We Don’t Agree with Lumu’s Bill, but Demonizing and Blackmailing Him is Not Right – Says opposition politician

The criticism came on Tuesday from Sadam Gayira, the National Chairperson of the PPP, while presenting his party’s views on the Administration of Parliament Amendment Bill, 2024, during a session with the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee.

“We express our dismay over the intimidation, character assassination, and blackmail the mover of the Bill has been subjected to by some leaders in the Opposition. Whether the Bill is good or bad, it is wrong to intimidate or malign him,” Gayira emphasized.

The Bill, tabled by Lumu, has sparked significant debate, particularly over its proposal to have the LoP elected, which has drawn sharp opposition. Despite this, Gayira argued that the conduct of certain opposition leaders in attacking Lumu’s character and motives was unwarranted.

Gayira highlighted that issues surrounding the LoP have persisted since the early years of Uganda’s post-independence Parliament, noting, “The position of Leader of Opposition has had challenges since 1962, and this is the third time a similar Bill has been proposed. That shows there is a problem we need to solve.”

While the PPP opposed the idea of electing the LoP, Gayira acknowledged that Lumu’s Bill brought attention to deep-rooted problems within the structure of Uganda’s opposition in Parliament.

However, he cautioned against forcing all opposition parties to work under the LoP, a position that might infringe on the multi-party system.

“All the provisions related to elections in this Bill, we oppose. There is no Party called ‘Opposition’ in Parliament, and you cannot make a law that compels all parties to work together,” Gayira explained, stressing that the Bill’s approach risks eroding the principle of political freedom by requiring divergent parties to unite under one leadership.

Gayira called on opposition members to “subdue emotions” and approach the debate with calm, focusing on crafting a law that addresses existing problems while respecting political diversity.

Lumu’s Bill has caused tension in the Parliament and so far no political party has shown support for it ever the ruling party National Resistance Movement, has refuted it alluding that it strips the Political Parties of their powers to discipline their member.

The NRM represented by Enoch Barata at the legal committee noted that in a multi-party democracy, the parties must be empowered, they should be allowed to grow. “If you keep stripping them, then you have a challenge and since I have heard that the proposal will be effectuated at a future date, you never know who it will be,” he said.

The party’s Secretary General Richard Todwong also said; “We are in leadership because of the popular vote of our people and it is in our interest that we have an Opposition that is organized enough to challenge our activities of governance. In a way we think that it is better to deal with an organized Opposition, it is better to deal with an Opposition that thinks through what they are supposed to oppose. We know there are many parties that equally so, have MPs represented in Parliament and so we feel, all of them must participate in the Governance process of this country.”