The\nInter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) wants the budget allocated to the\nOffice of the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament shared among all\nopposition parties in the House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In\na meeting with the Speaker to Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, on Monday, 24 June\n2019, the IPOD delegation requested her to cause the sharing of the opposition\nbudget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
IPOD,\na loose coalition bringing together political parties represented in\nParliament, started in 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nIPOD Council Chairman, Dr Gerald Blacks Siranda, proposed that 40 per cent of\nthe Leader of the Opposition (LoP’s) budget coming from the Parliamentary\nCommission should be shared on an equal basis among all parties represented in\nthe House and 60 per cent quota divided on the basis of numerical strength.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe\nfunding allocated to the Office of the Leader of the Opposition be structured\nout to all parties represented in the House; instead of all the money being\nallocated to the LOP, 40 per cent should be shared on equal basis and 60 per\ncent on individual merit,\u201d said Siranda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\nmean from the Commission budget?\u201d asked Kadaga. \u201cYes,\u201d replied Dr Siranda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nSpeaker also used the opportunity to critique the Shs3 million now charged as\nfees for nomination for those aspiring to become Members of Parliament. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This,\nsaid Kadaga, is exorbitant and unacceptable, a position she announced earlier\nthis year during the Commonwealth Youth Inclusion Conference hosted by the\nParliament of Uganda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\nstill think the Shs3 million was exorbitant because it used to be about Shs\n400,000 and it was hiked to Shs 3 million; this is prohibitive…I am not\nsaying I cannot afford it, but it will stop the young people and others who\ncannot afford it,\u201d said Kadaga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In\nthe run-up to the 2016 general elections, Parliament voted to hike the\nnomination fees, despite a call for caution by Speaker Kadaga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\nreceived rebuke from Parliamentary candidates across the political divide, who\nslammed it as a ploy by then incumbent MPs to ring fence the seats for\nthemselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kadaga\nsaid since Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda, also Leader of Government Business\nin Parliament, is a Member, he (Prime Minister) should hasten the move to\npresent a Bill to reform the electoral system and include all the IPOD ideas\nfor the Legislature’s consideration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nSpeaker has on several occasions asked government to present the electoral\nreforms right in time for Parliament’s consideration, but the calls are yet to\nattract government\u2019s consideration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
IPOD\nhas had a rocky journey, with main opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC)\nrecently terming it a collusion between the ruling National Resistance Movement\nParty and \u2018fringe’ political parties to get back at FDC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nFDC Party spokesman, Ibrahim Semujju (FDC, Kira Municipality) recently took to\nlocal media to dismiss the IPOD as inconsequential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
FDC’s sibling rivalry with the Democratic Party (DP) could escalate if Dr Siranda’s proposal is considered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Parliamentary News<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) wants the budget allocated to the Office of the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament shared among all opposition parties in the House. In a meeting with the Speaker to Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, on Monday, 24 June 2019, the IPOD delegation requested her to cause the sharing of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27983,"featured_media":9828,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_paywall_metabox":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[98],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n