Spirit of unity lacking in opposition - DP

Dec 04, 2019

The has for the past 18 months embarked on developing a framework aimed at uniting all opposition parties to band together against the NRM

The Democratic Party has decried the lack of commitment and disunity that members of the opposition are displaying towards a united front in the opposition.

Fred Mwesigwa, the party president Nobert Mao's press secretary, said that although a lot of people are talking about opposition unity, very few of them had done anything about it.

"As DP, we have to put all our cards on the table but we do not see the same spirit among some of our colleagues," Mwesigwa said.

DP has for the past 18 months embarked on developing a framework aimed at uniting all opposition parties to band together and unite against the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party.   

Nobert Mao alongside other members recently launched a proposal where other opposition parties like the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), JEEMA, Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) and Uganda People's Congress were invited to attend.

"People Power, UPC, FDC did not come. We wrote to them to come and read our framework which will unite us because no one can lie to you. If we do not unite, we will not win this fight," Mwesigwa said.

To their dismay, however, only JEEMA and ANT parties turned up while the parties that failed to make it promised to check out the framework.

Mwesigwa said they had gone as far as formally writing to opposition parties to provide time for their teams to present the framework of the proposal but to date, there has been no response.

"We understand that building trust takes time but at the same time, if there is good faith, the parties seeking to unite should engage in the discussions that can build unity," he said.

The aim of unifying the opposition is to field one flag bearer chosen from a selection of individuals to face against the NRM come 2021.

Mwesigwa said all the political parties would focus on campaigning for the selected representative countrywide, serve for only one term and allow others to take up the seat.

The party aims to continue trying to engage the other party members in the next few weeks ahead of the delegates' conference that is due in February 2020.

"If we want to change power without shedding blood, we need to unite, hold each other's hands. We need to unite, choose one leader and we all campaign together," Mwesigwa added.

Mwesigwa said they expect to hold the delegates' conference after they have been able to engage all opposition parties so that they present a clear message and position to the party's highest decision making organ.

He however stated that if their colleagues do not show clear commitment towards the building of a united opposition front, they will go ahead and prepare their candidates for all the positions and present them to the country.

Mwesigwa added that the party was continuing to mobilize and strengthen the party structures countrywide. He said they have been to Gulu, Masaka, Jinja as well as Kalangala, and they have plans in place to reach more places.

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