume said.

DP’s stand has contradicted that of the Leader of the opposition in Parliament, Prof. Ogenga Latigo. Latigo on Monday said he had consulted opposition parties on who should be on the shadow cabinet.

But flanked by Secretary General Prof. Ebil Ottoo, Lulume said Latigo had not yet consulted DP on who should be in the cabinet.

“If any of the DP MPs decides to joins the shadow cabinet in his or her capacity as an MP, he will have defied the party. The law is clear and such an MP may face disciplinary action and can be recalled from parliament,” Fred Mwesigwa, the deputy publicity secretary, emphasised.

DP has nine MPs in Parliament. Prof. Ogenga is expected to name a shadow cabinet soon.

Reacting to comments by economic monitoring minister Kagimu Kiwanuka that DP is a ‘dead party,’ Lulume said Kagimu should have respect for a party that brought him up.
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