EBOLA OUTBREAK IN THE COUNTRY
The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) is saddened with yet another outbreak of deadly Ebola in the country. The FDC therefore joins hands with Ministry of Health in calling for vigilance especially in districts such as Mubende, Kasanda, Kakumiro, Lyantonde and Kisoro where suspected cases have been reported.
The Ebola outbreak is sad for the citizens and the country recovering slowly from the effect of Covid 19 and its related restrictions. The FDC condoles with the 21 families that have lost their dear ones to Ebola and to praying for the quick recovery of those in hospital. The FDC stands with the health workers who usually risk their own lives caring for others.
We ask the population to be vigilant since the symptoms have been revealed to us including; high body temperature, fatigue, chest pain, diarrhea, vomiting, yellowing of eyes and bleeding. It is our personal responsibility to report suspected cases.
The FDC also encourages the population to be compassionate to the victims and their families. Let suspected Ebola patient not be treated like suspected criminals like it happened in the first days of Covid 19 outbreak.
The government has a duty to extend free treatment to all suspected Ebola patients, support their families and communities where the disease has been reported.
The government must also provide all necessary personal protection equipment to our health workers to protect themselves against the disease.
As a party, we do hereby instruct all our branches to participate in and lead awareness campaigns in your communities.
FDC NATIONAL PROGRAMME
The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) would like to inform all its leaders and members that the party National Council will be convened on October 27th and 28th.
The FDC President, Secretary General and Treasurer General will brief Council members and through them, the rest of the FDC fraternity, of the party’s political and financial health. The Council will receive various reports from other top leaders.
The FDC five year (2022-2027) strategic plan will also be presented to the Council for approval and launch.
The Council meeting will be preceded by the one week tour of Buganda which commences on October 18th. The Buganda tour in which the party top leadership will meet district, constituency and sub-county elected leaders, former candidates and branch leaders will conclude post-election regional conferences.
Details regarding attendance and venues will be released in due course.
DIALOGUE WITH OTHER PARTIES
Since its formation, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has been an advocate of national dialogue to resolve political and governance issues that have afflicted our country since independence.
This year, we make 60 years of independence. In these 60 years, the country has not witnessed peaceful transfer of power from one government to another. Almost all former presidents have died in exile. Presidents; Sir Edward Muteesa, Dr. Milton Obote, Id Amin Dada, Gen. Tito Okello, Prof. Yusuf Lule have all died in exile.
Our commitment to a democratic change is what motivated us to participate in all initiatives including the Inter-Party Organization for Dialogue (IPOD), an initiative of the Netherlands Institute for Democracy (NIMD).
We didn’t participate in IPOD because of the computers and training opportunities that they were offering. We did so because it looked a viable vehicle to deliver a peaceful transition that eluded our country for 60 years.
We therefore thank NIMD for their efforts. Forcing Museveni to dialogue was always going to be difficult but we thank NIMD for their effort. There is absolutely no difference between late Gabriel Mugabe and Yoweri Museveni Tibuhaburwa. That is why in FDC, we believe in sustained civic/civil disobedience against this Kleptocracy.
We delayed renewal of our membership to the IPOD because, Museveni wanted to use it as a platform for managing political parties in the country. You can see what happened to UPC. You can see what has happened to DP. Museveni has also started speaking well about JEEMA.
How do we participate in a dialogue of political parties, when majority of our colleagues have already signed in with Museveni?
You now hear newly political wed Justice Minister Nobert Mao suggesting that support to the political parties provided for under the Political Parties and Organizations Act, be pegged to being IPOD members.
In fact we hear that Museveni Museveni is celebrating the departure of NIMD and he wants to take over the IPOD. We will leave it to him with Mao and Akena.
OIL SECTOR
The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) supports all efforts aimed at extracting and selling Uganda’s oil including construction of a refinery, pipeline and other infrastructure.
The country has invested heavily in the oil sector and cannot afford to delay its sale. We have invested EUR 309, 100,259 in the construction of an international airport and over $500 million in roads. We have paid billions in compensation and invested heavily in provision of electricity.
It is for this reason that a high level of transparency is required in this sector. As FDC we welcome any information regarding management of our oil resource. We therefore thank the European Union Parliament for the resolutions it has made regarding compensation, climate and human rights.
All that we expect the Museveni government to do is not to hire demonstrators to storm EU offices in Kampala or swear racial obscene words but to respond to each of the issues that the EU has raised.
As FDC we have picked these issues and our research department will follow them. Let Museveni and his aides not treat oil as an NRM project. This is a national resource that must be managed transparently. People whether black or white must be free to speak about it.
HON. IBRAHIM SSEMUJJU NGANDA
FDC SPOKESPERSON