The Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Hon. Winnie Kiiza has said that the Opposition should not be viewed as enemies of the ruling government, but as partner and an organ with an advisory role.
According to Kiiza who is currently attending the seminar on Strengthening the Role of the Opposition in Parliament for Effective Governance and Oversight in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, the Opposition is a government in waiting’ and should not be classified as being against government programmes.
“On many occasions we have worked with the government; the challenge is that we are perceived as those whose role is criticizing government. People do not think that we can work towards providing solutions to the challenges we bring forward,” she said.
The seminar organized by the African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs is aimed at improving the capacity of Opposition parties to hold government to account, promote and stimulate debates in Parliament and how to work with the media and civil society to ensure good governance.
Kiiza noted that the Opposition has ensured that services are effectively and sufficiently delivered without necessarily wasting resources.
“When we criticize the issue of education for all, we don’t refute the aspect that there should be education for all Ugandans,” Kiiza noted.
She added, “However, there should be free but quality education. Can you make the cost affordable even for the poorest of the poor so that there is equal opportunity for all Ugandans?”
Meanwhile the Defense and Internal Affairs Shadow Minister, Hon. Muwanga Kivumbi (Butambala) expressed anxiety about the population’s perception that if the Opposition is working with government, they have been compromised.
“This has undermined the spirit of cooperation because the Opposition fears to be perceived as a compromised entity,” he said.
He added that the government should also be faulted for creating the impression that if the Opposition is cooperating then they have been ‘taken’.
Kivumbi warned that the country is at a loss on the development agenda if this is not understood and addressed by all the stakeholders.
“There are issues that are non-partisan, where we can find a middle ground and build a win-win situation. The winners in that situation are the people, but they themselves undermine that possibility by saying, whenever the Opposition works with government they are compromised,” he added.
Opposition politicians who have publicly supported government programmes have for long been accused of being in cohorts with government even by their own parties. This has often led to mistrust among members of the party or the Opposition in general.
The delegation to the Seminar also includes Hon. Angeline Osegge, Hon, Anne Adeke Ebaju and Hon. Santa Alum. The team also includes four technical staff from the Office of the Leader of the Opposition.