IPOD petitions Rugunda over opposition oppressions

POLITICS    POLITICAL PARTIES

KAMPALA - The Inter-party Organization for Dialogue (IPOD) under the FDC leadership is set to meet the Prime minister, Dr Ruhakana Rugunda over violence meted out at the opposition by security agencies.

In the recent past, the police have allegedly camouflaged Under the Public Order Management Act (POMA) and violently quelled opposition meetings, causing outrage among leaders in different political parties and movements.

Last week, Parliament Speaker, Rebecca kadaga at the behest of opposition chief whip, Ssemujju Nganda, blasted police for using excessive force against the opposition. She wondered whether Uganda was ready for the coming 2021 general election.

It is upon this background that IPOD pushed for a meeting with Dr Ruhakana Rugunda to urgently address these issues before kick start.

"This meeting which should reassert the right interpretation of the POMA which was arrived at between IPOD and Dr Rugunda in 2015, has been necessitated by the continuing violence against the opposition ahead of the general elections," Ssemujju said.

While addressing the press at their head offices in Najjanankumbi on Monday, Ssemujju stated that in 2015, Rugunda, Attorney General Fred Ruhindie, Shadow Attorney General Abdu Katuntu and Police agreed on the interpretation of POMA and Rugunda was supposed to come up with regulations but this had been in vain.

Ssemujju said the police has continuously violated and arrested opposition leaders where recently, Former FDC party president Kizza Besigye was captured by police in Jinja and his car taken by a breakdown at the hotel where he had stayed overnight.

"They attempted to unlawfully disperse our meetings, arrest our leaders, because I briefed the media and we had also informed the police about our caravan that had gone to eastern Uganda," Ssemujju said.

In the same week, Hon Kyagulanyi Ssentamu's consultative meeting was raided by police as he was coming from Buganda Road Court in Kampala.

When FDC party leaders and members last week hit the roads to Eastern Uganda for mobilizations and celebrations of their anniversary, Ssemujju said: "They consumed the violence of the police, UPDF and LDUs." 

Ssemujju said the party Secretary-General, Nathan Nandala Mafabi, was having a meeting with other opposition Secretary Generals and representatives to decide on some of the issues that they would table to Rugunda for discussion.

He noted that this might be the last attempt FDC makes in meeting the government. He explained that if the meeting fails to yield any results, they will be forced to engage in other means.

Ssemujju also noted that these violent acts were paralyzing them from being productive as the leaders of IPOD. He stated that it was not possible for them to have productive dialogues with the other parties when FDC is still operating in a tense and violent atmosphere.