Inter Party Cooperation is dead – Mao

By David Livingston Okumu (email the author)
Posted Tuesday, August 10 2010 at 00:00
Democratic Party Presidential Candidate Nobert Mao has said he will defeat the Inter Party Cooperation, when they elect their flag bearer for the coming presidential elections.“I am waiting for the IPC to first finish their top most election then I will start to weaken them like I have done the NRM party,” Mr Mao, who was canvassing support in Acholi sub region, said on Saturday.
“I told them before that the idea of the IPC would not work because there is already internal bickering in the coalition.”
Strong supportWithout elaborating, Mr Mao said the IPC platform is ‘already dead’. The IPC is a loose coalition of the opposition parties in Uganda. It brings together Forum for Democratic Change, Justice Forum, Social Democratic Party, Uganda Peoples Congress and the Conservative Party. The idea was spearheaded by FDC under their president, Col. Kizza Besigye.
Unclear objectivesThe DP, which is the most dominant opposition party in Buganda, has not joined the IPC ahead of next year’s general elections, saying the alliance’s objectives are not clear.
DP’s national executive committee also argued that past alliances had weakened rather than strengthened it. Mr Mao observed that the DP has strong support in Buganda as a traditional party but would ensure that it equally gets mammoth support in northern Uganda.
On Uganda Peoples Congress party joining of IPC, Mr Mao said Mr Olara Otunnu, the party’s president, blundered because they would not benefit from the alliance.