DP bloc excommunicates Mao from party; he fires back

Members of the Democratic Party bloc to which party president Norbert Mao belongs have excommunicated him following his appointment as the Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs.

Mao was on Thursday appointed minister in President Museveni’s government after an agreement between the ruling NRM party and opposition Democratic Party(DP).

Several other members of the opposition party are destined to be appointed in positions in government.

Addressing journalists on Friday, the DP bloc chairperson, Walter Lubega Mukaaku said it was appalling to see Mao enter into agreement with the ruling government without their consent.

“It is foolhardy for Mao and Gerald Siranda to contemplate that they can serve interests of the DP bloc and the NRM at the same time.  Because of that, we have taken an uncompromising decision to work closely with the organs of the party to effect the due process of reliving that group of their party positions in the party,” Mukaaku said.

The DP bloc chairperson noted that they will further impose several sanctions against Mao and his group that appended signature to the deal with NRM.

“We are going to recall and strip Mao and Siranda of all honours, accolades and awards so far accorded. We are to ban them from attending DP bloc and all opposition activities, isolate them and also ban them from attending all political, social, cultural and religious events,” Mukaaku said.

He revealed that the duo will not be allowed to attend weddings, funeral rights, birthday parties and church services among others.

Former Buikwe South MP, Bayiga Lulume said Mao did the unthinkable when he “sold” the oldest party in the country to the ruling NRM .

This, he said is unprecedented and cannot be allowed to stand.

“Here is a gullible president who prefers to be a bed fellow with the same junta he has been fighting and opposing for many years.  This however explains why the opposition has been failing at all things it has been doing. We had a mole within us. His departure is a sigh of relief as he has finally gone where he belongs,” Lulume said.

“We can rebuild and get back out DNA together. We can build our structures and get our party back to the correct line. Now that the mutant gene which causes cancer has been removed, the normal tisues can grow and body grows back to normal life.”

Lulume said by doing the unthinkable, Mao set the party on a very dangerous track that would see its current Members of Parliament thrown out of the August House.

“The constitution says that it is impossible, unless in the fourth year of the term for a member of Parliament to cross from party to the other or else they lose their position and a fresh election be organized. What Mao and group did means that the nine DP MPs be thrown out of parliament. It also means DP members will now be sitting on the side of government in parliament which we are not ready to do.”

The group however noted that the only way out is throwing Mao and his group out of the party for sanity to prevail.

“He has crossed the line and now belongs to the NRM dictatorship against us who are opposing them. His cessation of DP membership is automatic. He can no longer continue to be our member. He has two choices, come back to us or leave.”

Mao fires back

However, speaking after being vetted on Friday afternoon, Mao dismissed the requests by the DP bloc members and other party members as mere talk.

“I have heard voices asking me to step aside but I think the reason is not cooperation agreement but would for instance  have been that I am too busy. I would have listened to it because it would be reasonable. The venomous outbursts I have heard show that many of our members have not yet internalized the implications of this cooperation agreement. The constitution of DP and the cooperation agreement are not mutually exclusive. It is important that DP has a leadership which is committed to those issues. . I continue discharging my duties as the president of the Democratic Party,” Mao said in response.

It remains to be seen what will happen next to Mao and his position and career in the opposition Democratic Party.