BY ARTHUR ARNOLD WADERO
The Chairperson of the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) Mr Richard Todwong has asked Ugandans to desist from tarnishing the image of the fallen Speaker Jacob Oulanyah insisting that focus should be placed on lauding his works.
Mr Todwong who also doubles as the Secretary-General of the ruling party National Resistance Movement (NRM) instead urged the citizens to build on what the former Speaker kick-started in the course of building synergies for not only for the wellbeing of the country but also purposes of cohesion.
“We call upon members of the public to mourn with decent [and] give him the maximum respect that he deserves in death just like he deserved in life,” Mr Todwong said shortly after signing the condolence book at Parliament.
He added: “We call upon people who are paying tribute to him to be mindful of his family that he has left behind. To be mindful of his legacy, we don’t want anything that will tarnish his image or affect his family.”
The remarks were made yesterday at Parliament as the Secretary Generals of various parties comprise the membership of the IPOD. These included Mr Gerald Siranda (Democratic Party), Mr Jonathan Ebil (Uganda People’s Congress), Mr Harold Kaija (Forum for Democratic Change) among others.
Mr Todwong’s remarks come at a time when sections of the public are said to be engaged in an ethnic exchange majorly between communities inclined to the Northern and parts of the central region of the country.
The major blow in the rife between the people of the Acholi community took a twist after Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo took a swipe at the Kabaka of Buganda during the vigil held at the fallen Speaker’s residence in upscale Muyenga, South of Kampala.
This later saw sections of the public including politicians take to social media platforms to condemn Chief Justice Dollo for his remarks with some such as the Mukono Municipality Member of Parliament Ms Betty Nambooze demanding that the Chief Justice retracts his statement and apologise to the Buganda Kingdom.
In the latest development, Chief Justice Owiny-Dollo has since issued a written apology to the Kabaka of Buganda.
