MPs announce move to restore term limits
SOURCE: THE DAILY MONITOR, 18 APRIL 2012
Brain behind amendment: “This year we celebrate 50 years of independence yet we are unsure of how to have another president when election time comes.” Youth MP Karuhanga
IN SUMMARY
Bipartisan development. Over 20 NRM, opposition and independent MPs meet to announce desire to restore presidential term limits.
More than 20 MPs yesterday morning turned up at a press briefing where they declared support for a plan to re-introduce term limits in the Constitution amidst growing calls for President Museveni not to run again in 2016.
The MPs argued that theirs is a genuine move, proposed in good faith and to correct an error committed in 2005 when term limits were scrapped at the prompting of the President’s supporters.Mr Gerald Karuhanga (Youth MP Western) announced his plans to table a motion seeking leave of Parliament to allow him present a private member’s Bill for the proposed constitutional amendment at the morning press conference.
Mr Karuhanga told journalists at the briefing at Parliament: “This year we celebrate 50 years of independence yet we are unsure of how to have another president when election time comes. We are tired of destruction every time we are changing leaders.”
Yesterday’s agitation for a return of term limits that were controversially removed in 2005 coincided with a fresh attack on President Museveni’s unwillingness to clearly state whether he will again run for office in 2016.
The assistant Bishop of Kampala diocese, Dr Zac Niringiye, and former ethics minister Miria Matembe accused the President of dishonesty, with the cleric insisting that he cannot pretend to be a hostage to his party’s decision on whether he should stay in office. Ms Matembe denounced Mr Museveni as an impostor.
Dishonesty accusation
“After testing power for 25 years he should be the one to tell people ‘I am done, I no longer want to be in this prison’ but not saying that it is the party to decide, he has the experience,” bishop Niringiye said.
“After testing power for 25 years he should be the one to tell people ‘I am done, I no longer want to be in this prison’ but not saying that it is the party to decide, he has the experience,” bishop Niringiye said.
Ms Matembe said, “I was following an imposter whose style of leadership was to exploit people’s differences creating small districts based on ethnicities so that people were more conscious of their differences disguised as taking services nearer to them.”
The duo was speaking at the launch of a campaign in Kampala dubbed “We are 4 Uganda: Amplifying youth voices for national cohesion,” an initiative of the Uganda Youth Network (UYONET) to promote unity in diversity among Uganda’s nearly 80 per cent young people. The campaign for promoting national cohesion is part of the youth groups “Uganda at 50” programme.
During recent Easter prayers clerics Cyprian Kizito Lwanga (Catholic archbishop for Kampala), Bishop Niringiye and Metropolitan Lwanga (Orthodox) urged Mr Museveni to plan his smooth exit, describing it as the best gift he would have given citizens.
In the East African Community, all countries have term limits save for Uganda where Mr Museveni is facing mounting challenges to his leadership within the party he leads.
In 2005, the Seventh Parliament removed Article 105(2) from the Constitution which had provided that an individual could only be president for two five-year terms. Ruling party MPs were given Shs5 million to facilitate that action, paving the way for President Museveni’s campaign to seek re-election in the 2006 general election. The move was supported by 222 votes to 37, and only two members abstained.
“Every president comes to power with different priorities and also looking at priorities differently. We are happy with religious leaders move to call for restoration of term limits because it’s long overdue,” said Mr Henry Musasizi (Rubanda).
Mr Karuhanga’s draft Bill, seen by this newspaper, is titled “The Constitution Amendment Bill 2012, “ and intends to amend Chapter Seven (Article 105) of the Constitution to provide for the restoration of term limits requiring a person to hold office as President for only 10 years, one term being five years.
The two-page draft provides that when passed into law, the calculation of the two five-year term limits will take effect starting in 2016 when the country goes for the next general elections.
No comments:
Post a Comment