Oulanyah defends Uganda on political inclusion
By Admin
London: Uganda ranks among the top
countries in the Commonwealth in promoting political inclusiveness, the Deputy
Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Oulanyah has told a conference in London.
“Uganda
goes an extra step by creating district representation specifically for women.
Women, youth and people with disabilities are at the heart of our laws,” he
said during the Commonwealth Conference on Inclusive Politics on 04 March 2020.
The
Constitution provides for representation of special interest groups of women,
youth, workers, the army and persons with disabilities in Parliament.
Oulanyah, who was making a presentation on inclusive politics in practice, added that in Uganda, the army and workers have not been left out in the political arena as they have representation in Parliament.
He added that to ensure gender equity, ‘Parliament introduced the certificate of gender equity, which checks the gender compliance of ministries, departments, and government agencies’.
“We may not be at 100 percent in implementation but you will agree that such representations are a result of favorable laws,” he said.
The conference is focusing on inclusive politics in practice in parliaments and local governments and how communities are addressing inclusion in politics using the updated Commonwealth Parliament Association benchmarks for Democratic Legislature: a Parliamentarians view.
Oulanyah
also rubbished claims by Kenyan MP, Timothy Amwayi Aseka, who said that during
his visit to Uganda, he witnessed a huge gap in representation of PWDs.
“PWDs
representation starts from village council level to Parliament,” Oulanyah said.
The
Chief Executive Officer, Westminster Foundation, Anthony Smith said that the
Commonwealth Partnership for Democracy will continue holding leaders
accountable and ensure that all citizens are included in the political
leadership of their countries.
The
UK Commonwealth Envoy, Philip Parnum applauded leaders for progress made in
achieving their commitments in Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings as
well as those made on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“We are very proud to be part of this project to make a change for women and the marginalized,” he said.
ENDS