DP woes: Mao outlines priorities, Lukwago to announce next move
DP president Norbert Mao (in red tie) celebrates with his supporters after his re-election on Sunday at Katomi Country Resort in Wakiso District. Photo by Dominic Bukenya
Kampala- Democratic Party (DP) president-elect Norbert Mao has outlined five priorities to guide his tenure at the oldest party leadership in the country.
In an exclusive interview with Daily Monitor yesterday, Mr Mao, who garnered 898 votes against Buikwe South MP Lulume Bayiga’s 360 in a delegates’ conference organised at the weekend, outlined reconciliation, completing the party’s house and compiling a members’ register as priorities in his tenure.
Mr Mao said he will devote more energy in guiding the party through the ongoing negotiations for the Opposition to pick a candidate to contest against the ruling party flag bearer in the 2016 presidential elections under The Democratic Alliance.
The fifth priority, according to Mr Mao, is to create a directorate of leadership detailing “who reports where”
“All these priorities and sustaining talks with other forces are that we remove this Museveni regime,” Mr Mao said on phone yesterday.
But achieving reconciliation, more so with tribal undertones, may prove to be hard for Mr Mao.
On Sunday, a DP faction led by Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, who shunned the delegates conference demanding that it be postponed until reforms are made, said Mr Mao has failed to respect dissenting views and whoever opposes him is regarded as tribalistic.
“…no party programme was rolled out to take the party a head in preparations to capture national leadership other than verbal tribal attacks aimed at creating hatred against the Baganda yet his elected cabinet is over 95 per cent Baganda…,” Mr Lukwago said at a press conference in Kampala yesterday
Mr Lukwago announced that his group would not fight Mao’s leadership or jostle for party leadership positions but their concerns are to maintain core values of DP and capture national leadership. He announced that the group will roll out a programme tomorrow to forge a way forward.
