DP invites defectors for talks

The Democratic Party (DP) has summoned all its party members who were nominated by Electoral Commission on independent tickets for reconciliation talks or risk losing party membership.

The party national spokesperson, Okoler Opio Lo Amanu, said a member of DP to contest as independent against a party candidate is contrary to the provisions of the party constitution.

"Elections are not a do or die thing. You can contest today, and you leave tomorrow for another person. We call on all members in the party who were nominated as independent candidates to come back and we share how best we take the leadership of the country together," he said.

Amanu made the remarks while addressing journalists during the party's weekly press briefing at City House in Kampala on Tuesday.

DP says over 160 of their members have been nominated to contest for MP seats in the recently concluded exercise countrywide.

Amanu, however, said as they celebrate this success, they are trying to solve two cases in Lira Municipality and Aruu North where their candidates were not nominated due to different circumstances.

"Our secretariat is working with the Electoral Commission (EC) to see that the two candidates are nominated before it is too late," he explained.

Amanu warned all non-DP aspirants who are using party symbols of the hoe and fist on their election posters to stop the act, branding it illegal.

"There is a new breed of candidates who are independent, but are politically dependent on political institutions and their symbols for support," he said.

DP expressed dissatisfaction with the way EC funds for political parties are distributed, saying they should not be distributed on account on numerical strength in Parliament.

"We believe that any party that has got representation in Parliament should receive the money of an equal percentage if the move is to benefit all political parties equally," Amanu said.

He said NRM's taking the lion's share of the money affects the participation of other political parties as they will have less resources due to the limited funding.

At the same briefing, the party called on the Government to allow labour externalisation companies to resume work so as to prevent human trafficking.

On March 20, the labour ministry, following the presidential directive on COVID-19 pandemic, suspended labour externalisation.

DP says many unemployed people and those whose capital was depleted by the circumstances cannot travel abroad to work.

"This is going to create an opportunity for human traffickers. Many people are desperate to go to work and support their families. Now that the Government is still closing the legal way of travelling abroad for work, many will offer themselves to be trafficked," Amanu said.

He said as the Government contemplates the reopening of labour externalisation services it should establish a formidable strategy to prevent human trafficking.

Amanu demanded that a method to track Ugandans at their places of work in the Arab world be put in place by the Government.