We can exist without your money! NUP, FDC tell off Museveni and IPOD

Opposition political parties-National Unity Platform (NUP) and Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) have told off President Yoweri Museveni that their establishments can exist even without receiving money from government and Interparty Organization for Dialogue (IPOD).

While meeting with the Secretaries-General of political parties that coalesce under IPOD at State House Entebbe on Wednesday, President Museveni proposed that there is a need to emend a law that bars political parties that have refused to actively take part in IPOD activities from accessing funding.

He said that there is no reason why eligible political parties that have refused to participate in IPOD activities should continue to receive funding from the government or IPOD.

“Also, this is a forum to sort out our issues and should bring together all the parties represented in the parliament. However, others do not want to cooperate, I think such parties should not qualify for government funding under the IPOD arrangement. There should be a law somewhere,” Mr Museveni said.

However, on Thursday the FDC Spokesperson, Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda informed President Museveni that they don’t receive money because of IPOD but they receive it because it’s under the law governing political parties in Uganda.

“We don’t receive this money because of IPOD but it’s the law (the Political Parties and Organizations (amendment) act, 2020, so Mr Museveni wants us to join his tea party group to fool us. We shall never do that. Even if he asks Parliament to amends this act, we shall not join it and we can exist without that money,” the Kira Municipality legislator said.

Joel Ssenyonyi the spokesperson of NUP, in the same way, also told President Museveni that their party will never join what he called the tea club that helps the latter to fool the western countries that he can seat and negotiate with those opposing his government yet in an actual sense nothing agreed on has ever been implemented.

“We don’t receive this money because we are members of the IPOD, we receive this money because we are a political party that has representatives right from Parliament down to the last office of public administration. We cannot join IPOD because ever since its formation it’s only helping Mr Museveni. If he wants to let them amend the law, we can go on without their money,” Ssenyonyi said.

Under the Political Parties and Organizations (amendment) act, 2020, parties receive over Shs 30bn of which National Resistance Movement (NRM) takes the lion’s share, followed by NUP, FDC, Democratic Party, the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC). JEEMA and Peoples’ Progressive party.