‘Stop govt appointees from contesting incumbent MPs’

Michael Botuo, a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has petitioned the leadership of the party to disallow government appointees from contesting sitting Members of Parliament (MP).

He explained that chief executive officers and managing directors in charge of state institutions were all appointees of the President, hence they must be disallowed to avoid wrangling, disunity and backbiting within the rank and file of the party.

“Most of the appointees instead of concentrating on the national interest with their positions rather use it in cushioning their targeted constituencies and before the 2020 elections the leaders of our party came out with communique concering metropolitan municipal and district chief executives who were constituency chairman, regional chairman among others.

“If you want to contest as an MP in their constituencies they have to resign two years before the primaries so as to bring harmony, cohesion, peace and unity within the rank and file within the party,” Mr. Botuo suggested.

He noted that if the party had discovered that metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives were giving problems to incumbent MPs, then chief executive officers and managing directors should also be disallowed since they were also part of the problems.

According to him, they have been given a position to serve the country and not only a constituency but the appointees normally think about how to become MPs and they focus on the constituency of their choice and cited the Chief Executive of Medium and Small Loans Centre who wants to become an MP would induce the constituents with money and logistics in order to win the seat to represent them in Parliament. 

“If I am in charge of the Scholarship Secretariat I have to focus on my constituency because I want to become an MP, these issues are giving the party challenges, today, look at our economy and the president has accepted that the country is in difficult times and the future is unknown about the economy,” M. Botuo said.   

He cautioned that the NPP would face serious challenges “if the National Executive Committee allowed government appointees to contest incumbent MPs ahead of the 2024 elections which could have effect on the fortunes and agenda towards three consecutive electoral victories.