Prof Barya proposes removal of Rugunda’s office

By Wesley Spartan

Presidential aspirant, Prof Venansius Baryamureeba, has proposed to the legal and parliamentary affairs committee that the office of the Prime Minister should be abolished.
Prof Baryamureeba told members of the committee that article 108A of the constitution should be repealed to ensure that the office of the vice president is strengthened with duties done by the prime minister taken up by the vice president.
If such a proposal was to see light of day, the current Prime Minister, Dr Ruhakana Rugunda, would be sent back to Kabale district to “rear goats”.
Barya as he is popularly known, says Rugunda and the current Vice President, Edward Ssekandi, has no powers given by the constitution but only waits for President Yoweri Museveni.
He further suggests that while VP office is strengthened, the cabinet should also be empowered to remove a sitting president.
“Cabinet ministers should be ex-officio MPs, and parliamentary caucus of ruling party should be barred from discussing and taking binding positions on parliamentary business with the executive.”
“We propose that term limits for presidents be provided for in the constitution,” Barya hinted on what opposition politicians have been pushing for in their electoral reforms.
He moved that Ministers should be ex-officio Members of Parliament and they should not be more than 20 “except with approval of 75% of MPs”.
“We propose the establishment of the upper house (Senate) and lower house (house of representatives),” he continued, saying the House of Representatives should have 200 MPs for a population of 36 million people.
“If parliament wishes not to have independent MPs, it’s not a problem since there are more than 30 parties.”
Government, according to Barya, should focus on attracting persons from private practice to serve as judicial officers through remuneration.
He argued that the Judicial Service Commission be given powers to search for the commissioners of the Electoral Commission.
“Where JSC recommends the same names to the president and are rejected, Parliament shall vet both candidates and decide on who becomes the nee Chief Justice and send the name to the president for appointment.”
He proposed that then the president would within 30 days forward one name to parliament or return them to JSC with reasons for rejecting.
“The JSC should forward 2 names for the position of Chief Justice to the president 6 months before vacation of office.”
He also moved that the Speaker, Deputy Speaker and Leader of Opposition in Parliament “don’t hold any position in their parties”