Electoral college system has flaws

By John Kakande PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni did the right thing when he refused to assent to the Parliamentary Elections Bill 2000 (PEB) referred it back to Parliament. When the Bill (PEB) was passed in January, I urged the President (through this column) not to assent to it because some of its provisions were made in bad faith and were untenable. It was obvious that some MPs wanted to use the law to frustrate rivals from challenging them during the forthcoming parliamentary elections. The provision in the Bill requiring public servants to take leave four months before the elections, was unreasonable and unjustified. Under the Presidential Elections Act 2000, a public servant who wished to contest for the presidency was required to take leave two months before nomination of candidates. Why is it therefore necessary for a public servant to take leave for four months in order to to contest the parliamentary election? The MPs obviously wanted to intimidate public servants from contesting against them. President Museveni is also opposed to a clause in the PEB providing for election of district women MPs on basis of universal adult suffrage. Some women rights activists have however objected to the restoration of the electoral college system for the election of women MPs. Some women MPs including certain senior women ministers want colleges. My view is that the electoral college system has serious flaws and should be scrapped. District women MPs should instead be elected directly by the women in the district. This would rule out manipulations and bribery associated with the electoral college system. In addition it would make women MPs accountable to their electorate. As of now, women MPs concentrate on patronising members of the electoral colleges. The electoral colleges, under Parliamentary Elections (Interim Provisions) Statute 1996, consists of the LC II and LC III councillors, and all members of parish and sub-county women councils within the district. The Movement establishment naturally would prefer retaining the electoral college system. The system has virtually ensured that all the district women MPs are pro-Movement. Even areas like Gulu, Kitgum, Lira, Apac and Arua where the Movement's support is thin, they have had pro-Movement women MPs. The composition (LCs) of the electoral colleges favours the Movement. If women MPs were elected on basis of universal adult suffrage, most of the pro-Movement women MPs including a number of current women ministers from the opposition stronghold would lose their seats in forthcoming elections. One major problem with the colleges, relates to the register of its the members. The current law gave powers to the returning officer to prepare a register of the members of the electoral college. In practice, candidates, at times in conspiracy with the LCs and election officials, registered their supporters as members of the colleges. This problem is aggravated by the fact that composition of LCs, particularly in urban areas keeps changing from time to time. There are also valid reasons against universal adult suffrage. It obviously would cost the country more since more voters would be involved. Of course democracy is not cheap. But electing women MPs on basis of universal adult suffrage also has political implications. A woman MP elected on basis of universal adult suffrage would have the same mandate as a district LC 5 chairperson. It would be a recipe for conflict between the MP and the chairperson. A district chairperson could view the woman MPs as a threat and undermine her politically. There could also be rivalry and endless war between the district woman MP and county constituency MPs from the district.