The committee’s real position is far from clear

Jun 20, 2004

SIR — Your article in the Sunday Vision of June 13 on the cabinet committee on presidential term limits is both confusing and contradictory.

SIR — Your article in the Sunday Vision of June 13 on the cabinet committee on presidential term limits is both confusing and contradictory. On the one hand, Mwesige is quoted as saying that after parliament has passed the bill by two-thirds majority on the third reading, then the bill will be referred to the people for a referendum. On the other hand, in the last paragraph of the article, the same minister is quoted as saying that if parliament passes the bill by two-thirds majority at the second and third readings, then the term limits will be repealed at this stage. Which is which? Will there be a referendum or not? Or is this a deliberate attempt to confuse on the part of the committee? There is nothing in the report about what happens if the bill is rejected by two-thirds majority of parliament, or if support for the bill does not reach two-thirds majority in all the readings! One would have thought that the sensible thing to do would be to subject the matter to a referendum only if less than two-thirds majority either supported or opposed the bill.

Dr G Buga
South Africa

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