IPOD stranded as major funders close taps

The Interparty Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) yesterday revealed that their major funder, the Democratic Government Facility (DGF), will be closing its operations in Uganda by December while the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy may not be in position to fund the political parties’ platform.

This was announced by Mr Richard Todwong, the chairperson of IPOD and secretary general of the National Resistance Movement party, during a meeting with Mr Norbert Mao, the minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs in Kampala.

“The Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy on the other hand may not be in position to continue its support [to] IPOD secretariat since it has been under immense pressure from the diaspora chapter of National Unity Platform (NUP), which has staged various demonstrations at its head office and at the Dutch Parliament, demanding that the Institute stops support to IPOD,” said Mr Todwong.

He added: “The activities of IPOD in the past have been supported by development partners, with a general support from Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy. Various programmes to support capacity strengthening of the political parties have been funded by DGF consortium of seven European partners.”

He also noted that the government increased the funding to IPOD from Shs10 billion to Shs35 billion in the Financial Year 2021/22 as recommended by the summit.

Mr Todwong also revealed that only four parties - Jeema, NRM, DP and PPP - have joined IPOD, leaving out National Unity Platform and FDC .

Members
 “FDC is still consulting on their participation. NUP has declined to join the forum. UPC has indicated that it is willing to sign, if there can be some clarification on the fate of unimplemented resolutions from the previous IPOD summit.”

IPOD leaders have called for amendment to the Political Parties and Organisation Act to accommodate the agreed positions on allocation of public funding to political parties, and that the ministry of Finance and Electoral Commission be directed to pay outstanding arrears in accordance with the law.

Mr Mao applauded IPOD for bringing the different political parties together under the platform.

He said he has requested an appointment to meet the President to discuss his first ministerial statement so as to include the different views.

“The ministerial statement to Parliament will be detailed, we will capture all the ideas that are in your statement,” Mr Mao said.

Mr Mao urged the NUP activists abroad to propose something rather than opposing everything.

“Whether you’re an activist or not, you have your only country Uganda because after you have demonstrated in Hague, you get on a plane and come back to Entebbe,” he said.

But Mr Waiswa Alex Mufumbiro, the deputy spokesperson of NUP, said they will not relent in their decampaigning of IPOD.

“… its funds are being used to abuse rights of Ugandans and massage the dictator, it’s part of the NUP foreign policy, we are proud of it that finally the international community has responded to our call and we have indicated that we are not part of IPOD and we never received any money,” he said.