Opposition party officials doubt ruling party’s commitment

Five years late, the National Consultative Forum is finally here after it got off to a bumpy start. Designed to provide a platform through which political parties and organisations liaise with the Electoral Commission (EC), it was, ironically launched with the National Resistance Movement (NRM) being absent.

Article 20(A) of the Political Parties and Organisations (PPOA), provides for a National Consultative Forum to have a chairman nominated from a party with the most representation in parliament—in this case the NRM party.

Sam Rwakojo, the EC secretary, explained to the 28 parties and organisations that attended the launch that the NRM could not be represented because it was holding party primaries. But the absence of even a single NRM representative raised eyebrows. The launch was supposed to be a milestone.

Ssemujja Ibrahim Nganda, the spokesperson of Inter Party Corporation (IPC), which brings together five political parties (the Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC), Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Justice Forum (JEEMA), Conservative Party (CP), and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), wondered why the law had been amended to state that the party with the most representation in parliament chairs the forum. Initially, the leader of the forum had to be elected and decided by the people regardless of party affiliation. Nganda suspects foul play.

With the chairman’s chair empty, the opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party’s Amanya Mushega was nominated as the vice chairperson.

The forum is supposed to determine the relationships of political parties and organisations and how they conduct themselves especially during the election period. At the launch, however, many questioned if there was any value for parties in the opposition. Others questioned why it took so long to become operational.

“At times people put much importance to the establishment of an organisation without caring whether it will perform the duties it has been assigned to do or not,” Nganda said.

Asuman Basalirwa, the JEEMA party president, said he does not think the political parties and organisations will benefit from the forum. He said the political parties and organisations have already endured the problems the forum was intended to avert.

The opposition has witnessed vicious oppression from the state. Opposition party officials have been denied time on state owned media, the right to demonstrate freely, and have been blocked from voicing their views and concerns freely.  Article 67 (2) of the 1995 Uganda constitution states that “No candidate in an election shall be denied reasonable access and use of State-owned communication media”.

Basalirwa said, for example, if it had been established earlier, the Forum would have dealt with the reconstitution of the EC because its re-appointment by President Yoweri Museveni has contributed to most of the demonstrations that have rocked the country since the year began. The independence of the EC is doubted by the opposition parties. They believe it is partial and supports the ruling party.

The forum was a prerequisite under the PPOA that was passed by parliament on March 20, 2002 and became law on July 17, 2002 after being signed by the president on June 2, 2002. It was passed after a long controversial debate about the need to legally regulate the status of political parties in the country after political space was opened for their participation.

Between now and February 2011, when the general elections will be held, Basalirwa predicts that the Forum will be of no help. “Maybe after the elections have been held, shall we be able to see some changes,” he says.

It is six months to the next elections and it is obvious the forum has many issues to address; the most pressing appears to be how to address the opposition’s concern regarding the lack of an independent EC. President Museveni, who is the chairman of the NRM and appoints the EC, has said he will not change its composition.

The launch at Hotel Africana Kampala on Aug. 17 was presided over by Rwakoojo together with all EC commissioners. The EC chairman, Eng. Badru Kiggundu and Rwakoojo, said they would ensure that political parties comply with the code of conduct.

But if the party that is supposed to lead the Forum adopts such hard-line positions, many doubt that it will achieve much.

Nganda told The Independent that the leadership does not matter but what matters is how decisions are arrived at. “If the decisions are arrived at through a consensus by the majority, then I am sure the majority will have a chance to have their views represented ably.”

Basalirwa agrees that if the leader of the forum has good will, then the forum will succeed in addressing the issues that affect the political parties and organisations.  Unfortunately, the leader was absent. 

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