What the new Parliament should be doing now

SIR—I take this opportunity to most warmly congratulate Hon. Edward Ssekandi (my area member of Parliament) and Hon Rebecca Kadaga, for their unanimous election to the high position of speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively. I congratulate also all the MPs who emerged winners through free and fair, just and peaceful campaigns and elections. Now that Parliament has been duly constituted, although several petitions are still going on, I wish to give a caution to the MPs that they should put less attention on the exorbitant victory parties, and more on the reflection and planning on the historic tasks ahead of them. Among the historic tasks facing the 7th Parliament, let me single out the following: 1.The new Parliament must advise, guide and assist the Government to bring total and lasting peace to all Ugandans, in all parts of Uganda. The armed conflicts in parts of the North, in parts of the West and in Karamoja and neighbouring parts must be brought to a quick end and through peaceful means of negotiations, meditations and the application of the fully-fledged Amnesty Act. 2. All laws mandated by the 1995 Constitution, which the sixth Parliament did not manage to put in place, should be considered a priority for the new Parliament. At the moment, we are living partly in the old order, and partly in the new order! The penal code itself must be reformed by the present Parliament. 3. Among the new laws urgently expected by the public from the new Parliament are the following: the much delayed law on domestic relations: the law on political parties and political organisations; the new Prisons Act based on minimum (international standards; the amended Local Governments Act, the new refugees law base on international human rights standards; the law on he equalisation of opportunities and empowerment of persons with disabilities; the anti-terrorism law meeting international standards; the amended law on NGOs meeting international standards and many others which protect and defend the most vulnerable in society. 4. There are several United Nations conventions which have not been ratified by the Sixth Parliament, but which the general public wish to be ratified. These should also be a priority. These include: several ILO conventions on the rights of workers; and the three optional protocols on the convention on the rights of the child, namely; against child-soldiers; against child slavery; and against child pornography and prostitution. 5. The Seventh Parliament should clearly and attentively listen to the cries of the people, especially those who are most vulnerable and come to their rescue and full liberation through urgent, just and appropriate legal measures and laws which aptly respond to their quest for peace, equality, non-discrimination and empowerment. If it succeeds in understanding its historic mandate and task; gets its priorities right and manages to deliver the expected goods, it will be considered a great asset in completing what the Sixth Parliament was no able to complete. But if the current Parliament spends much time on defining itself, its privileges and procedures, rather than tackling the real issues — people’s concerns — the nation and Parliament itself will have a big crisis! John Mary Waliggo (Rev. Fr.) Uganda Human Rights Commision