The Leader of Opposition, Mathias Mpuuga, has challenged African and Asian legislatures to address the political governance issues in their respective countries if the two continents are to improve the quality of life of their citizens.
Mpuuga made the remarks while closing a three day meeting of African and Asian Members of Parliament on population and development.
The meeting was convened as a follow up to the commitments leaders made during the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) which was held in Nairobi, Kenya in November 2019.
The meeting attracted participants from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Ethiopia Djibouti, Ghana, Bahrain, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Japan.
“Leaders should not shy away from the real challenges that are affecting our communities. There are three major threats that leaders must address without fear of contradiction; the first is governance because it all begins with leaders. By governance, I mean political governance,” Mpuuga said.
He explained that he is aware that when politicians meet, they become a bit feeble and scared of discussing the intricacies of politics.
“I invite leaders not to fear to address the challenges of governance because they impact greatly on the quality of the population,” he said.
He urged the parliamentarians to focus on the emerging insecurities in their countries and think of alternatives to address the concerns of mankind.
“You can’t talk about humanity and population and negate a key component of health because it is life that directs everything. In times like this when humanity is under threat, leaders must rise in unison to address the emerging challenges, and convincingly debate them and offer plausible solutions,” Mpuuga said.
