Ministers warn on threats of violence

By Joyce Namutebi and Cyprian Musoke
GENERAL debate on the Constitution amendment ended on Monday, with Cabinet ministers warning to people threatening war and violence over the third term.

The ministers were Kahinda Otafiire (water), Michael Mukula (state for heath) and Janat Mukwaya (agriculture).

Otafiire said, “Never trouble trouble until trouble troubles you. Nobody has monopoly of violence.” He said, “Listen comrades. We can sort out these problems without resorting to violence. It’s a do-do situation, you don’t have to die.”

Otafiire said he had opposed term limits during the Constituent Assembly but he was a minority and because of this, they lost. He said he accepted defeat and “10 years down the road, I’m now vindicated.”

Muwakya said it is within the mandate of Parliament to amend the Constitution and that nobody should attempt to threaten violence. “If you are calling for war, you’d better not leave in a grass thatched house,” she said.

She supported removing presidential term limits from the Constitution saying, “The dictators clad in democratic gowns have exhibited anguish and personal vendettas. How can those people lead”?

Mukula said, “You are playing with a hot iron. Let us use constitutional means to change leaders.”
He also supported removing term limits.
Ends