Next IPOD summit to review council resolutions

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The next Inter party Organization for Dialogue (IPOD) summit will be held in May 2019.

This was announced on Wednesday by Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) President, Jimmy Akena at the end of the summit at Speke Resort, Munyonyo. IPOD is currently chaired by UPC.

The next summit which will be under the chairmanship of the Democratic Party-DP will meet to review progress of discussion of issues which were sent back to the IPOD council.

Akena said party presidents during the summit adopted the agenda, made some recommendations and sent it back to the council. The IPOD council is made up of party secretary generals. The council will discuss the issues between January and April 2019.

The summit agenda was centred on four issues; strengthening political parties to enhance their relevance and effectiveness, consolidation of constitutional and electoral reforms, promotion of inclusiveness in national politics especially in relation to the role of youth and women in politics and strengthening democratic governance, human rights and observance of rule of law.

The summit was attended by President, Yoweri Museveni, the National Chairman of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), Democratic Party DP President Norbert Mao, Uganda People’s Congress-UPC faction president, Jimmy Akena, and Justice Forum’s, Asuman Basalirwa are in attendance. But it was snubbed by the largest opposition party, Forum for Democratic Change (FDC).

Museveni applauded the initiative, arguing that he will always be present whenever invited. “I am in this dialogue as a matter of principle and it’s so much welcome. However, the question is, what do we dialogue on? I am surprised that some people have been avoiding dialogue which implies that there is a problem,” he said.

“I am not part of those who don’t want to talk and I have never been. You can’t say you’re a leader but you don’t want to talk, it doesn’t mean that when you talk you agree, it means you’ve put your point across,” he added.

The party presidents did not give details of what they discussed, however, Museveni in his speech hinted on a new model for funding political parties in the country as one way of strengthening the parties.

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