Otunnu calls for pressure on government

Kampala

Uganda People’s Congress president Olara Otunnu yesterday appealed to all Ugandans to embrace the idea of what he called a national social movement to ‘champion the fight for democracy’ in the country. Mr Otunnu was speaking at a press conference at Christ the King Church in Kampala where he officially declared the exit of UPC from the Inter-Party Cooperation (IPC).

The former UN diplomat said the country is yearning for a change of regime and yet the current electoral process being organised on Mr Museveni’s terms will involve massive fraud and rigging of elections. He said Uganda’s historic moment to get a new regime calls for a singular response – building a national social movement that will insist, among other demands, on genuine free and fair elections, truth-telling and accountability. “Together we must now begin to chart a new path leading to a new Uganda, with a new national compact,” he said.

Mr Otunnu said the national social movement aims to bring together democracy-seeking political parties, civil society, religious organisations, the business community, workers, pressure groups, and youth and women organisations.
“We shall come with our bare hands and overpower the machine of terror,” Mr Otunnu said.

Mr Otunnu continued his attack on other IPC party members – Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Justice Forum (Jeema), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Conservative Party (CP) – for wavering on IPC’s priority to have an independent Electoral Commission and a clean voters’ register before next year’s general elections. “Our IPC partners are now saying: ‘We shall participate knowing full well that the elections are fraudulent and rigged,” he said. “We regret we shall not continue to work under IPC project but shall continue to champion growth of democracy in Uganda through a national social movement.”
Mr Otunnu added: “UPC is preparing and mobilising for elections of 2011. We are not advocating boycott or no elections. Our demand and insistence is that the elections that must take place in 2011 must be free and fair.” But he declined to say whether he will carry the UPC flag in the forthcoming presidential elections, arguing that will be decided later.

The IPC spokesperson Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda yesterday confirmed they received Mr Otunnu’s official letter on withdrawal, but with regrets. But Mr Nganda disagreed with Mr Otunnu on claims that IPC was wavering on their core principles that brought them together.

“Mr Otunnu wanted that we fight for free and fair elections and halt the campaign of electing IPC presidential flag bearer. But we disagreed with him on that. Supposing Mr Museveni, around November, surprises us by appointing a new Electoral Commission, should we start running up and down looking for IPC’s candidate then? It will be too late for us,” Mr Nganda said.