Uganda is a country where ‘leaders’ can’t think beyond their stomachs while determining important political questions for posterity. No wonder Uganda as a nation has never witnessed peaceful handover of power since her independence 55 years ago! Like the preamble of our Constitution states and I will reproduce all of it here for avoidance of doubt!
“The Preamble.
We The People of Uganda:
Recalling our history which has been characterised by political and constitutional instability;
Recognising our struggles against the forces of tyranny, oppression and exploitation;
Committed to building a better future by establishing a socio-economic and political order through a popular and durable national Constitution based on the principles of unity, peace, equality, democracy, freedom, social justice and progress;
Exercising our sovereign and inalienable right to determine the form of governance for our country, and having fully participated in the Constitution-making process;
Noting that a Constituent Assembly was established to represent us and to debate the Draft Constitution prepared by the Uganda Constitutional Commission and to adopt and enact a Constitution for Uganda:
Do hereby, in and through this Constituent Assembly solemnly adopt, enact and give to ourselves and our posterity, this Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, this 22nd day of September, in the year 1995.
For God and my country.”
After the removal of term limits from our beloved constitution in 2005, President Benjamin Mkapa sycophants in Tanzania started talk of lifting term limits for him. But Mpaka, being a true democratic (and not part of the fake revolutionaries in Africa), went to a public rally and declared his sycophants true enemies of Tanzania!
Fast Forward: Yesterday, the unfortunate BUT inevitable sad event of our nation happened courtsy of the NRM Caucus where a roadmap for the complete assault on our Constitution was formalised! It’s the dictate of history to bring to the fore the kind of leaders who seize the moment! And this leader was Hon Monica Amoding – May God Bless Her! For the age limit campaign, my district Bushenyi has sunk deep down in demonstrating empty leadership – next to Arua; thanks to the likes of Igara West MP Raphael Magyezi, and Bushenyi Woman MP Mary Karooro! If we all look around our leaders, district by district, we shall identify this chain of empty shameless leaders AND it’s our SOVEREIGN AND INALIENABLE DUTY to stop them from turning their INDIVIDUAL EMPTINESS INTO A NATIONAL CATASTROPHE.
WHAT NEXT
ACTIONS : 1- Call your MP and tell him or her not to deny Uganda this chance of peaceful transition out of their selfishness and emptiness;
2- Form social media groups and remind your MPs on a hourly basis that we as a people, shall not watch on as they sell the future of this country for a few coins of silver (each NRM MP has [reportedly] been promised Shs 300m);
3- Visit the homes of these MPs and put them on clear notice that this is struggle for constitutionalism and posterity that is not a subject of sale and their usual transactional politics;
4- Attend Parliament whenever Age Limit is to be debated and remind your MP that you are watching their actions!
Sarah Bireete is the executive director for Center for Constitutional Governance (CCG)