Ugandans should consider presidential term extension

By F.N. Mbagadhi

THE debate once initiated by James Kakooza about extending the presidential and parliamentary tenure brewed an unexpected emotional debate.

In response, one opposition MP reportedly suggested an amendment to Kakooza’s motion to have the extension moved to 10 years but one term limit.

Most of the critics to this line of thought, however, peg their arguments on the term limits’ theory, which asserts that a shorter term for the politicians keeps them loyal to their electorates and empowers the electorate to demand accountability from their leadership in time.

Moreover, the critics’ arguments have also been reinforced by a wide spectrum of empiricism.

To illustrate, the recent study by Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies indicates that “countries with longer terms of executive branch score worse on all institutional indexes of development”.

However, of recent, there has emerged an unwavering crave for presidential or legislative tenure extension in various states. 

This raised my appetite to dig more to the reasons as to why there are many countries both in the west and Africa that are agitating for tenure extensions.

The 103rd US Congress convention fronted a debate on extending the presidential term from four years to seven on the backdrop that it would help end the “Permanent-Campaign-for-reelection” syndrome which is said to begin as soon as a newly elected President is inaugurated for a first term.

In Michigan, Representatives Dave Agema and Grandville have introduced a constitutional amendment to allow the legislature more time in office. 

The same trend continues across Russia, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Australia and most importantly France which had just shortened her presidential term from seven to five years in 2002.

This, therefore, implies that what Kakooza and others were suggesting is not beyond the ordinary.

Moreover, some research has hinted to a possibility that the seven years’ term could partly explain the said uninterrupted progress and calmness that President Kagame has enjoyed.

This could also be reinforced by the envious growth and fundamental changes that our country enjoyed most especially between 1986 and 1996 under the NRC and political leadership.

Personally, and with the backing of my constituents, I wouldn’t hesitate to support a constitutional amendment to extend the presidential and the legislative tenure from five to seven years but on condition that term limits are restricted to two.

Whereas I am cognisant of the fact that five years would still be too long for a failed presidency, it is also true that a seven-year tenure would free the president from the distraction of partisan political concerns associated with planning and campaigning for reelection, and would be able to concentrate on public policy issues.

This, in turn, would promote greater consistency in foreign and domestic policy, as the President would be able to focus exclusively on their value, rather than on the political implications stemming from the same.

Just like President Jimmy Carter once observed, very short term intervallic elections make politicians preoccupied with crafting strategies of winning elections rather than concentrating on progressively building the nation.

This implies that short terms especially in a transition economy like Uganda do not give the president and his government time to implement, monitor and evaluate crucial policies.

Further, while the Kenyan legislature is contemplating extending its presidential tenure to seven years, the Rwandese presidential tenure is already seven.

This overtly reinforces the need for the Ugandan counterparts to think aloud, in ensuring a harmonised political system in the East African Federation.

Thus, the return to term limits should follow the rethinking of presidential term extension. 

Writer is the Vice chairperson, Parliament National Economy Committee