The Uganda Opposition Should Take The Position Of Lop Seriously

Every healthy democracy needs a strong opposition to remain healthy. That’s one of the basic premises for a democratic system to survive. However, what we are having today in Uganda is a problematic opposition- It’s the lack of credibility of those in opposition particularly in the National Unity Platform (NUP). Few are concerned about the wellbeing of the country and society. Most are there just to guard their interests and those of party leaders.

The position of the "Leader of the Opposition"(LOP) was first formally created in 1958 in the then ‘’parliament’’ under a different name - LEGICO(Legislative Council). After the 1961 elections the LEGICO was transformed into the "National Assembly" with Ben Kiwanuka becoming the Prime minister and Obote becoming the first Ugandan LOP. In 1962, Obote became the second Prime Minister, and the National Assembly was converted into a Parliament.

Parliament was called the National Resistance Council (NRC) when Museveni took over in 1986 – there was no LOP. After the 1996 Presidential elections, the NRC was renamed Parliament but there was still no LOP till after the 2006 elections. So, basically, FDC’s Morris Ogenga Latigo became the first LOP under Museveni. The LOP now is Joel Ssenyonyi of the NUP.

The LOP position is essential to ensure that the country is run on Constitutional principles and the heart and soul of democracy is intact. A democracy functions through consensus. There are several rules and procedures that require the ruling party to consult the opposition so that the time of the house is optimally utilized.

A LOP, therefore, is essential for parliamentary democracy – his presence in parliament signifies democracy in the country. That’s why I find it weird when a party says that Museveni is a dictator yet you’re serving in the same government as LOP. If you want to portray the government as a dictatorship, just avoid sending MPs to a parliament where you will forever be a minority, anyway.

The LOP appoints and heads an alternative shadow cabinet whose duty it is to challenge and influence governmental actions and legislation on the floor of Parliament. Legally speaking, Kyagulanyi shouldn’t be the one appointing both the LOP and the shadow cabinet – he has no parliamentary powers to appoint anybody - he shouldn't appoint anyone.

The LOP gets facilities equal to a cabinet minister, can intervene in house debates – In some countries, he can do so without the permission of the speaker, and he or she is also part of a committee which takes decisions on appointment of some critical, constitutional positions.

THE RIGHT LOP
The opposition in Uganda plays an important role in providing practical criticism of the ruling party, NRM. Therefore, it is important for the opposition to have a leader who can represent the interests of the non-dominant parties in these roles, such as the FDC, UPC and DP. It’s vital that a LOP is elected by MPs in the dominant party in consultation with other parties in the opposition. I’m hoping that the new bill will allow MPs of other parties to vote on the next LOP.

The absence of a strong LOP will weaken the opposition as the opposition will not be able to put up a unified front against the ruling party. The appointment of a LOP should never have been left to a party leader such as Kyagulanyi - This one is terrible because he shows off publicly for appointing someone LOP, like he said to Mpuuga that he made him LOP after the fall out.

Because party leaders have been appointing LOPs since the FDC times, there has been growing acrimony amongst opposition leaders. This partly explains why We have not had a responsible opposition since the 2021 elections ended, but a gang of opportunists for photo sessions. Accusations against rulings are there for media glare. Ssenyonyi and Bobi Wine have been accused of amassing wealth instead of fighting for the liberty of Ugandans. There are memes all over social media with a text of shs.1.7b and a photo of Ssenyonyi on the side- Apparently, that’s how much he was bribed during his COSASE days. The total opposition is divided and there is no markable strength in any opposition parties.

NUP has been preoccupied with attacking other opposition leaders, criticising the Buganda kingdom Katikilo, or even musicians opposed to Kyagulanyi. It's very rare to find their MPs or bloggers talking about policies or anything substantial. Ssenyonyi tried for a bit while in COSASE, but he has been largely a failure ever since he took over from Mpunga. The latter tried to unite different MPs in opposition, but it seems he wasn’t liked so much by Kyagulanyi for outshining him in elite circles.

LOP VS LEADER OF OPPOSITION
There is also a difference between LOP and leader of opposition. I have had Hon. Lutamaguzi explained it in a bad way on one of the TV stations. The ‘Leader of the Opposition” is a term used in parliamentary systems of government for, usually, the leader of the largest party not in power. He or she has an official status and a particular role, which is to lead criticism of government policy and to suggest alternatives. ‘The opposition’ consists of parliamentary members of parties not in power, but usually refers specifically to the largest such party (or coalition), which may be seen as an alternative government. The Leader of the Opposition enjoys the rank of a cabinet minister

“Leader of Opposition” - would indicate someone who leads opposition generally, not necessarily in a political sense. This represents standard usage in Uganda. So, if before 2026, someone else emerges as more popular than Besigye or Kyagulanyi, the media wil be ok to refer to him as Leader of opposition or opposition leader.

Here in the UK, LOP means the leader of the official opposition party in a British style of government. A leader of opposition is any leader of any group opposed to the wishes of the party in power.

In a democratic society, the opposition are all the parties that aren’t the ruling party. And they all have their own individual leaders. In dictatorships, that’s a little bit different. The opposition is often united in order to be able to topple the dictatorship easier.