National Reconciliation

Press Release

National Reconciliation Is An Obligation

UPC sees an impending national disaster unless and until this country moves urgently in the path of peace and reconciliation. During our campaigns we made national reconciliation as a cornerstone of our manifesto and campaign strategy. UPC sees the need for national reconciliation as a most urgent item that the new government and Parliament must tackle as a priority. We advocate for an establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
If national stability is to be attained and improvements in the standard of living are to be realised then we as Ugandans cannot shy away from the urgency of national reconciliation. If the government continues to act in a unilateral and arrogant manner as it did with regards to the decision to close the camps announced on the radio by the army, it will only further aggravate the north-south divide.
There are many issues which are currently aggravating the north-south divide such as marginalisation in areas such as economic activities, education, civil service employment and power supply. Whereas in the south there is what can be determined as load shedding, throughout northern Uganda there is a virtual perpetual blackout!
In the new government and new Parliament, UPC expects that the government will appreciate that the era of one Party dictatorship is over and that there will be more consultation with other stakeholders and other affected people before major decisions that impact on people's lives are made and implemented. If power belongs to the people, they must truly be made to participate in the decision making on matters important to them.
Unfortunately we see that such matters are mostly left for the army to make decision on and implement, e.g. the dismantling of the IDP camps and the resettlement of the inmates. We have received information that soldiers are rounding up inmates in Otuke IDP camps and forcing them to go home. This is unacceptable in a multiparty political environment. It shows clearly that the dismantling of the camps was not well planned nor well thought out.

UPC Internal Reconciliation

Just as UPC is advocating for national reconciliation, we are also pursuing internal reconciliation. Between members inter se and between members and the Party. UPC recognizes the effect of past 20 years ban on political Party activities was to render Party organs dysfunctional nationwide resulting into disagreement among members and indiscipline in the Party. Some member became disaffected and left the Party for other Parties and others became hostile to the Party establishment.
To reverse this development and after constitutional order was established in the Party, the Party has established a Presidential Reconciliation Committee to help those who feel aggrieved to reconcile with the Party. Party members who wish to reconcile with the Party and/or with fellow Party members are hereby encouraged to do so without any preconditions set by the Party or any such affected member.
The procedure for reconciliation is that a Party member who seeks reconciliation can return to the Party by reporting to his/her branch leader or Presidential Reconciliation Committee and declaring his/her intention to return to the Party. The branch Chairman will then communicate the member's return to the Constituency Executive. Once that is done the Party member is free to participate in all Party activities including elections to Party offices as and when they fall due.
A Party member who has joined any other Party should publicly renounce his/her membership of the other Party as part of his/her return process to the UPC.
With regard to persons who were elected as Independents in all elective offices, the law is that they cease to belong to their former political parties. If they want to return to their political parties they must first resign their seats and contest afresh as Party candidates.
For those who regard themselves as "UPC Independents" and would wish to reconcile with the Party and return home they should indicate in confidence their desire to do so to the Presidential Reconciliation Committee. They will then be advised of the pragmatic means of achieving such reconciliation within the law and Party Constitution.
For all this process of reconciliation to proceed smoothly and achieve a true and meaningful reconciliation, Party leaders at all levels and affected members should desist from engaging in attacks against each other or against the Party leadership or against the Party.
Finally, the entire process of reconciliation should be carried out with due regard to and strict adherence to the provisions of the Party Constitution and the law. Reconciliation should go hand in hand with Party discipline and lawful behaviour.

For God and my Country

Miria Kalule Obote

PRESIDENT