The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Museveni’s plan needs money
As things stand, the next presidential elections are supposed to be held in 2021. By that time Museveni will be 77 years old and he will have been in power for 35 years.
But Museveni’s handlers are already strategising on how they will push the required law through parliament to change that.
The Independent has seen a memo to the president in which his handlers are raising the need for resources required to prepare the masses for the new law.
Mobilising support for another law requires more money but also stands to face a fresh fight from the opposition.
To pass the 2017 amendments, insiders estimate that the ruling party spent between Shs150—200 million on some 300 legislators. That is about Shs60 billion.
Up to 317 MPs voted for and 97 against the motion to amend the Constitution as presented by Igara West MP Raphael Magyezi.
As the push for the referendum gains momentum, the amendment from last year that a driving it now hangs in balance after three parties; the Uganda Law Society (ULS), a group of opposition politicians, and lawyer Male Mabirizi, petitioned the Constitutional Court asking that the law be nullified.
The MPs are; Leader of Opposition, Winnie Kizza, Kawempe South’s Mubarak Munyagwa, Makindye West’s Allan Ssewanyana, Kira Municipality’s Ibrahim Ssemujju, Ntungamo Municipality’s Gerald Karuhanga, and Erute County’s Jonathan Odur.
The ruling party, last year, passed an amendment lifting the 75-year constitutional age limit to allowed President Museveni to contest again for presidency at the next polls. The amendment was, however, coloured by several additions design to induce ease of passage, including extension of terms for MPs and local council leaders.
But before the recent Constitutional Court sitting in Mbale, its opponent argued that the law be annulled because the events and processes that led to the actual enactment of the purported constitution (Amendment) Act, 2017 were inconsistent with the Constitution.
On term extensions, the petitions argued that the term extensions for MPs and local council leaders are illegal because the concerned office holders were elected to serve for five years and even if the term is amended to rise to seven years, the amendment cannot apply retrospectively.
Apart from this, the petitioners also argued that the extension of the terms was ‘smuggled’ into the original Bill introduced by Raphael Magyezi, the Igara East legislator.
Apparently, Magyezi’s bill also dubbed the age limit bill was initially only focused on eliminating the both the lower and upper age limits at 35 and 75 years respectively. Then as bait, the architects of the bill introduced the idea of extending the term of MPs in order to capture the hearts of legislators, which they did, given that 317 MPs voted for the bill. Both the proposal for extending the MPs term and that of the leaders of local councils, therefore, came later.
It is on the basis of this that some critics say the law needs to be nullified because certain aspects were introduced into it even after the second reading.
But while defending government, Deputy Attorney General, Rukutana insisted that Parliament acted within the law and prescribed procedure to in amending the Constitution.
Once critical of leaders who overstay in power, today he leads the club in the continent Africa showing his true greed for power, hypocrisy, double standards, political deception, manipulation and arrogance.
A new breed of African dictators who have lost the clear line between multiparty politics and monarchy. He talks of ideological bankruptcy in African politics yet he has failed to implement his own NRM party mission and vision in his 32 years in power including their own initial 10 point program.
What does he need the time for? Systematic Corruption?, nepotism?, tribalism? Including his failure to deliver political and social service leadership? are those not enough indicators of his failed leadership? We already know his legacy of failed ideological political experiments.
Abraham Lincoln once said that nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.
After the euphoric declaration of 26th January 1986; I wonder whether any of the 1st family members are still proud of the level of dishonesty, deception, manipulation and power clinging, of the head of this family.
In other words, to associate with Mr. Museveni’s dishonesty is embarrassing and dehumanizing. Like the Egyptian Pharaoh; and to use his own son in-law, Rwabogo’s imagery, the man is shamelessly and by hook or crook, fossilizing himself in State House.