MPs behaved irresponsibly during EALA elections

MPs behaved irresponsibly during EALA elections

February 28^th 2017, saw the ushering in of a new team of Members of Parliament (MPs) to the East African Legislative Assembly [EALA] in Uganda. However, what transpired during the entire process leaves Uganda in a more political quagmire thus a bad omen for our political-economic Take-off stage. When one of them is either relegated or neglected at the peril of another, even that thought to contest stands on a tilted landscape speeding up its collapse. Therefore careful handling ought to have been taken during the process; nevertheless it was not so.

First was the failure of Uganda Parliament in educating the contestants about the guidelines to be used in elections beforehand. It was on the voting day that the contestants got a clear perception of the guidelines for the elections. It is the duty of Parliament to push for transparency in any given nation Uganda being no exception. Any Executive arm of government whose end is retaining power feels comfortable to be as non-transparent  as possible in her operations. Why not tell the country the criterion to be used for elections before hand?

Secondly, in Uganda, the failure to think  that opposition does not matter is quite appalling. It is failure on the part of Parliamentarians to accept reality and continuously live in denial. By the fact that former presidential candidate Dr. Kizza Besigye, got over 2 Million votes in the 2016 presidential elections is a clear insignia that a considerable adult bracket of Ugandans are silent out there in support of the opposition. 

Any serious Parliament looking at nurturing democracy and singing a Take-Off stage cannot afford to ignore a representation for such a big number of adult voters in EALA.  A considerable number of opposition MPs to EALA should have been considered. It is the Ugandan MPs that the citizenry look up to for setting and nurturing democratic principles in Uganda. Any Executive body only maximizes the Winner takes it all mindset or opportunity. If not checked, the Executive can eliminate every possible opposition to perpetuate itself in power. Therefore it is the duty of the Uganda Parliament to stick to what makes Uganda great and democratically sound.

The shouting down of opposition contestants in the walls of the august House was another vice that leaves any sane person wondering what kind of Parliament is in place. The august house is held in high esteem by the well-thinking members of  the public. It is assumed that when one is in it, the booing, quarrelling, irresponsible personal attacks and such behavior rampant among masses are done away with.

People ought to be treated with respect and honor. Imagine the children who watched our MPs shouting down a contestant and singing nursery rhythms to support some candidates what they think of the MPs! If a son or daughter watched the father or mother shouting down a contestant, how do you expect such a child to respect contestants for Prefectural leadership or other positions in their school? Parliament has set a bad example to the public.

A mere keeping dead silent, no standing ovation, and denying votes to the opposition candidate would suffice to send a message to the concerned candidate rather than shouting them down. One can hardly imagine an MP carrying placards in the august house for display moreover with derogatory words..!! What kind of example are our MPs setting before the public? What kind of future generation are the MPs setting up?

What kinds of legacy are the concerned MPs constructing? Or is Legacy a forgotten idea? Who will run to parliament for arbitration and justice in cases of a repressive and unjust executive? Are we still in the era of Hammurabi; "a tooth for a tooth" and "an eye for an eye"? If that is the thinking of our parliamentarians as was exhibited on that day, then the country is hundreds of years away from Take-Off.

The writer is a Ugandan citizen who watched it as it unveiled; DN Mubiru mudexx@yahoo.com