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DP’s Lumu seeks to change law on election of LOP, but some disagree
DP,s Richard Lumu
Mityana South Member of Parliament Richard Lumu has been granted leave to introduce a private members bill that seeks to make some changes on how the leader of opposition is appointed.
According to section 8 of the administration of parliament act stipulates that the leader of opposition in parliament shall be appointed by a party in the opposition having the large number of MPs in parliament.
However, Lumu, who is also the deputy whip for Democratic Party, is concerned that the appointment of the leader of opposition in parliament excludes other opposition political parties in parliament.
The motion references Article 82A of the Constitution and sections 7, 8, and 15 of the Administration of Parliament Act, which outline the roles and election processes for the Leader of the Opposition and the Chief Opposition Whip in a multiparty democracy.
It notes that the current legal framework restricts opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) from participating in the election of their leaders, making it difficult to hold them accountable.
Lumu argues that this lack of participation undermines democratic principles and proposes that MPs should be allowed to elect their Leader of the Opposition and Chief Opposition Whip, ensuring these leaders represent the interests of all opposition members in Parliament.
“The constitution under article 82 (a) creates the position of Leader of Opposition(LOP) and it says parliament shall prescribe ways of how to elect, but I think there is a lacuna in the law that they did not provide for that, the only way they provided was so minimal and very little and shallow of how to elect the leader of opposition , it was not elaborate, what I am going to do is simple, is to make it elaborate how to elect him by members of all opposition parties who are in party then how to remove him, because you can not put someone there when you do not have a procedure of removing him,” Lumu
Although Lumu was elected on the DP ticket, he, and many others from the Opposition, used the National Unity Platform (NUP) symbols to campaign in Mityana. He has however grown distant from NUP and this week chose to defy LOP Joel Ssenyonyi’s directive for all opposition MPs not to attend Parliament sittings in Hulu.
The former leader of opposition in parliament Betty Achan Aol who is also Gulu Municipality MP disagrees with Richard Lumu’s argument.
“The LOP, worldwide comes from the second runner up party. So this question of opposition MPs electing, I do not think is fair, we are in a multiple party dispensation, for example right now NRM is party number one and Number two is NUP party, we can not say NUP should sit down with FDC, with DP, with UPC to elect a Leader of Opposition, for me that should be internal politics of the second largest party in parliament , for me electing LOP, I say no to that,” said Achan.
Tororo North County Member of Parliament Geoffrey Ekanya says there is a need for comprehensive research to look into the matter.
“The principle worldwide is that leadership emerges from the people and a party with a majority holds that position. so, this innovation or attempt we have to interrogate the reason behind the reason, why there is a need to elect a leader of opposition or chief opposition whip.
It requires comprehensive research to look at the best practices around the world, and see whether that motion holds any merit, to add value to democracy, good governance and parliamentary system,” Ekanya noted.
Members of the opposition have occasionally complained of not being involved in decisions made by their leader in parliament citing the boycott of the regular parliamentary sittings.
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