The secretary generals of political parties with representation in parliament will this Wednesday meet Prime Minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda in an effort to harmonize political issues ahead of the 2021 general elections.
This meeting will be held under the auspices of the Inter Party Organization for Dialogue (IPOD). The meeting will be officiated by Secretary General of Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Nathan Nandala Mafabi, the chairman of IPOD Council.
According to FDC party Spokesperson Semujju Nganda, the meeting should re-assert the right interpretation of the Public Order Management Act (POMA) arrived at between IPOD and Dr. Rugunda in 2015, has been necessitated by the continuing violence against the opposition ahead of the elections.
Last week a citizen Ritah Nabukenya was murdered by Police as she traveled to attend a consultative meeting by presidential aspirant Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine. A second citizen Daniel Kyeyune was shot dead by Local Defence Unit as he traveled with Kyagulanyi from the burial of Nabukenya.
“FDC founding President and the People’s President Dr. Kizza Besigye was twice violently arrested as he went to attend FDC events in Jinja. In fact, on the second day, Police raided the hotel where he had stayed overnight and towed him away.” He recounted
He said the meeting might be the last one that the FDC is participating in. “Rugunda on behalf of government, should tell us if his government has now outlawed political competition. He should tell us if multiparty system has now officially been overthrown. The FDC will if the Wednesday meeting fail to find solution, be reluctant to attend any other meeting.” He said.
In 2015 Dr. Rugunda, Attorney General Fred Ruhindie, Shadow Attorney General Abdu Katuntu, Police and Minister of Internal Affairs agreed on the interpretation of POMA. Rugunda was supposed to come up with regulations which he and government have failed to produce. In violently dispersing our meetings, “police is hiding under POMA to disperse gatherings. This game has got to stop. If the Wednesday meeting fails, as FDC we shall engage another gear”
