Africa-Press – Uganda. #ElectionsWatch2021|IPOD|LEADERSHIP
KAMPALA – The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and the Democratic Party (DP) leaders have claimed that the Interparty Organization for Dialogue IPOD was headed for tough times after the National Resistance Movement (NRM) taking over leadership of the dialogue initiative in the run up to the 2021 polls.The NRM party took over the rotational leadership of both the IPOD summit and the council from the Justice Forum (JEEMA) at the event held at Mestil Hotel in Kampala on Tuesday (December 22, 2020).
The DP president general, Nobert Mao used the occasion to accuse NRM of under looking the decisions of IPOD summit meetings at Munyonyo in December 2018 and at Protea Hotel in Entebbe last year.”We went to Munyonyo and Entebbe and agreed that the money that will be released will be appropriated in line with the certain formula. We engaged the Prime Minister and he agreed and it was part of the minute. But when the money was released, you took the lion’s share.
At the summits it was agreed that the government increases funding to parties from Sh10b to Sh35b starting this financial year.In the joint communiqué that was issued, it was agreed that a portion of the money be shared equally to cater for basic administrative costs.
How can NRM shamelessly walk away with Sh12b and give DP only Sh600m, FDC slightly above Sh1b. Your’re thieves and that is not the spirit of IPOD. It is unacceptable, you are undermining IPOD,” Mao said.In October this year, the finance ministry released sh15b for the five political parties under the IPOD. This was for the first and the second quarter of the financial year.
The NRM took Sh12b out of the sh15b, FDC received Sh1.5b, DP got sh600m, Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) sh300m while JEEMA, with one legislator in Parliament, received sh41m.The money was distributed by the Electoral Commission (EC) based on the numerical strength of each party in Parliament.
However, according to Mao it had been agreed that any money released in the relation to elections be shared equally among the parties.”How do you expect us to sit in the summit and trust you ever again? You can’t even build trust on something even that has been agreed,” he said.
Section 14(a) of the Political Parties and Organisations Act, 2005 allows for the government to contribute funds or other public resources towards activities of political parties and organisations with representation in Parliament.The FDC deputy secretary general, Harold Kaija said NRM’s intention of denying the parties financial support is to keep them weak and unable to challenge it for the country leadership.
“They feel if opposition parties are given funds, they will get stronger and be able to compete. So the NRM feels safe when we are weak,” he said.However, the workers’ representative in the NRM’s Central Executive Committee (CEC), James Tweheyo who represented President Yoweri Museveni, the new chairperson of the IPOD summit insisted that the money was shared according to the law but not the formulas agreed on in the discussions.”The money was for the administration of the parties. If money for the campaigns comes, it will be shared equally,” he said.
The NRM party secretary general and the incoming chairperson of the IPOD council, Justine Kasule Lumumba said the reason for government increasing the funding to political parties was to stabilise the politics of the country.”On the issue of sharing the money, we require the interpretation of the law and once we get the interpretation of the law all will settle and the language will tone down. You cannot call others thieves when everything was done under the law,” she said.The UPC president, Jimmy Akena urged members to direct their discussions on pertinent issues other than discussing non-issues. “What is happening is wrong conversation,” Akena said.
Mohammed Katerega, the JEEMA party secretary general and the outgoing secretary of IPOD council disclosed that during their tenure at the helm of IPOD leadership they achieved a lot among others convening seven IPOD council meetings on top of pushing for increased funding for parties. He challenged NRM during its tenure to ensure that it completes the institutionalization of IPOD saying this will deepen multiparty democracy.The country representative of the Netherlands Institute for Multi-Party Democracy (NIMD), Frank Rusa commended JEEMA leadership for steering IPOD through the challenging times caused by Covid-19 and the electoral process.
He urged the incoming leadership to focus on the items that have not been completed due to the prevailing circumstances including the follow up on the Institutionalisation of IPOD, public funding of political parties.”Engage all the key stakeholders to around table to discuss ways of de-escalating political tensions around the upcoming elections to ensure that the electoral process goes ahead in a conducive environment,” he said.Despite disagreements over the money, members recommitted to promote peace during the electoral process.
