The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga says that changing the status of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) to have benefits equally shared by all regions will be her priority as new Association President.
Kadaga on Saturday was approved as the new Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) during a session of the CPA General assembly presided over by the CPA Executive Committee Chairperson Emilia Monjowa Lifaka, who doubles as Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Cameroon.
Her presidency will run until the closure of the next Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference scheduled for September 2021 in Canada.
Addressing the media on Monday, Kadaga said that her priority will be to effect change of the CPA status which is currently a charitable organisation registered in England receiving monetary contribution from nine regions. The nine regions of CPA include Africa, Asia, Australia, British Islands, Mediterranean, Canada, Caribbean, Americans and the Atlantic, India, Pacific and South-East Asia.
She said that although all the nine regions contribute money to CPA, the benefits are solely for the British people, which need to be changed.
“The dissolution clause states that if we dissolve, the money will go to a trust either in Wales or England, not even Scotland, not even in Ireland and yet all of us are contributing. It does not come to Africa,” said Kadaga.
Kadaga added that it has been their campaign that CPA is changed to an international organisation where membership is properly recognized and that if there are other benefits to be shared, all Commonwealth regions share them together.
Kadaga also says that Uganda benefited from the Conference after a section of delegates visited different sites. She says that some of the delegates revisited the places individually while others have extended their Visas to visit more tourism sites.
The Conference was held last week under the theme “Adaption, Engagement and Evolution of Parliaments in a rapidly changing Commonwealth.”
The Conference was attended by delegates from different countries including Canada, Australia, United Kingdom (UK), Kenya, Zambia, Malawi, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa and others.
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