By Barbara Among

OLARA Otunnu, the newly elected president of the Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC), has outlined his plan for the party, listing reconciliation and rebuilding of party structures as priorities.

Addressing the press for the first time since his election on Saturday night, Otunnu called on party members who defected to return to the party.

“We are going to work day and night to unite the party. We are going to reach out to those who had left the party to bring them back. The party needs them,” said Otunnu.

He announced he has put in place a team of party elders to reach out to defectors. The team includes UPC veterans Ignatius Isiagi, Edward Rurangaranga and George Masika. A lot of UPC’s problems emanate from internal challenges over party leadership.

Otunnu said his team will focus its energy on setting up new party structures from the grassroots to the national level and embark on a recruitment drive. “The strength of UPC is at the grassroots. We want to reach out to them, reconnect with our people,” he said.

Otunnu also plans to clean up the image of UPC and popularise the party among the youth, whom he said were born under President Yoweri Museveni’s Government which had ‘demonised’ UPC.

“We are going to tell the people of Uganda about UPC’s contribution to this country, what UPC stands for, what its core values and principles are,” said Otunnu. “UPC is about ordinary people, it’s a social democratic party.”

Also on the table is a plan to settle the difference that exists between the party and the Milton Obote Foundation, the financial arm of the party.

The former UN diplomat, however, noted that his party is not without blame in the turbulent history of the country. He offered to reach out to one of the party’s biggest foes, the Buganda kingdom, terming the relationship that exists between the two as “traumatic.”

He revealed that UPC was ready to enter into dialogue with Buganda.

“We are open to any discussion with Buganda. The dialogue will be a slow process but we are ready to walk all the way, however painful,” Otunnu said.

He also said the party welcomes an independent investigation into the massacre of civilians in the Luwero Triangle during the five-year war that brought President Museveni to power. The ruling NRM government accuses the UPC government of the Luwero killings.

Asked about his marital status, Otunnu said he was searching and asked the community to help him find a wife. He was, however, quick to dismiss the notion that a successful leader must be married.

“History shows there is no relation between marriage and good leadership. Great leaders like Obote, Kwame Nkrumah, Nero and Ghandi were not married when they became leaders.”

He also called on Electoral Commission chairman Badru Kiggundu and his team to resign, arguing that they lack the qualities to organise a free and fair election.