The Democratic Party (DP) has condemned politics of stigmatization, tribalism, violence and ostracizing people with whom one does not share political beliefs.
While addressing journalists on Tuesday, DP spokesperson Okoler Opio Lo Amanu said that such a kind of playing politics is killing the country’s spirit and culture.
“This (kind of politics) has subsisted for quite some time now, it is taking centre stage of our body politic. It is bad, it is breaking our cultural establishments and breaking our cultural norms,” Okoler said.
Okoler’s comments come at a time when Uganda’s media space has been littered with tribal sentiments and comments from various political players across the divide with opposing sides accusing each other.
Recently, renowned crusaders of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and artistes Catherine Kusasira and Ibrahim Mayanja were stopped from attending the burial of fellow artiste and National Unity Platform (NUP) mayor Mathias Walukagga.
Kitgum Woman MP Dr Lillian Aber also recently, while appearing on the Next Big Talk said that NUP leaders will not be allowed to attend the burial of deceased speaker Jacob Oulanyah if they do not apologise for the demonstrations in the US.
DP’s mouthpiece said that this is very bad for the country and needs to be stopped.
“Why would one even think of stopping another from attending a burial ceremony? at worst, why would mourners chase away fellow mourners with whom they do not share political views? This is not African! We do relish “ubuntu” in Africa,” Okoler added.
DP however does not come with clean hands either, as the DP president general Nobert Mao has recently come under fire over radical comments and accusations against the NUP.
The DP spokesperson said that these things, unfortunately, happen in the silence of opinion leaders, political and apolitical.
He called upon cultural leaders as the custodians of culture, and religious leaders to speak out otherwise the country is headed for destruction.
