Democratic Party (DP) has warned the Government of legal consequences in the event that security forces raid their headquarters under the guise of impounding the Party’s ‘Green Beret’ political regalia.
For a long time, the Party founded in 1954 has been using a hoe as its symbol. At the beginning of this year, however, they added the ‘Green Beret’ in their political wardrobe, something that pundits have argued was geared at upstaging their National Unity Platform (NUP) rivals.
Last week, NUP’s Kamwokya base was raided by a combined force of military and police officers who impounded droves of the Party’s signature ‘Red Berets’ and other campaign materials.
Explicitly, Police Spokesperson Fred Enanga said that the exercise aimed at deterring civilians from the manufacture, sale and distribution of military paraphernalia as gazetted on September 18, 2019.
The shrewd DP Spokesperson, Okoler Opio Lo Amanu, has since retaliated and warned that should such a thing occur to the DP, they will have no option but to drag the Government to court.
“Let them come for us, if they really think that what we are doing is illegal. Democratic Party is the fountain of highly rich or in possession of an opulence of legal skills. We shall take them to court and sue them,” Okoler notified authorities.
Until that happens, he vowed that they will not drop their Green Beret insignia due to state threats.
“Well it is not a matter of being afraid or not. You see, when you know you are doing the right thing or when you know you are doing is something that falls within your rights, why must you get scared,” Okoler stated.
Apparently, he intimated that the party, together with NUP colleagues, was considering lodging a public interest case to deal with the banning of the Red Berets.
According to section 164 C of the Uganda People’s Defense Forces Act, anyone who wears or uses decorations meant for the army is liable to imprisonment not exceeding seven years upon conviction.
The post Beret War: DP Warns Security Forces against Targeting their 'Green Beret' first appeared on ChimpReports.