“The people of Fort Portal made it clear to me not to tamper with the Constitution by amending Article 102 (b). I will respect the people’s will,” the municipality legislator Alex Ruhunda, has said.
Ruhunda, a National Resistance Movement (NRM) MP was weighing in on the ongoing raging debate over whether to remove or maintain the 75-year age cap for the presidency, and becomes one of the first in the ruling party to openly state his position on the now thorny issue.
According to Ruhunda, the acrimonious arguments threaten to derail the gains registered by the NRM government, including among others the projected middle income status by 2020.
“I pray that we stop the overzealous of making a fundamental mistake that will create a huge political and security problem for our Country yet we were set to move out of poverty!” MP Ruhunda wrote, and appealed to President Yoweri Museveni to resist temptations by protagonists of the impending bill aimed at amending Article 102 (b).
“I have been reflecting on the future of my beloved Country Uganda the pearl of Africa especially after an emotionally heated atmosphere in Parliament on Thursday! I hope God will touch the heart of President Yoweri Museveni to avoid the temptation of listening to short term opportunistic individuals that are pushing for the removal of Age limit in our Constitution. This is the chance for NRM to plan for succession if the legacy of our beloved President Museveni is to remain like that of Mwalimu Nyerere. These were my words in the NRM caucus,” he added.
