The Ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has registered their disappointment with the failure by the opposition Forum for Democratic Change’s failure to attend today’s summit organised by Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) saying it undermines principles of democracy.
Speaking at the meeting, NRM’s Secretary General, Justine Kasule Lumumba stated that FDC had missed a great opportunity to raise political issues they believe are of contention.
“You don’t leave the field until you have scored. When you leave, you do not score. I call upon my colleagues in FDC to know that whatever may not be going on well, they needn’t leave the field,” she said.
“This was an opportunity for you to come and raise your issues to the person, the Commander-in-chief. So, leaving it for JEEMA, NRM, UPC and DP to speak for you yet you who have felt it more, can explain it better are there, does not add up,” she noted.
Lumumba further applauded government for freeing multipartism in the country, but also asked for a programme that can enable political parties in the country to work upon developing internal mechanisms of democracy. This, she said, will reduce on the number of Independent candidates in the country.
“Here, we are talking about the issue of Independents in Parliament, but Independents came up because of weaknesses within our political parties,” said Lumumba.
On the recent disqualification of the DP and NRM candidates in the Busia by-elections, Lumumba said NRM was hurt the most.
On November 23, the Electoral Commission disqualified Hasubi Deogratius Njoki (DP) and Paul Boniface Oguttu (NRM) from the race on grounds of discrepancies in the names they presented for the nomination.
“It is not fair for you to say that NRM disqualified your candidate and that is not the spirit that were here for. I would like to request whoever is harbouring such sentiments to know that we have bigger pain than DP and that is democracy,” she noted.
“It is so painful to be the the ruling party, the mass party and your candidate is disqualified,” she added.
Principals Yoweri Museveni, Jimmy Akena, Norbert Mao and Asuman Basalirwa concluded their side talks at Speke Resort Munyonyo.