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FDC boss calls for unity as mourners heckle Alaso
What you need to know:
- Earlier on, Ms Alaso declined a welcoming hand from her successor Adoa, to wave to her former electorates.
- FDC party president, Patrick Amuriat, said the petty fights that have preoccupied local politics in Teso should be buried and a new dawn of togetherness be embraced.
SERERE: Drama ensued at the burial of the mother to the former Serere County MP on Tuesday as mourners who welcomed the call for unity from the FDC party president Patrick Amuriat heckled the former FDC party secretary general Alice Alaso at her home turf for allegedly maligning her competitor in the last 2016 elections of using witchcraft at polling stations.
The burial of Maliamu Iwonyu, the mother to Stephen Ochola, the former Serere County MP, had started without any incident, until when Alice Alaso, was ushered in to deliver Gen Mugisha Muntu’s condolences to the mourners. When her utterances seemingly hurt some mourners, they started heckling her.
Ms Alaso said that it was unfortunate that, every polling station in Serere County, and some cattle markets had rituals performed around them ahead of 2016 elections. Ms Alaso lost to Helen Adoa of NRM.
“We should pray, what was done in our polling stations, and trading centres is not pleasing,” she told dissenting voices of mourners in Adipala village, Atira Sub County, Serere District.
Ms Alaso said, as much as her rival called for unity, like others, “My neck is still held with a rope, you can’t call for unity, when you are still demanding for court payments from me over the election petition, I have a rope on my neck over the court issue.”
“You call me your sister here, but away from here, you bother me with calls of having the election petition charges paid, is that sisterhood,” Alaso added.
Responding to the FDC party president (Patrick Amuriat)’s call for unity, Ms Alaso said their contribution while in FDC should be recognized and immortalised in every public space.
“On May 22 we shall be launching our new party, but we shall continue working with FDC, we share the same goal, and those who intend to go to heaven have to work together,”
Earlier on, Ms Alaso declined a welcoming hand from her successor Adoa, to wave to her former electorates.
FDC party president, Patrick Amuriat, said the petty fights that have preoccupied local politics in Teso should be buried and a new dawn of togetherness be embraced.
He said irrespective of our party affiliation, the key denominator for Teso should be development.
“When I took to contest, every nasty word was said about me, but I never looked back, I come here, I know Stephen Ochola is my party member who has not left yet, we built the party together,” Mr Amuriat said.
Reverend David Epongu, who led prayers at the sendoff of Maliamu Iwonyu, said the call for unity by the party president is timely, “I look at the day, when I will reconcile these two daughters of Serere.”
He said multiparty democracy has “caused some confusion, injured us. What I know of it is to work together but now it’s confusing us.”
“Let’s talk the truth, the truth is disappearing from Teso, one of the characteristics of God is truth,” Mr Epongu said.
Mr Michael Engunyu, LC5 chairman Soroti District welcomed the call for unity, saying irrespective of our parties, all people remain Ugandans.
