Iganga, (UG):- Uganda’s oldest political party – the Democratic Party (DP) has embarked on a countrywide party mobilization through membership registration and renewal as the party eyes the upcoming delegates’ conference where party members will decide on leadership renewal. The mobilization involves issuing party membership cards to DP members.
According to DP Secretary General, Hon Dr Gerald Siranda, the countywide exercise is intended to separate the members of the party from well-wishers and supporters and this will result in leadership renewal as members will qualify to vote or be voted in the party grassroot structures.
While engaging DP leaders and members in Iganga district over the weekend, Hon Siranda stressed that all members will be registered according to the party constitution which doesn’t have room for life membership. He delivered forms that will be used in the exercise by Iganga DP leaders.
“We have told them that all members, both new and old members, must be registered according to chapter two sections 4 and section 5 of our party constitution. There is no life membership and we are doing this to separate the members of the party, the well-wishers and supporters,” said Hon Siranda.
He said they have since been in Bugisu, Sebei, Bukedi and other areas citing that a number of people are running after this process and they are sometimes working during night hours. The party has reportedly been engaging the chairpersons in meetings and in mobilization but they have also engaged the youths.
“This is a very important process because it will give us two things; leadership renewal that will energize and awaken the party and it will lead us to those who will qualify to be voted in terms of our party grass root structures, but also to vote in the party processes and this process eventually will give us the new leadership structure which will end up at the national delegate conference in September.”
Sirada added that DP is also targeting Northern Uganda specifically in Lango sub-region, Gulu, Karamoja and West Nile before proceeding to western Uganda starting with Bunyoro sub-region, Toro, Kigezi and Ankole and the party has since launched the exercise in Central region specifically for Kampala district.
The party also pointed out the challenges of facilitating their members to carry out the exercise as well as others like rain. There are destructors reportedly coming from Kampala citing that their members in the eastern region won’t entertain confusion as they are building a united party.
“The challenge has been working and supporting them financially, especially in districts like Namayingo which has islands. It has been raining in Bugisu sub-region and this has been challenging to us, as well as destructors who come from the central region specifically from Kampala who want to destroy our people we have continued to engage them to listen to them but be vigilant of any confusion,” Dr. Siranda said.
He also added that; “You might disagree with our leadership, with Mao, with Siranda, with Mbidde and the rest but this process; we want a united process because it can only give us one thing, a united party with one register.”
He said the party is peaceful with a message of peaceful transition of power, National reconciliation, National unity and National dialogue and they target to unite Busoga sub region which has been divided along a lot of lines and asked people to join them in eradicating the radicalism and ensure unity.
The Democratic Party now joins the rest of the political parties that have embarked on a process of engaging their party members in grass-roots registration and mobilization after the NRM, ANT, and NUP launched their election road maps recently.
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