{UAH} Setting Priorities Right: Which is more urgent, Anti-Gay Bill or Electoral Reforms?

Colleagues,

Uganda is currently at cross roads after the courts of law quashed the Anti-Gay law due to legal irregularities as identified by the Pro-Gay petitioners and supported by 4 out of 5 justices. The passing into law of the anti-gay law was celebrated by a cross section of the Ugandan community just  as it was vehemently opposed by the international community which considered it a violation of minority rights. Ugandans bragged and derided the international community citing the need for  Uganda to safeguard its cultural and moral values which were under threat by the Western immorality of same sex relationships.

Now, after the courts faulted the process that brought the Anti-Gay law, legislators have teamed up again to ensure that the Bill passes genuinely this time; meaning the legislators knew initially that the quorum was indeed not realized. Led by Hon. MP Latif Ssebagala, the legislators are set to have the required numbers, at least a third of the elected members which translates to 125 out of 325 members. Already, 200 members had appended their signatures by evening yesterday, just two days when the exercise began.

As the august House is in recess and there are already agenda items set once recess is over, the collection of the signatures is to enable members force the Speaker of Parliament to accept an amendment of the agenda to allow the rejected Anti-Gay Bill be squeezed in for discussion so that it is passed quickly to correct the legal error and image made in the past. The squeezing of the bill is really not squeezing as it will be number one on the order list for business. Basically, it means, it takes top priority as an urgent matter which must be discussed and disposed of immediately. The question to ask though is: Is the Ugandan society in danger from the homosexuals or same sex relationships to warrant such a hurry, is it like Ebola which must not wait?

Meanwhile, the order sheet has many important items to be discussed among which are the electoral reforms before the scheduled presidential and parliamentary elections, less than two years from now i.e. in 2016. There are many items that society considers require changing or scrapping. Such items include the composition of the members of the EC; the role of security agencies etc. Just this week, the chairman of the electoral commission has pointedly stated that if the commission is not urgently funded, he fears that the 2016 elections will likely be marred with irregularities because they have not completed  the necessary work such as registration of new voters who have attained the adult age (18 years), up-dating of registers, mapping of the electoral areas etc. Equally worrying is the poor remuneration of the commission staff which is so low, last revised decades ago while all other sectors have seen their pay bills rise.

It is worth noting that the EC has met wide condemnation over its handling of previous elections, and the current chairman has openly pointed out that the without provision of the necessary facilitation now, the next elections will be a farce. Is he wrong to predict poor elections or is he genuinely warning the country? Should he be blamed if his fears come true?

In conclusion, I would like to ask, are our legislators setting their priorities right? What is urgent, is it the Anti-Gay Bill or the Electoral Reforms? 

Peter Simon