UPC trashes Lumu's proposal on Leader of the Opposition
UPC president Jimmy Akena said the proposal undermines the constitution of political parties and urged Mr Lumu to focus on critical national issues rather than on the administration of Parliament.
The Uganda People's Congress (UPC) has opposed a proposal by Mityana South legislator Richard Lumu to have the first runner-up in presidential elections automatically qualify as the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament.
UPC president Jimmy Akena criticised the proposal, stating that it undermines the constitution of political parties.
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He urged Mr Lumu to focus on critical national issues rather than on the administration of Parliament.
The Democratic Party Deputy Opposition Chief Whip, Lumu, has stoked national ire after getting leave of absence to draft the Administration of Parliament Bill, 2024, which seeks to introduce elections for the office of the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament.
MP Lumu met with Mr Akena, UPC Secretary General Fred Ebil, and other UPC members to present his proposal.
While Mr Akena welcomed some aspects of the bill, he rejected the idea of having the second runner-up in the presidential race automatically qualify as the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament.
“In the UPC constitution, the leader of the UPC Party in Parliament is a more senior member, and it is a constitutional issue," he said.
"You cannot use a parliamentary procedure to overturn a party's constitutional structure. Our leader in the party is a senior member, and no other candidate can come from anywhere to be the Leader of the Opposition," Akena stated.
Concerns over democratic processes
Akena also called on Lumu to review the mandate of the Opposition Chief Whip as stipulated in Rule 15(4), which he argues undermines the democracy of opposition members of Parliament.
“This rule only empowers the Opposition Chief Whip to ensure attendance of opposition members in the House and voting, but it does not allow him to designate opposition members to committees,” Akena explained.
Party Secretary General Fred Ebil warned Lumu to avoid creating divisions within the opposition and urged him to prioritize urgent issues affecting society.
"As UPC, we only support issues that benefit the community, not individual members of Parliament. This bill should focus on critical issues affecting the community and should not aim to target the current Leader of the Opposition or divide opposition members," Ebil said.
Lumu defends Bill
In response to the criticisms, Lumu distanced himself from public speculations about his intentions and highlighted other proposals in the bill, including the creation of Assistant Deputy Speaker positions to fill the vacuum during critical times.
“I want us to borrow a leaf from the parliaments of Ghana and Kenya, where such offices exist. I know people will start talking about the financial implications, but remember we have had plenary sessions adjourned when the two speakers were unavailable," Lumu argued.
Lumu further explained that his bill would allow opposition members to participate in the impeachment of the Leader of the Opposition without the involvement of National Resistance Movement (NRM) members of Parliament.
"You remember when the opposition wanted to censure Abed Bwanika and Joyce Bagala on the Committee of Government Assurance, and NRM members opposed it. These are the issues we want to resolve as the opposition and be mandated to communicate to the Speaker officially that we have impeached the Leader of the Opposition due to the outlined factors," Lumu stated.
The debate over Lumu's proposal continues to stir controversy within the opposition, with party leaders divided over its potential impact on Uganda's political landscape.
