By Sekaggya Seka Moses
Kampala, Uganda – Mityana South MP Richard Lumu, of the Democratic Party, has defended his proposal to have Members of Parliament (MPs) elect the Leader of Opposition, following last week’s parliamentary approval to table a Private Member’s Bill.
The bill seeks to end the current practice of having the main Opposition Party choose the Leader of Opposition.
At a press briefing held at Parliament today, Lumu clarified that his intention is not to undermine the Opposition, but to strengthen democracy and promote inclusivity.
“I am also seeing people saying, ‘ahhh this Lumu, he is being supported by Government and the President.’ Whoever is thinking like that is either shallow or myopic because we have been here in Parliament, we were elected in our constituencies,” Lumu said.
Lumu denied personal vendettas against the current Leader of Opposition, stating, “I don’t want people to reduce this Bill to one person.
I have heard one person say that you, you are fighting the Leader of Opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi.
If I have known Joel Ssenyonyi properly, it is only 2 and half years or 3 years, so I haven’t gotten any grudges with him and I wouldn’t even have reasons for fighting him. If there are people fighting him, I am not one of them.”
Regarding the bill’s content, Lumu explained, “I am suggesting that the main Opposition Party with the largest numerical strength will produce three people and from those three people, the greater opposition will elect one.
I am sure that people are scared thinking that people were thinking that we are taking away the power of the main Opposition to produce the Leader of Opposition, that isn’t what I am doing. I am simply strengthening it, I am simply widening it.”
Lumu urged caution against rushing to judgment, saying, “Don’t rush to speak because you can speak of something you don’t know and when they introduce it, you say it is good but when you have already presented it as a bad thing.”
He drew parallels with Medard Sseggona’s similar 10th Parliament motion, stating, “I want to thank the FDC, when Medard Sseggona brought that idea, it was the FDC which was the biggest political party.
They didn’t attack him, they didn’t abuse him, they didn’t malign him; they listened to him, until his motion failed on the floor of Parliament.”
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Lumu questioned the Opposition’s reluctance to embrace elections, asking, “I don’t know why someone would be scared of elections.
I am actually scared that the people who actually want to promote democracy fear elections. We are in Opposition and we are preparing to go for elections if in case we have done some action for us to go there.”
He further posed, “So people shouldn’t fear elections. We shall be in power in 2026, so since we shall be in power in 2026, so, this Bill will work on the people who will be in Opposition.
So are people saying we are going to be permanently in the Opposition? Are they happy with the position?”
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