PRESS BRIEF
15/09/2006
1. On vehicle Speed Governors:
Sometimes the government operates like thunder in the rain. This week the government thundered on taxis with that funny demand of speed governors.
While we don’t have a problem with the speed governors on buses and taxis traveling up-country, we have a lot of problems with the same law that also requires that city bound taxis should also install speed governors.
We feel that the law is unfair especially when it demands that all taxis including those that are city bound to install speed governors. These are taxis that move around the city, there should be a clear distinction between the city taxis and those that go up-country.
The law should make sense to people and even to those it intends to benefit or protect and not to cause commotion or chaos in public.
· The law must also be associated with sense. How do you put speed governors in city tax which a permanent
· May be we are on some one deal, he or she is trying to put it under our throats.
· Even lorry with already speed limits are forced to this crooked deal. Lorries carry goods which are need in time in the market.
· The problem in African leaders are masters instead of servants.
· Take the example, Black spot on our roads e.g. Jinja, Masaka, and Entebbe Roads. These places are known. We don’t see police pressurizing works Ministry to do something on those spots, but always come in full force to harass Ugandans.
· We suggest that UTODA should help in identifying which vehicles go to up-country e.g
· Although, we appreciate the intervention of the vice President and the extension of the period to consider the vehicles which operate within the city limits to be treated differently. It is unfair to enforce a law which is causing disturbances to the public.
Yesterday we had a meeting with Chairman and his commissioners at the electoral commission’s Board Room.
We do appreciate the time they created for us to listen and discuss concerning matters as regards the operation of parties.
The purpose of our meeting with the commission, was for a number of reasons especially, those which touch and govern the operations and the functioning of political parties as is provided for by the Political Parties and Organizations Act, 2005.
1. We discussed on the Code of Conduct for Political parties and organizations as provided for in section 19 of the PPOA, 2005; as opposed to the Inter-political Party Committee formed by the President to discuss the Code of Conduct which excludes most of the registered political parties, the electoral commission, and the Attorney General as prescribed by the law.
2. We discussed on why it has taken the electoral commission so long to establish and operationalise the National Consultative Forum as provided for by section 20 of the PPOA, 2005.
3. We also registered our dissatisfaction with the conduct of the electoral commission on how they handled the recently concluded elections in the new Districts and especially by not officially informing register political parties. And for them not to behave as if we are still in the movement political system.
We, therefore, want to demand from relevant government bodies e.g. the Attorney General, the Parliament and the electoral commission to put in place enabling laws so as to establish and operationalise sections 19 and 20 of the PPOA, 2005 of which, their absence, is a hinderance to the progression and consolidation of multiparty system of governance.
Unless the code of conduct is discussed through the established channels in the law we shall not be bound by its outcome.