The Gradual Mortality of Uganda’s 9th Parliament

When the 9^th Parliament started its term early 2011, a lot of promises were made. A new seemingly sober-minded Speaker, the first as a lady, was elected and everyone seemed optimistic for a brand new start. This new Parliament exuded an aura of departure from the mediocrity we had in the previous Parliament to getting actual work done. By work I mean the three core duties of Parliament which are; Legislation, Representation and Oversight.

The Oil Bills were debated expeditiously, corruption allegations in the sector investigated, Cabinet appointees vetted with incompetent ones rejected, and the usual bullying of the executive was faced with a stern backbone. The Parliament was applauded for their efforts in checking impunity, bribery, and corruption. The Speaker was viewed as the protector of potential oil resources and siding with the people. She had championed causes that saw both opposition and ruling party members of Parliament, civil society and some sections of voters move her closer to the top in “the queue” for the country’s presidency.

Then something happened. Something some of us are still trying to figure out. Suddenly the Parliament’s back bone was not as hard to bend as we thought. First, a female ministerial appointee, who had initially been denied confirmation on academic grounds, got confirmed mysteriously. Then we saw the notorious Public Order Management Bill, which is primarily to crack down on political dissent, rammed through parliament. A serving Military General was appointed, vetted and approved as if to make sure this law is implemented, among others. The parliamentarians were not done yet.

They used our money to build themselves a parking lot worth 36 billion shillings and are waiting to install security equipment worth 16.3 billion. Then on top of their 20 million emoluments per month, they used almost a billion shillings of tax payers’ money to buy themselves an iPad each and procure lessons on how to use them, for two months. Their continuous plunge into trivialities doesn’t seem to have a limit. As last year came to a close, they hurriedly passed two ridiculous bills in a fresh attempt to legislate against people’s lifestyle and what they do in the privacy of their bedrooms. Of all the issues facing this country in the political, democratic and governance arenas, one wonders where the priorities of these legislators lie.

Word in the corridors of parliament is pointing to another plan of yet two other incredibly asinine bills. The first is to postpone the upcoming 2016 elections, and the other, to force us to love our country. The fusion of the state and the NRM party has forced on us the very unfortunate inheritance of non-thinkers and intellectually challenged individuals charged with running our country. Patriotism is not something you legislate about. As a government, if you provide the services and execute your duties as you are supposed to, people will naturally love their country. Once you are elected into public office, an implied social contract between you and the voters comes into existence. This contract goes along the lines of guaranteed service provision as long as people pay their taxes. With this contract not being fulfilled, I wonder how they intend to test the level of patriotism in an individual and decide who does not love their country.

On the proposal to postpone elections, Article 1(4) of Uganda’s constitution states that, ‘The people shall express their will and consent on who shall govern them and how they should be governed, through regular, free and fair elections of their representatives or through referenda.’ The interpretation of this article surely includes decisions like postponing elections. Before embarking on a path of multi-party democracy in 2005, a referendum was organised and people had to make the decision themselves through the ballot. The matter of postponing elections is as important if not more. Our parliamentarians have not given us confidence that they take their social contract seriously. Not in the past year or so. They seem to put their individual interests ahead of ours. Democracy cannot truly deliver for all of its citizens if half or the entire population remains under-represented in the political arena.

Statistics show that at least 67% of incumbent MPs do not return to parliament in the subsequent term. It is no secret that due to the high level of monetization of elections in this country, a large number of our legislators are heavily indebted even after almost three years in the August House. A story is told of two parliamentarians who collect as low as $25 from their monthly salaries after loan deductions.  With such a lot, I am highly suspicious that the attempt to extend their term in office is actually to extend their loan-repayment capabilities. After all, with only 33% poised to come back in the next term, one cannot guarantee their ability to meet their financial obligations.

However badly they need more time, it is not their prerogative. Of course in Uganda they can do it and get away with it. That does not make it right. I offer two alternatives to go about the current crisis in the ‘right’ way. The first; Let the current government legislate itself out of power and create a transitional government. This transitional government should include ‘politically neutral’ technocrats chosen from civil society, representatives from all registered political parties, religious institutions and international expert observers from the EAC secretariat, the UN and AU. All Ugandans who get involved in this transitional government would not be eligible to contest for public office in the next 15 years. This transitional government would be charged with overhauling the Electoral Commission and revising the way it is constituted, amending the constitution to reduce the powers of the presidency that give him an unfair advantage and influence over otherwise independent institutions, and organizing free and fair elections in a period of not more than two years. This is the most plausible and sustainable way to navigate through this murky period of transition and mistrust without possible bloodshed. The MPs can deal with their financial woes in their own time.  

Alternatively, organise a referendum and let Ugandans decide whether they want to extend the current term of their leaders for more years. This is probably very unattractive to our MPs considering the very little they have delivered on the social contract they have with their electorate. If we were to judge them on that premise, most of them would perform miserably, which probably explain the high attrition rate of their numbers every term. I really hope they can listen to the voice of reason. They have already done enough damage. Let them exit gracefully.