Patrick Amuriat Oboi the FDC party President has revealed that the FDC is likely to boycott the May 15th slated Inter-party for Dialogue (IPOD) summit citing police and military brutality on civilian politicians. Amuriat, says that the boycott will be in protest of continued harassment and disruption of senior party members and their activities. FDC boycotted the first IPOD summit of party leaders held in November last year over the same reasons. The summit was attended by President Museveni, the National Chairman of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party.
IPOD, which brings together political parties represented in parliament, is funded by the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD). Currently, IPOD members are drawn from the DP, NRM, NRM, FDC, UPC and JEEMA. Amuriat says they expected government to scale down harassment after first IPOD summit. FDC’s protests were presented to president Museveni by other opposition party leaders who attended the summit. FDC started countrywide mobilization activities last month, which have heavily been disrupted by police.
IPOD last week condemned police for harassment of party leaders and called for implementation of laws in non-partisan manner. The IPOD Council Chairperson, Gerald Siranda said the actions of police are against the spirit of last year’s IPOD summit, which called for respect of opposition parties when they organize events.
Amuriat, addressing journalists at FDC headquarters in Najjanankumbi on Monday, said the party is planning to also boycott all other donor funded activities if government doesn’t stop harassing them. He said they will take their plight to international community and call for sanctions on Museveni and senior government officials who are at the center of harassing politicians.
Amuriat says FDC will continue with their activities across the country and appealed to Ugandans to rise up against the police and Museveni’s government harassment. Amuriat says FDC will continue confronting anyone who stands in their way. He says they represent peoples’ views like those of Algerians and recently Sudanese who caused change of government through mass protests. IPOD last week announced that together with the Office of the Prime Minister will be hosting a conference next week to discuss dialogue on the implementation of Public Order Management Act (POMA).
Amuriat said FDC will attend the event but don’t expect much from it. “I hope this is going to be a showbiz intended to waste our time and to give false hope. We will give them a benefit of doubt. My suspicion is that nothing will come out of it,” he said. The IPOD summit was first criticized by former Presidential candidate Francis Bwengye Wazarwahi who said that its first failure stage is the involvement of Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda and President Museveni in organization. Bwengye wondered that: “If President Museveni who is the accounting officer is the accused in whatever has gone wrong, then how do you bring him to discuss himself? Is he the one dialoguing you or you dialoguing him? You have started at a weak point and I doubt whether this will yield anything for desperate Uganda where there is no constitutionalism.” For comments, call or text us on 0752510225.
