Jinja: Recently, the DP Bloc ended their cooperation with the leading opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) on grounds of individualism and political party dictatorship. The national leadership of the BLOC has now extended the move to various parts, mobilizing the body members to cease the relationships with the NUP party.
While meeting members of the DP BLOC in Busoga region over the weekend, during a media interface under the theme, ‘Ending cooperation with NUP’, Michael Mabike, the chairman of the Bloc elaborated on the dirty practices conducted by the NUP party members that could not attract cooperation.
In the meeting attended by Dr Swaib Kaggwa Nsereko, the spokesperson of Justice Forum (JEEMA), Antony Kiwanka, a Democratic party historical from Jinja city among others, Mabike urged opposition political parties in Busoga region to distance from individualization of political parties and opposition dictatorship.
Mabikke said individualisation of political parties and dictatorship from the leading NUP killed the principles and ideologies of the people power, a driving force into the revolutionary struggle for leadership from the National Resistance Movement (NRM).
The renowned Democratic Party (DP) diehard highlighted that NUP had violated the two core principles of division of power and togetherness by opposition parties thus leading to opposition dictatorship which has killed the opposition and its representation at various leadership elective levels.
“If one speaks negative about NUP or its principle, then you’re termed as not a member of the opposition. This has created individualization and dictatorship in the opposition, yet our main goal is the struggle for power against the ruling party, which we have been opposing for 18 years since 2006,” he said.
DP BLOC is an initiative of political parties like the social democratic party, Platform for the Truth, and justice pressure with people’s development party, which joined NUP in 2020 for successful parliamentary campaigns in 2021 general elections.
Mabikke further stated that through reviving the people power agenda via the DP BLOC, they have to critically assess and analyse people who want to contest for the presidential leadership in the opposition, emphasizing that this should be through a one on one front model which he said will help in the struggle.
One on one front model is where the DP BLOC with the unity of political parties they identify with proper assessment a strong candidate for a particular electoral post to be fronted against the NRM candidate to win majority votes.
“As we revive our agenda of the opposition under the DP BLOC, we are looking at the one on one front model of the opposition against NRM to win the majority votes because we shall have ended the political party individualism and opposition dictatorship,” he said.
He said this will give a chance to all political leaders to win elective posts depending on their support in a particular area. This he said should also start with the identification of quality and value leaders from grassroots levels of Village chairperson to national levels.
He noted that this leaders once the leaders are identified they will be groomed into leaders who can actively lobby for their areas and also follow parliamentary proceeds by deliberating in English
Walter Mukaaku Lubega, a member of the praesidium and president of the social democratic party, said that through this dialogue, it’s a way of reuniting and strengthening the opposition and also create leadership space.
“At the start while creating people power with a purpose to win a single vote started with a by election of Paul Mwiri in Jinja east constituency when he was still in FDC by then, later moved to Bugiri municipality were Asuman Basalirwa won the majority votes. However, this later collapsed after individualization of the opposition,” he noted.
He noted that “It’s now time to know our problems and as we detest state power capture and opposition dictatorship because we still have a leadership vacuum.”
It is worth noting that the NUP party recently lashed what they described as purported individuals claiming to be the drivers of the DP Bloc. In their statement, NUP clarifies that the said persons have never been in any cooperation with the leading opposition party.
