NRM party chairman and President of Uganda, H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has called on political parties in Uganda to set aside their political differences and work together to promote peace and stability in the country. This was revealed by the President on his Twitter platform soon after he met Secretaries-General of political parties that coalesce under the Interparty Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD). The meeting was held at State House Entebbe on Wednesday.
IPOD is a platform founded to structure multiparty dialogue in the country. Since its formation more than 8 years ago, the platform has facilitated participating parties to continuously enhance their internal decision-making structures in order to bring coherent party positions to the forum. IPOD’s central principle of operating on a consensus-based system is translating into more collaborative behaviour between the parties, indicating a wider political shift towards a democratically-minded political culture.
According to Frank Rusa IPOD has contributed to the rich discourse of diverse opinion in order to foster the much needed consensus on pertinent national issues. “The IPOD platform is a safe space to promote important and honest discussions between political parties at the highest levels.
IPOD, which includes JEEMA, the Democratic Party (DP), the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC), the National Unity Platform and the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), supports vibrant multiparty democracy in Uganda. Under IPOD parties have engaged in dialogue with the Uganda Electoral Commission (IC) ahead of elections in 2021. IPOD has also in the past been mandated by the Prime Minister’s office to assist in coordination of the National Dialogue Initiative, aimed at securing consensus on electoral reforms between Uganda’s parties.
After the Wednesday meeting, President Museveni called for review of the law to exclude political parties that have refused to actively participate. “Also, this is a forum to sort out our issues and should bring together all the parties represented in the parliament. However, others do not want to cooperate, I think such parties should not qualify for government funding under IPOD arrangement. There should be a law somewhere,” Mr Museveni wrote on twitter.