UPC to use IPOD to push for dialogue

POLITICS

The Uganda People's Congress (UPC) has insisted that political parties, under their umbrella organisation Interparty Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) have potential to pull off a meaningful dialogue to foster democracy and good governance.

The party which would be presiding over IPOD leadership for the next six months has repeatedly pushed for an inclusive national dialogue to concertedly  steer solutions on a number of political, social and economic contestations in the country.

National Resistance Movement (NRM) handed over IPOD leadership to UPC last week after holding it for the last one year in contravention of every after six months leadership rotational arrangement.

NRM assumed IPOD leadership from Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) in July 2017 and the party deputy secretary general, Richard Todwong, was charged with the responsibility of co-ordinating its affairs from FDC secretary general, Nandala Mafabi.

Addressing journalists during the weekly party press conference held at the party headquarters located at Uganda House in Kampala on Wednesday, the party national chairman, Laurence Okae, said it was only IPOD with the confidence of President Yoweri Museveni for any talks involving him.

In the public statement to the media recently, President Museveni recognised that through IPOD divergent issues among the political players can be harmonised.

Constructively engaging all the other political parties to closely work together on the key issues that affected the country constantly would structure the party IPOD leadership, Okae said.

Uganda People's Congress National chairman, Lawrence Okai interacting with Godfrey Okwi and Night Kulabako, a party veteran activist at the party headquarters at Uganda House.

The UPC's assertion comes at a time when the major opposition parties and members of IPOD are pushing for parallel approaches to achieving dialogue and grand coalition.

The Democratic Party (DP) is championing an opposition dialogue to deliberate on the roles of the people in the struggle, the formation of a joint coalition and a new Uganda without Museveni.

As DP completely dismissed talks with Museveni, FDC believes that President Museveni and his NRM were essential and inseparable from any meaningful talks.

In the first IPOD meeting after the 2016 general elections was attended by other stakeholders who included religious leaders, elders and civil society organisations, it was agreed  there was  a need for  an inclusive approach.

In one of the IPOD meetings last year, FDC threatened to pull out after raising complaints that the ruling party does not implement a number of issues agreed upon.

Founded in 2010, IPOD is a consortium of political parties represented in Parliament which includes the NRM, FDC, DP, and UPC.

It was initiated by development partners to bring those parties to a round table to generate consensus on various issues of national importance.