EDITORIAL: Eala MPs can call their Speaker to order without boycotting sessions

plenary sessions of the regional parliament, the East African Legislative Assembly (Eala), are scheduled to start in Kigali on Monday October 20 amid threats by some members to boycott proceedings because they don’t like the leadership style of their Speaker, Margaret Nantongo Zziwa. Those opposed to Zziwa’s ways of conducting House business are free to express their displeasure and indeed right what they think is wrong. That indeed is a cardinal tenet of democracy. But the MPs should not let their differences with the Speaker undermine the interests of nearly 150 million east Africans, who they (MPs) are paid to serve. There are so many issues that continue to hinder the people of east Africa from doing business together and better their lives that require the full attention of political and civil society leaders. Non-tariff barriers such as delays at border posts, unnecessary police roadblocks and insecurity on some of the major highways are the most obvious. Instead of wasting time indulging in endless squabbling, members of Eala should focus attention on solving problems hurting the people they represent—such as eliminating barriers to trade. East Africans want to trade more among themselves and improve their living condition. An ordinary man in Rwamagana or Karamoja wants freedom to sell what he produces and be able to take his child to a good school. He is not interested in how much an Eala MP should earn in allowances vis-à-vis the Speaker. This is not to say the MPs should not hold their Speaker accountable for her acts of omission or commission. But they should use their internal rules to call her to order, without bringing the legislative functions of the assemble to a standstill. After all, because boycotting proceedings will not remove Zziwa from the chair.

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EDITORIAL: Eala MPs can call their Speaker to order without boycotting sessions