Uganda Peoples Congress
National Secretariat
Plot 8-10 Kampala Road, Uganda House,
P. O. Box 9206, Kampala
phone/Fax:+256-41-236748

Inter Party Committee Legitimacy

27 Sep 2006

1. Uganda Peoples Congress in its quest to break the political gridlock our country is trapped in responding to invitation by President of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to meet and talk about how to foster a working democracy in Uganda.
2. The consultation with the President laid a foundation for the establishment of an Inter party Committee as a workable solution to examine the various issues raised in the Memoranda of different political parties.
3. Uganda Peoples Congress as a government- in- waiting believes the Interparty Committee is the most appropriate forum to address several national issues raised in its memorandum and is determined to follow the implementation to its logical conclusion. Issues like Truth and Reconciliation, proper management of economy and natural resources, and the need for a national conference are central to UPC Manifesto.
4. The issue of legality of the Inter Party Committee in terms of its constitution, composition, mission, leadership in relation to the National Consultative Forum established under section 20 of the Political Parties and Organizations Act being raised by other opposition parties not attending the dialogue is not only diversionary but based on erroneous interpretation of the law.
1. There is no law which proscribes the creation of the Inter Party Committee at all. The statements being made by some political leaders that this is illegal is completely wrong and have no foundation in law.
2. The Inter Party Committee is a broader forum for political parties to discuss national issues since is not limited to electoral matters as the National Consultative Forum envisaged in the Constitution and Political Parties and Organization Act.
3. Article 71(2) of the Constitution provides that "Parliament by law prescribes a code of conduct for Political Parties and Organizations and provide fro establishment of a National Consultative Forum for Political Parties and Organizations with such functions as Parliament may prescribe"
4. Parliament did operationalised this constitutional provision by enacting Political Parties and Organizations Act no 18 of 2005 section 20 of PPOA established the National Consultative Forum for Political Parties which shall composed of
1. One representative from every Political Party
2. The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission and his representative
3. The Attorney General
4. The Secretary to the Electoral Commission who shall be the Secretary to the Forum
5. The Inter Party Committee therefore is more democratic and flexible since the chair is rotational among political parties and consensus can easily be achieved as opposed to the National Consultative Forum whose leadership is already determined by law that the Secretary to the Electoral Commission shall be its Secretary section 20(d).
5. The lack of trust and bad blood that exists between some opposition parties and NRM which threatens to tear our country apart should not be a basis for not attending the meeting. UPC believes that no contrived system of governance will succeed in a situation where trust and faith do not exists between political parties.
6. Uganda Peoples Congress will continue to participate in the forum and use it to engage government. No amount of Political mistrusts, reservations and insecurities will deter us from participation.

For God and my Country

Mama Miria Kalule Obote

President, Uganda Peoples Congress