It Is Against Multiparty Democracy!! NRM Surprisingly Rejects MP Lumu’s Bill Of Parliament Voting For LoP

The National Resistance Movement (NRM) has rejected the move to have parliament elect the leader of opposition (LOP), saying it is a threat to multi-party democracy.

Enoch Barata, NRM Director Legal, said on Tuesday that in a multi-party democracy, parties must be empowered and allowed to grow. He said since the bill will take effect in the future, they cannot be certain on who exactly it will affect.

“We think that for a multi-party democracy, the parties must be empowered; they should be allowed to grow. If you keep stripping them, then you have a challenge, and since I have heard that the proposal will be implemented at a future date, you never know who it will be,” he said.

Barata further said that MPs electing LOP is contrary to multi-party democracy and it negates the popular vote.

“The office of the leader of opposition is established with specific functions that aren’t delineated or aren’t limited to achieving the objectives of that political party. This is contrary to multi-party democracy and negates the popular vote. So we think that an attempt to subject the Leader of Opposition to the other political party in the House would effectively be stripping the other political party of its right and power in some sense,” he added.

NRM secretary general Richard Todwong said they want an opposition that is well organized to challenge activities of the ruling party.

“We are in leadership because of the popular vote of our people, and it is in our interest that we have an opposition that is organized enough to challenge our activities of governance. In a way we think that it is better to deal with an organized opposition; it is better to deal with an opposition that thinks through what they are supposed to oppose,” Todwong said.

The NRM officials made the remarks while appearing before the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, to present their views on the Administration of Parliament Amendment Bill 2024.

NRM joins opposition parties such as NUP, FDC, and JEMA that have already rejected the election of LOP by opposition MPs in parliament.The move to elect LOP is among the Administration of Parliament Bill amendments proposed by DP’s Richard Lumu (Mityana South).